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Dissertating Like a Distance Runner: Ten Tips for Finishing Your PhD

The above photo is of Sir Mo Farah running past Buckingham Palace into the home stretch of the London Marathon. I took the photo two days after my viva, in which I defended my PhD dissertation. Farah become a British hero when he and his training partner, Galen Rupp, won the gold and silver medals in the 10k at the London Olympic Games.

I had the honor of racing against Rupp at Nike’s Boarder Clash meet between the fastest high school distance runners in my home state of Washington and Rupp’s home state of Oregon. I’m happy to provide a link to the results and photos of our teenage selves since I beat Galen and Washington won the meet. (Note: In the results, ‘Owen’ is misspelled with the commonly added s , which I, as a fan of Jesse Owens, feel is an honor.) By the time we were running in college—Rupp for the University of Oregon and myself for the University of Washington—he was on an entirely different level. I never achieved anything close to the kind of running success Rupp has had. Yet, for most of us mortals, the real value in athletics is the character traits and principles that sports instill in us, and how those principles carry over to other aspects of life. Here I want to share ten principles that the sport of distance running teaches, which I found to be quite transferrable to writing my doctoral dissertation.

To provide some personal context, I began as a doctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham in 2014. At that time my grandparents, who helped my single father raise my sister and me, continued their ongoing struggle with my Grandfather’s Alzheimer’s. It was becoming increasingly apparent that they would benefit from having my wife and I nearby. So, in 2015 we moved to my hometown of Yakima, Washington. That fall I began a 2/2 teaching load at a small university on the Yakama Nation Reservation as I continued to write my dissertation. Since finishing my PhD four years ago, in 2018, I have published one book , five research articles , and two edited volume chapters related in various ways to my dissertation. As someone living in rural Eastern Washington, who is a first-gen college grad, I had to find ways to stay self-motivated and to keep chipping away at my academic work. I found the following principles that I learned through distance running very helpful.

(1) Establish community . There are various explanations, some of which border on superstitious, for why Kenyan distance runners have been so dominant. Yet one factor is certainly the running community great Kenyan distance runners benefit from at their elite training camps, as discussed in Train Hard, Win Easy: The Kenyan Way . Having a community that values distance running can compel each member of the community to pursue athletic excellence over a long period of time. The same can be said for academic work. Many doctoral researchers have built-in community in their university departments, but for various reasons this is not true for everyone. Thankfully, alternative ways to establish community have never been easier, predominantly due to technology.

Since my dissertation applied Aristotelian causation and neo-Thomistic hylomorphism to mental causation and neural correlates of consciousness, I found it immensely helpful to meet consistently with neuroscientist, Christof Koch, and philosopher of mind, Mihretu Guta. Mihretu does work on the philosophy of consciousness and Christof propelled the dawn of the neurobiology of consciousness with Francis Crick . Though Mihretu lives in Southern California, we met monthly through Skype, and I would drive over the Cascade Mountains once a month to meet with Christof in Seattle. As my dissertation examiner, Anna Marmodoro, once reminded me: the world is small—it’s easier than ever before to connect with other researchers.

It can also be helpful to keep in mind that your community can be large or small. As some athletes train in large camps consisting of many runners, others have small training groups, such as the three Ingebrigtsen brothers . Likewise, your community could be a whole philosophy department or several close friends. You can also mix it up. As an introvert, I enjoyed my relatively small consistent community, but I also benefitted from attending annual regional philosophy conferences where I could see the same folks each year. And I especially enjoyed developing relationships with other international researchers interested in Aristotelian philosophy of mind at a summer school hosted by the University of Oxford in Naples, which Marmodoro directed. For a brief period, we all stayed in a small villa and talked about hylomorphism all day, each day, while enjoying delicious Italian food.

Whatever your community looks like, whatever shape it takes, what matters is that you’re encouraged toward accomplishing your academic goal.

(2) Know your goal. Like writing a dissertation, becoming a good distance runner requires a lot of tedious and monotonous work. If you don’t have a clear goal of what you want to achieve, you won’t get up early, lace up your running shoes, and enter the frosty morning air as you take the first of many steps in your morning run. There are, after all, more enticing and perhaps even more pressing things to do. Similarly, if you don’t have a clear goal of when you want to finish your dissertation, it is easy to put off your daily writing for another day, which can easily become more distant into the future.

(3) Be realistic about your goal . While it is important to have a clear goal as a distance runner and as a doctoral researcher, it is important for your goal to be realistic. This means your goal should take into account the fact that you are human and therefore have both particular strengths and limitations. Everyone enters the sport of distance running with different strengths and weaknesses. When Diddy ran the city it would have been unrealistic for him to try to break the two-hour barrier in the marathon, as Eliud Kipchoge did . If Diddy made that his goal, he probably would have lost all hope in the first mile of the marathon and never finished. Because he set a more realistic goal of breaking four hours, not two hours, he paced himself accordingly and actually finished.

The parent of two young children who is teaching part-time can certainly finish a dissertation. But the parent will have a greater likelihood of doing so with a reasonable goal that fits that individual’s strengths and limitations. If the parent expects to finish on the same timescale as someone who is single with no children nor teaching responsibilities, this will likely lead to disappointment and less motivation in the middle of the process. Motivation will remain higher, and correspondingly so will productivity that is fueled by motivation, if one’s goal is realistic and achievable.

Another element of having a realistic goal is being willing to adapt the goal as your circumstances change. Sometimes a runner might enter a race expecting to place in the top five and midway through the race realize that she has a great chance of winning (consider, for example, Des Linden’s victory at the Boston Marathon ). At that point, it would be wise to revise one’s goal to be ‘win the race’ rather than simply placing in the top five. At other times, a runner might expect to win the race or be on the podium and midway realize that is no longer possible. Yet, if she is nevertheless within striking distance of placing in the top five, then she can make that her new goal, which is realistic given her current situation and will therefore sustain her motivation to the finish line. Sara Hall, who could have and wanted to crack the top three, held on for fifth at the World Championships marathon because she adjusted her goal midrace.

The PhD candidate who initially plans to finish her dissertation in three years but then finds herself in the midst of a pandemic or dealing with a medical issue or a family crisis may not need to give up on her goal of finishing her dissertation. Perhaps, she only needs to revise her goal so that it allows more time, so she finishes in five years rather than three. A PhD finished in five years is certainly more valuable than no PhD.

(4) Know why you want to achieve your goal . My high school cross-country coach, Mr. Steiner, once gave me a book about distance running entitled “Motivation is the Name of the Game.” It is one of those books you don’t really need to read because the main takeaway is in the title. Distance running requires much-delayed gratification—you must do many things that are not intrinsically enjoyable (such as running itself, ice baths, going to bed early, etc.) in order to achieve success. If you don’t have a solid reason for why you want to achieve your running goal, you won’t do the numerous things you do not want to do but must do to achieve your goal. The same is true for finishing a PhD. Therefore, it is important to know the reason(s) why you want to finish your dissertation and why you want a PhD.

As a side note, it can also be immensely helpful to choose a dissertation topic that you are personally very interested in, rather than a topic that will simply make you more employable. Of course, being employable is something many of us must consider. Yet, if you pick a topic that is so boring to you that you have significant difficulty finding the motivation to finish your dissertation, then picking an “employable dissertation topic” will be anything but employable.

(5) Prioritize your goal . “Be selfish” were the words of exhortation my college cross-country team heard from our coaches before we returned home for Christmas break. As someone who teaches ethics courses, I feel compelled to clarify that “be selfish” is not typically good advice. However, to be fair to my coaches, the realistic point they were trying to convey was that at home we would be surrounded by family and friends who may not fully understand our running goals and what it takes to accomplish them. For example, during my first Christmas break home from college, I was trying to run eighty miles per week. Because I was trying to fit these miles into my social schedule without much compromise, many of these miles were run in freezing temps, in the dark, on concrete sidewalks with streetlights, rather than dirt trails. After returning to campus following the holidays, I raced my first indoor track race with a terribly sore groin, which an MRI scan soon revealed was due to a stress fracture in my femur. I learned the hard way that I have limits to what I can do, which entails I must say “no thanks” to some invitations, even though that may appear selfish to some.

A PhD researcher writing a dissertation has a substantial goal before her. Yet, many people writing a dissertation have additional responsibilities, such as teaching, being a loving spouse, a faithful friend, or a present parent. As I was teaching while writing my dissertation, I often heard the mantra “put students first.” Yet, I knew if I prioritized my current students over and above finishing my dissertation, I would, like many, never finish my dissertation. However, I knew it would be best for my future students to be taught by an expert who has earned a PhD. So, I put my future students first by prioritizing finishing my PhD . This meant that I had to limit the teaching responsibilities I took on. Now, my current students are benefitting from my decision, as they are taught by an expert in my field.

While prioritizing your dissertation can mean putting it above some things in life, it also means putting it below other things. A friend once told me he would fail in a lot of areas in life before he fails as a father, which is often what it means to practically prioritize one goal above another. Prioritizing family and close friendships need not mean that you say ‘yes’ to every request, but that you intentionally build consistent time into your schedule to foster relationships with the people closest to you. For me, this practically meant not working past 6:00pm on weekdays and taking weekends off to hang out with family and friends. This relieved pressure, because I knew that if something went eschew with my plan to finish my PhD, I would still have the people in my life who I care most about. I could then work toward my goal without undue anxiety about the possibility of failing and the loss that would entail. I was positively motivated by the likely prospect that I would, in time, finish my PhD, and be able to celebrate it with others who supported me along the way.

(6) Just start writing . Yesterday morning, it was five degrees below freezing when I did my morning run. I wanted to skip my run and go straight to my heated office. So, I employed a veteran distance running trick to successfully finish my run. I went out the door and just started running. That is the hardest part, and once I do it, 99.9% of the time I finish my run.

You may not know what exactly you think about a specific topic in the chapter you need to write, nor what you are going to write each day. But perhaps the most simple and helpful dissertation advice I ever received was from David Horner, who earned his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oxford. He told me: “just start writing.” Sometimes PhD researchers think they must have all their ideas solidified in their mind before they start writing their dissertation. In fact, writing your dissertation can actually help clarify what you think. So “just start writing” is not only simple but also sage advice.

(7) Never write a dissertation . No great marathoner focuses on running 26.2 miles. Great distance runners are masters of breaking up major goals into smaller goals and then focusing on accomplishing one small goal at a time, until they have achieved the major goal. Philosophers can understand this easily, as we take small, calculated steps through minor premises that support major premises to arrive at an overall conclusion in an argument.

Contained within each chapter of a dissertation is a premise(s) in an overall argument and individual sections can contain sub-premises supporting the major premise of each chapter. When you first start out as a doctoral researcher working on your dissertation, you have to construct an outline of your dissertation that maps out the various chapters and how they will relate to your overall conclusion. Once you have that outline in place, keep it in the back of your mind. But do not focus on writing the whole, which would be overwhelming and discouraging. Rather, focus on writing whichever chapter you are working on. The fastest American marathoner, Ryan Hall, wrote a book that sums up the only way to run long distances in the title Run the Mile You’re In . And Galen Rupp discusses in this interview how he mentally breaks up a marathon into segments and focuses on just finishing one segment at a time. Whatever chapter you’re writing, make it your goal to write that chapter. Once you’ve accomplished that goal, set a new goal: write the next chapter. Repeat that process several times and you will be halfway through your dissertation. Repeat the process a few more times, and you will be done.

By the time you have finished a master’s degree, you have written many chapter-length papers. To finish a dissertation, you essentially write about eight interconnected papers, one at a time, just as you have done many times before. If you just write the chapter (which you could call a “paper” if that feels like a lighter load) you’re writing, before you know it, you will have written a dissertation.

(8) Harness the power of habits . Becoming a great distance runner requires running an inordinate number of miles, which no one has the willpower to do. The best marathoners in the world regularly run well over one hundred miles a week, in addition to stretching, lifting weights, taking ice baths, and eating healthy. Not even the most tough-minded distance runner has the gumption to make all the individual decisions that would be required in order to get out the door for every run and climb into every ice bath apart from the development of habits. The most reliable way around each distance runner’s weakness of will, or akrasia , is developing and employing habits. The same can be true for writing.

If you simply try to write a little bit each weekday around the same time, you will develop a habit of writing at that time each day. Once you have that habit, the decision to write each weekday at that time will require less and less willpower over time. Eventually, it will take some willpower to not write at that time. I have found it helpful to develop the routine of freewriting for a few minutes just before starting my daily writing session of thirty minutes during which I write new content, before working on editing or revising existing content for about thirty minutes. My routine helped me develop the daily habit of writing, which removes the daily decision to write, as I “just do it” (to use Nike’s famous line) each day.

I have also found it helpful to divide my days up according to routines. As a morning person, I do well writing and researching in the morning, doing teaching prep and teaching during the middle of the day, and then doing mundane tasks such as email at the end of the day.

(9) Write for today and for tomorrow . Successful distance runners train for two reasons. One reason—to win upcoming races—is obvious. However, in addition to training for upcoming races, the successful distance runner trains today for the training that they want to be capable of months and years ahead. You cannot simply jump into running eighty, ninety, or one-hundred-mile weeks. It takes time to condition your body to sustain the stress of running high mileage weeks. A runner must have a long-term perspective and plan ahead as she works toward her immediate goals on the way to achieving her long-term goals. Similarly, for the PhD researcher, writing a dissertation lays the groundwork for future success.

For one, if the PhD candidate develops healthy, sustainable, productive habits while writing a dissertation, these habits can be continued once they land an academic job. It is no secret that the initial years on the job market, or in a new academic position, can be just as (or more) challenging than finishing a PhD. Effective habits developed while writing a dissertation can be invaluable during such seasons, allowing one to continue researching and writing even with more responsibilities and less time.

It is also worth noting that there is a sense in which research writing becomes easier, as one becomes accustomed to the work. A distance runner who has been running for decades, logging thousands of miles throughout their career, can run relatively fast without much effort. For example, my college roommate, Travis Boyd, decided to set the world record for running a half marathon pushing a baby stroller nearly a decade after we ran for the University of Washington. His training was no longer what it once was during our collegiate days. Nevertheless, his past training made it much easier for him to set the record, even though his focus had shifted to his full-time business career and being a present husband and father of two. I once asked my doctoral supervisors, Nikk Effingham and Jussi Suikkanen, how they were able to publish so much. They basically said it gets easier, as the work you have done in the past contributes to your future publications. Granted, not everyone is going to finish their PhD and then become a research super human like Liz Jackson , who finished her PhD in 2019, and published four articles that same year, three the next, and six the following year. Nevertheless, writing and publishing does become easier as you gain years of experience.

(10) Go running . As Cal Newport discusses in Deep Work , having solid boundaries around the time we work is conducive for highly effective academic work. And there is nothing more refreshing while dissertating than an athletic hobby with cognitive benefits . So, perhaps the best way to dissertate like a distance runner is to stop writing and go for a run.

Acknowledgments : Thanks are due to Aryn Owen and Jaden Anderson for their constructive feedback on a prior draft of this post.

• Matthew Owen

Matthew Owen (PhD, University of Birmingham) is a faculty member in the philosophy department at Yakima Valley College in Washington State. He is also an affiliate faculty member at the Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan. Matthew’s latest book is Measuring the Immeasurable Mind: Where Contemporary Neuroscience Meets the Aristotelian Tradition .

• Dissertating
• Finishing your PhD
• graduate students
• Sabrina D. MisirHiralall

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154. How to Plan Your PhD w/ Hugh Kearns

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A PhD Plan sounds like an oxymoron, but charting a path to graduation is one of the most important things you can do as a graduate student.

This week, we talk with Hugh Kearns of Thinkwell about why PhD planning is so challenging for students, and learn about some tools that can keep your research on track.

Uncharted Territory

We start the conversation by trying to understand why planning is so difficult and so rare for PhDs.

“They’ve never done a PhD so they don’t know what’s coming,” Kearns observes. “And your previous education doesn’t prepare for research.”

He continues, “Research by its nature is uncertain. Things go wrong. And then what happens is people think that ‘Because I don’t know, we just won’t plan anything! We’ll see what happens.'”

But just because you’ve never done a PhD before, and no one has pursued your particular branch of research, that doesn’t mean you can’t plan ahead.

In fact, there are already tools and strategies, adapted from project management in the business world, that will help you set some guide rails around your winding path to a PhD.

Getting Your PhD Plan Backward

Traditional ‘forward’ planning works great for a well-worn process, like building a house. Builders know from experience that you can’t build the walls until you’ve poured the foundation, and you can’t paint until the drywall is installed.

Each of those activities has a reasonably predictable timeline, so you can plan the construction of a home week by week until it’s finished.

But a PhD isn’t quite at prescriptive. Sure, you know you need to do a literature review, but how long does that take? And how long will experiments take?

The fact is, they’ll take as much time as you give them. There’s no definitive ‘finish line’ for a literature review the way there is for a construction project. You just need to decide how long you’re willing to give the review, and stop when it’s ‘good enough.’

That’s why Kearns recommends ‘backward planning’ for PhDs. You start with an end date in mind (usually when the funding runs out) and work back from there.

His book, Planning Your PhD: All the tools and advice you need to finish your PhD in three years , lays out the steps in detail, and provides some worksheets you can use to create a multi-year Thesis Plan .

In fact, he offers those worksheets for free on the website!

Drilling into Detail

With your Thesis Plan in place, you can begin the process of adding more and more detail to the events closest in time.

This ‘rolling plan’ recognizes that you don’t know what you might be doing on Tuesday March 25 at 3PM three years from now, but you CAN decide on some goals over the next six months.

And don’t stress out if those goals shift, or you don’t quite manage to meet them. If you revisit your plan on a regular schedule, you can adjust and adapt.

If you never set the goal, or never look back at what you planned, you’re guaranteed to drift as the months and years pass by.

Kearns shares some other tools, like his ‘To Day’ list that works in conjunction with your ‘To Do’ list to put a time component on your tasks. That way, you slowly make progress toward your goals, rather than watching your list grow more and more unmanageable.

The Paradox of Choice

Finally, we talk about the surprising fact having more options usually means you are less happy and get less done. Weird, right?

It’s the ‘paradox of choice,’ described by Barry Schwartz in his 2004 book of the same name, and this TED Talk .

For graduate students, that manifests as a list of things you need to get done: pour a gel, set up those reactions, manage the lab animals, read three papers, write a section of a review, respond to your PI’s email, and on and on.

And what happens when you have all those things you COULD be doing? You get overwhelmed and go scroll through Instagram instead.

Kearns recommends that you identify ‘The Next Thing’ (or TNT) and work on that. The smaller you make that task, the better!

We’ve learned over the years that PhD students don’t understand the meaning of the word “small”. Because they’ll say, “OK, I know what the task is: I’ll finish my literature review”. But this is still way too big. So now we use the word micro-task. For example, some micro-tasks are: * Add two paragraphs to the discussion section * Add the new data to Table 1 * Read my supervisor’s comments on my draft Planning Your PhD, by Hugh Kearns and Maria Gardiner

Keeping ‘The Next Thing’ manageable prevents your brain from shutting down and giving up.

And if you stack up enough ‘The Next Things’, day after day and week after week, you’ll soon be making measurable progress on your PhD!

One thought to “154. How to Plan Your PhD w/ Hugh Kearns”

There’s so many people that I’ve already approached and address the subject, and while it’s still needs to be addressed and is of great value to younger grad students… There’s something that I have experienced two times in my graduate student career, that I’ve yet to hear any academic institution discuss… What happens, when you are left alone when your advisor dies, and/or commits suicide? I realize this is a very small population of the onions that you speak to, but to those of us that I’ve gone through this, it is absolutely devastating. I’m the first person from my family to go to college, let alone grad school. Trying to finish my PhD was absolutely, not supported the least. When my advisor died it just sent things out of control. So, how do you propose to integrate maybe even in a small portion… However uncomfortable it may be, if a student is to be in such a situation where their advisor dies, And they are not receiving any support by their department which leaves them in even greater shock.. And perhaps I need them selves in limbo for years. This is what happened to me. But I had extenuating circumstances. I fought as hard as I could, While escaping a very unsafe home situation… Essentially, how do you bring up these topics for students for the worst possible case scenario for when things go wrong? Hopefully, they never do reach a point Were you have to learn that your advisor died or that you were advisor completed suicide in one of the parking garages is in your university. If you happen to plan your research out, let’s say perfectly; you have five research papers and you were on track to graduate and you were ready to give your defense And anticipated your graduation to be the next upcoming semester. You did everything right. Your plan worked. You follow the rules. What advice for students would you suggest, to prevent them from essentially falling apart completely? Because at the end of the day they put their entire lives into what they are doing here to finish up and move on with their lives. They put relationships and marriages and children on hold… So what happens when a disaster strikes? I think that should be a topic you might want to touch on in the future. Like I said, might be a small demographic, but I lost 1 advisor suddenly, An excellent professor to suicide, a remarkable and rising star an excellent lab-mate to suicide as well. I think that if we can integrate mental health and just kind of trickle it into conversations more, and dedicate more time to Just discussing it, and just discussing that mental health is as important as physical health… mental health won’t be as stigmatized as it unfortunately still is at this very day. Overall, I’m happy about the topic of this episode and this podcast in general. However, I think there are modern in inclusive pathways and things that Students really need help with especially regarding mental health and support… Especially when the loss of a lame or a advisor or a loved one… If any of this occurs, and they feel like they cannot reach out, that can be detrimental to your perfect research plan. So at the end of the day, your research plan could mean absolutely nothing. You have to essentially plan for the worst. Sounds sounds like a very pessimistic thing, I understand. But having gone through this myself, I don’t want anybody to ever experience what I have. We can only start making these extreme cases easier to deal with by Integrating it in our discussions. After all, it is quite relatable to your planning of your research and your PhD career. Because when your world gets turned upside down, your “plan” Could be dead or worthless. So where do you go from there? Just trying to provide a thought on my own take Hope it helps thanks for the podcast.

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Finishing Your Doctorate - a guide for students approaching the end of their studies

Learn about about the different stages you will go through to complete your doctorate. find out about the timescales and the issues you will need to consider..

• Introduction

As you approach the end of your doctoral studies there are many things to consider including finishing off your research, writing and submitting your thesis, preparing for your viva voce examination and completing any corrections before your doctorate is awarded.

This step-by-step guide will help you understand the different stages you will need to go through. If you are completing an MPhil, please contact your supervisor or the Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College for specific advice for finishing your award as the process will be different. They are on hand to provide help and further detailed information about each step.

• Timeline for completion of your doctorate

The timeline from when you formally tell us that you intend to submit your thesis or portfolio to when your award is approved, can vary from six to 18 months, depending on the outcome of your viva voce examination. You can see the timeline in full on this diagram .

You should aim to submit in advance of your expected registration end date, in order to allow time for the examination process to be completed before your registration period runs out.

Funding and visa issues

If you are in receipt of funding for a fixed period, you should bear this in mind when considering when to submit. Whilst technically it is still possible to submit your thesis on the last day of your formal registration period, or after your funding ends, you are strongly advised not to do this: you will need extensions to cover the examination period and you will still be required to pay fees until the date you submit your thesis. If you are a Tier 4 visa holder, you may also need to consider that your visa could expire before your viva examination can be held.

For those students who find themselves in financial difficulty, The University of Bath Hardship Fund is available.

• Step 1: Decide how to submit your thesis

A doctoral thesis submitted for the award of MPhil, PhD, DBA, DPRP or DHealth may be submitted in one of two differing formats:

a traditional thesis consisting of chapters

an alternative format thesis which integrates academic papers into the text.

You will need to decide, if you haven’t already, which format you plan to submit. Ideally, you will have discussed with your supervisory team at an appropriately early stage in your studies how you wish to present your work.

The programme regulations for each Degree will describe how the research work may be presented: in a thesis, a portfolio (EngD, and DClinPsy only) or via a body of published works (MD MS only). Only students registered on an EdD prior to 2014 are able to present their work in either a thesis or portfolio format.

Further details of the University’s specifications for Higher Degree Theses and Portfolios can be found in Appendix 6 of QA7 . You may also want to read the Alternative Format Thesis FAQs .

You can access the Library’s collection of successful thesis submissions online via the Research Portal. You may wish to look at a few from your department as examples, taking note of content and organisation.

• Step 2: Transfer to Writing Up Status

Once you have completed the minimum period of study required for your particular degree as stipulated in Regulation 16 , and you have finished the specified amount of work, you may be able to apply for transfer to 'Writing Up' status.

Each Faculty / School has its own requirements for what needs to be in place before you can transfer to writing up status. These are as follows:

Engineering - supervisor confirms that you have finished all experimental work and analysis and that you are now writing up the results

Science - laboratory work has been completed where appropriate, and the required data has been collected in preparation for writing up

Humanities & Social Sciences – a clear outline of the thesis structure, including methodological and analytical approaches to be used, a detailed content of all chapters has been agreed, and, where appropriate, data collection has been completed.

School of Management - data collection and analysis has been completed and you have started writing up analysis

Fees associated with writing up

There are two writing up fee levels: Continuation and Administration, both of which are a significant drop from the regular fee rate. The one you choose will depend on the level of supervision you will need and the extent to which you will require access to the Library. Please note that Tier 4 students who wish to stay in the UK to write up are required to transfer to the Continuation fee and maintain regular supervisory contact.

Continuation fee - requires continued supervision and use of University facilities at a reduced level.

Administration fee - no longer requires supervision or the use of University facilities

Whether you transfer to the Continuation or Administration fee, your supervisor will still be expected to provide a critical proof reading of your thesis, prior to its submission. In addition, a member of the supervisory team will be available for consultation with the Board of Examiners on the day of the examination, and your supervisor will be with you at the point the examiners tell you about the outcome of the exam.

Writing up fee levels can be found here . They are paid on an annual basis.

Approval process

You should consider making an application for transfer to writing up status at the earliest point, as changes of status may take time to be approved. In order to apply to transfer to writing up status and for your fee status to be changed you must:

complete the PGR10 form

ask your lead supervisor and your Director of Studies to sign the form to authorise the change in your status

submit the form to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College for consideration by Board of Studies (Doctoral) for formal approval.

Impact of change of status

You should note that if you are in receipt of funding, such as a full studentship or a fee waiver, this funding will end at the point at which you transfer to writing up status. You should also be aware that a change in your status may impact on your liability to pay Council Tax .

• Step 3: Notice of intention to submit

At least two months before you intend to submit your thesis or portfolio, and before your registration period ends, you should complete the HD1 form, which can be accessed through your SAMIS in-tray.

By completing this form you are providing formal notice of your intention to submit, which then prompts your supervisors and Director of Studies to start the appointment of examiners process by nominating an appropriate internal and an external examiner. It will also alert the graduation team that you are likely to be completing in the near future, so your name can be added to the invitation list for the next available graduation ceremony.

Most students will receive an email notification, reminding them to complete the HD1 form, six months prior to their registration end date. Students on the DClinPsy programme will be told by their Programme team when and how to complete a version of HD1. If you wish to submit your HD1 form earlier than six months before your end date, please contact your Doctoral Programme Administrator in the Doctoral College.

• Step 4: Restriction of access to your thesis

You should talk to your supervisor and/or funder about whether there is a need to restrict access to your thesis. Typical reasons for restricting access can include:

contractual agreements with companies or funders to not make findings public for a fixed period

deferral of open release of the e-thesis until after a paper’s publication

delay in making results public as they are being used to prepare patent applications.

If, for reasons of confidentiality, you want to restrict access to your thesis, it is possible to request a 12 month restriction. This applies to the electronic copy of the final thesis at the point when it is uploaded to the Library repository, Pure .

If you wish to secure a more comprehensive restriction of both the electronic and printed copies, or would like a restriction of a longer duration, you will need to make a formal request for approval from the Board of Studies (Doctoral) using the PGR7 form . On this form you will need to indicate why you need access to be restricted, and for how long.

The University has an open access policy on research outputs, and the expectation is that all theses/ portfolios will be available within the Library repository, therefore you will need to provide some details about why your work should not be shared. You will then need to submit the form to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College.

• Step 5: Appointment and role of examiners

Your supervisors and your departmental Director of Studies are responsible for nominating a Board of Examiners for the viva voce examination of your thesis or portfolio. This team will consist of an internal examiner who is usually, but not always, an academic from your department, and an external examiner from another university or organisation.

The team of examiners may also consist of an additional examiner, as a condition of funding, or an independent chairperson who can be appointed when the Director of Studies considers that the presence of an additional academic would be of assistance.

Criteria for appointment and role of examiners

For information on the criteria for the appointment of examiners, see section 14 of QA7 . You can also find further information in QA7 (section 13) on the role of examiners.

Nominations for doctoral examiners will be submitted using the PGR13 form: Appointment of Examiners for Doctoral Research Degrees. This form includes details of who the proposed examiners are and what previous examination experience they have, and it is signed by the lead supervisor and the Director of Studies.

The appointment of examiners needs to be approved by Board of Studies (Doctoral) before a viva voce examination can take place, so this form should be submitted to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College in good time prior to the submission of your thesis or portfolio. When you submit your Notice of Intention to Submit form you might want to also check with your lead supervisor that they have begun the process of identifying potential examiners.

• Step 6: Final preparation for submission

Word counts

The guidelines on word limits for final theses/portfolios vary by faculty or department. In order to be sure that you stay within any prescribed limits please consult the Doctoral College guidance document on word counts .

Plagiarism is a serious academic offence. You will have by now completed the academic integrity training and are expected to be aware of the rules around plagiarism.

All theses are checked for plagiarism using appropriate software. Whether it is detected by the supervisor when proof-reading a draft copy, or by the examiners in a thesis actually submitted for examination, QA53 (Examination and Assessment Offences) outlines the investigation process that will be followed if a suspected plagiarism offence is detected. The viva examination cannot go ahead until the investigation is completed, and where plagiarism is found to have taken place this may result in a disciplinary hearing where an appropriate penalty will be decided.

For a refresher on academic integrity whilst writing your thesis, see the Library guide on citing references and how to avoid plagiarism .

Seeking advice from your supervisor on draft(s)

The lead supervisor is responsible for advising you on the format of the thesis to be adopted and for carrying out a critical reading of the draft. When you are ready, your lead supervisor should read a complete draft of your thesis or portfolio and advise you of any changes or additions that should be made prior to submission. You may need to produce more than one draft before it is finalised.

You should give your supervisors not less than two weeks notice that you will be providing them with a copy of the draft thesis. They will need at least six weeks to read the draft and make their comments. The supervisor’s opinion is only advisory, and you have the right to decide whether to make any of the edits they recommend, and to decide when you are ready to submit your work for examination (subject to the requirements of the Regulations for the degree for which you are registered). Addressing the comments made by your supervisor does not guarantee that your thesis/portfolio will subsequently be passed by the examiners.

Specification for submission

There are detailed specifications for the presentation of a thesis or portfolio for examination and these can be found in Appendix 6 of QA7 . Please take note of these before submitting your work.

Printing / binding costs

You will need to print one hard-bound copy after the examination is completed. Information on the prices and process for printing your thesis/portfolio can be found here. You will be expected to bear the cost of printing this copy and as such may wish to speak with your supervisor about what assistance might be available.

• Step 7: Submission of your thesis/portfolio

What do I submit?

You are required to submit your thesis/portfolio in electronic format to the Doctoral College Submission page in Moodle where it will be checked for plagiarism. If an investigation into a potential plagiarism offence has to take place, the examination process will be stopped until this is concluded.

You will also need to complete the HD2 form: Record of submission of a thesis or portfolio , and email it to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator. Upon receipt of the HD2 form, and your submission onto Moodle, the Doctoral College will email you, your supervisor and the Director of Studies to formally confirm receipt of your submission.

When do I submit?

You are strongly advised to submit before the last day of your formal registration period so that the examination process can be completed before your registration ends, and if you are a Tier 4 visa holder, before your visa runs out.

If you do not submit before your registration end date, you will have to seek permission from Board of Studies to re-register as a student.

Your registration end date can be found on your SAMIS page or you can check this with your Doctoral College Programme Administrator.

If your visa runs out before the examination process is complete, you may be required to obtain a new visa (such as a short-term study visa) or return to your home country. If this happens, it may be possible to return to the UK at a later date to attend the viva voce examination in person, or alternatively a video conference can be arranged to facilitate the examination.  Find out more about visas .

What happens to my tuition fees after I submit?

Tuition fees will no longer be incurred but may still be charged from the point of submission. Depending on the outcome of your viva examination, and the level of access you may need to supervision and resources in order to complete your corrections/revisions, you may be charged a writing up fee for the corrections period.

Do I have to start paying Council Tax after I submit?

Full-time students are exempt from paying Council Tax until their expected, or actual, end date of registration. If you submit your thesis/portfolio on, or close to, your end date, you will need to contact your Doctoral Programmes Administrator to request an examination extension, which will extend your end of registration date. The actual end date of registration will then be the day of the Board of Studies (Doctoral) meeting where your final award is approved.

• Step 8: Preparing for the viva voce examination

Purpose of the viva voce

The main purpose of the viva voce is for you to defend the content of your thesis/portfolio and demonstrate your understanding of the broader aspects of the field of research and the subject of the thesis. It is an essential part of the examination process, and you must pass the viva as well as present a satisfactory thesis/portfolio in order to gain the award.

The examiners will test your ability to defend the work presented for examination. They need to ensure that your work is robust and that you fully understand the implications of your findings. They want to check the foundations of your research to ensure that the basic assumptions underpinning the work are sound, and that nothing major has been overlooked. Being able to discuss the work with you in person is of particular help if there is disagreement between the examiners about the outcome, or when the decision is marginal.

Think about the viva voce as more than an examination. It is an opportunity for you to discuss and develop ideas with experts in the field, to receive guidance on future publication plans and to receive constructive feedback on your work.

When should the examination take place?

The viva voce examination should normally take place within three months of the submission of the thesis/portfolio. Efforts will be made, where possible, to arrange the viva examination on a date convenient to all parties involved, and to minimise the amount of time a student has to wait for a viva examination.

You will be advised of the date of the examination as soon as possible after the thesis has been submitted. As a minimum, you will be given at least one week’s notice of the date of the exam. Those Tier 4 students on an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) course who are coming back to the UK for their viva examination may require more notice, so that they can apply and receive their new ATAS certificate. The Doctoral Programmes Administrator for your department or programme/supervisor will work with the examiners to check availability and agree a date and time.

Where should the examination take place?

The venue for the viva voce examination will vary by discipline. In some cases it will take place in the office of the internal examiner. In other cases a room may be booked. In all cases, the venue should be a quiet, comfortable environment free from interruptions.

Video Conferencing

In certain circumstances, the use of video conferencing facilities may be permitted for your viva examination, although some programmes may have their own expectations with regards to the use of these facilities. This might be an option if you or your examiner are based outside the UK and for reasons of cost, time or restricted mobility are unable to travel to the University of Bath in order to participate in the viva exam at an appropriate time. Should you require further advice on this, or should you want to take advantage of this facility, you should contact your Doctoral Programmes Administrator as soon as you are notified of your viva date.

For further information on the use of video conferencing in viva examinations see QA7 Appendix 3 .

Who will attend?

In line with UK practice, the viva voce will be a closed examination rather than a public event. You and the examiners will attend, along with an independent Chairperson if they have been appointed. You may ask that your supervisor is permitted to attend the viva voce examination to provide moral support or reassurance, but they must not play an active role in the examination. If you want your supervisor to be in attendance you will need to notify the Doctoral College on your HD2 form at the point of submission.

Some departments may also require you to undertake a public lecture or presentation before your viva voce. Please contact your supervisor for further information about whether this applies to you.

Can I ask for adjustments to help me participate in the viva examination?

The University is responsible for ensuring that appropriate facilities are made available should you need them. Please raise details of any reasonable adjustments that you may require to enable you to participate fully in the viva examination at your earliest opportunity. These adjustments can be related to a long-standing disability or a short-term medical issue, for example a back problem. Student Services can provide you with advice about adjustments and will generate a Disability Action Plan to record the adjustments where appropriate.

• Tips and advice for your viva voce

The following tips and advice will help you to prepare:

• expect to be challenged!
• be active - anticipate the questions that are likely to be asked in the viva examination
• use your research skills to identify commonly asked questions, and, after they’ve proof-read the thesis, ask your supervisors to suggest some potential questions too
• be prepared to discuss both the strengths and weaknesses of your work
• if you’ve presented your work at a conference or departmental seminar consider the questions that other researchers have raised about your work
• re-familiarise yourself with your examiners’ work in the field, as this can help you anticipate some of their likely questions
• be ready to summarise their most significant findings or area of greatest strength in your thesis
• be objective, and identify any areas of weaknesses within the body of work and be ready to discuss these, too
• ask your supervisory team, fellow researchers, or doctoral students in your office to hold a practice viva voce examination, in order to gain experience in answering questions about your work.
• re-read the thesis, particularly the first chapters that you wrote, in order to familiarise yourself with the contents once more
• attend the DoctoralSkills workshop ' Preparing for your doctoral viva '. You'll discuss what is expected of you in the examination and there will be a Q&A session with experienced examiners. Alternatively, you can complete the online learning module . Find out more by emailing DoctoralSkills .
• Further information about the viva voce

There are several useful resources in the library catalogue, the following list may be accessed online: Murray, R., (2009) How to Survive Your Viva: Defending a Thesis in an Oral Examination. Mansfield, N., (2007) Final hurdle: a guide to a successful viva. Potter, S., (2006) Doing postgraduate research.

The following Vitae guides may also prove helpful:

• Finishing your doctorate
• Completing your doctorate
• Writing and submitting your doctoral thesis
• Defending your thesis: the PhD viva
• Thesis defence checklist
• Thesis outcomes and corrections
• I had my doctoral viva and I enjoyed it

ATAS requirements

If you are a visa-holding student on an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) course coming back to the UK for your viva voce examination on a short-term study visa, you will need to ensure that a new ATAS certificate has been applied for, and received, in good time before making your new visa application. This includes nationals who are able to ask for permission to enter the UK on arrival at the border, rather than apply for a visa in advance. If you return to the UK for your viva voce without having a new ATAS certificate in place then it may not be possible to proceed with the examination.

• Step 9: Examiners' role in the viva voce

What do the examiners do?

Once appointed, internal and external examiners will read your thesis and each complete a preliminary report which records their initial independent thoughts on the work presented for examination. The examiners will refer back to these reports when they ask you questions in the viva voce examination. After the viva examination is concluded, the examiners will ask you to leave the room whilst they make their decision. You will be called back in, with your supervisor, to hear the examiners’ recommended outcome of the examination.

Examiners are asked to assess doctoral candidates' research and confirm their research as:

• making an original and significant contribution to knowledge
• giving evidence of originality of mind and critical judgement in a particular subject
• containing material worthy of peer-reviewed publication
• being satisfactory in its literary and/or technical presentation and structure with a full bibliography and references
• demonstrating an understanding of the context of the research: this must include, as appropriate for the subject of the thesis, the scientific, engineering, commercial and social contexts

And passing a viva voce examination on the broader aspects of the field of research in addition to the subject of the thesis

Examiners' Report

On the day of the viva the examiners will complete an Examiners’ Report, which summarises how the examination went, their recommended outcome, and any minor corrections or revisions that are required. It is not always possible for these to be outlined in detail on the day of the examination, so the full list of corrections/revisions may be supplied by the examiners up to two weeks later.

The Examiners Report, and corrections list, goes to Board of Studies (Doctoral) for consideration and approval, and until this point their recommendations are only provisional. The official outcome of the examination will be confirmed to you by email from the Doctoral College/Secretary of the Board of Studies (Doctoral).

More information about the role and responsibilities of the Board of Examiners and how the examination will be conducted can be found in the Guidelines for Research Examiners .

Contact with examiners

You should have no contact with your examiners prior to the viva voce examination, other than with the internal examiner to arrange the date and time of your examination. After the examination, advice and supervision in support of any required corrections or revisions will be provided by your supervisors, not the examiners. If needed, your supervisor or the Doctoral College can liaise with examiners on your behalf.

Please note that examiners usually need between four and six weeks to read a thesis and prepare for the examination. Later, when presented with a corrected thesis, the internal examiner may take up to four weeks to determine whether the corrections have been done satisfactorily. Examiners should not be pressured to set an early viva date, or examine to a foreshortened schedule.

• Step 10: Possible outcomes of the viva voce examination

The Board of Examiners will agree a recommended outcome following your viva examination. The list of potential outcomes of the examination are set out fully in both QA7 Section 17 and Regulation 16 but in summary, the examiners can recommend to:

• award the degree
• award the degree subject to satisfactory completion of minor corrections. These will either be of a trivial or typographical nature, or of a significant or substantial nature (but do not require major re-working of the intellectual content of the thesis/portfolio)
• award the degree subject to satisfactory performance at a second viva voce examination and the satisfactory completion of any minor corrections to the thesis/portfolio. If the recommendation is to attend a second viva, the date will be arranged at the convenience of all involved
• request that a revised thesis/portfolio be submitted before recommendation of the award can be considered. The Examiners may require the student to undergo a second viva voce examination, but may choose not make this decision until the revised thesis has been received and considered
• award a lower degree (MPhil), subject to any minor revisions to the thesis/portfolio (not currently available for the DBA)
• defer the decision to a Board of Examiners for the taught stage of the programme (for DBA, DHealth, DPRP and EdD)

Communication of the recommendation

You will be informed verbally of the recommended outcome by your examiners following the viva examination. Your supervisor should be in attendance at this point. The outcome is unconfirmed, and subject to approval by the Board of Studies (Doctoral).

You will have 30 days from the date of written notification of the outcome of the examination to complete minor corrections of a trivial or typographical nature and return them to the internal examiner.

In cases where the examiners require substantial amounts of work to be completed, the examiners will send their report and the details of the corrections/revisions to the Board of Studies (Doctoral) for consideration.

The Board of Studies (Doctoral) is responsible for checking that the examiners’ recommended outcome is supported by what is written in their report, and that any significant minor corrections or thesis revisions specified by the examiners may reasonably be expected to be completed within the time allowed. Written notification of the outcome of the exam will then be sent to you, and you will have up to 12 weeks to complete minor corrections of a more substantial nature, or up to 12 months to complete a revised thesis. You can find out more about Corrections in Step 12.

It is important that you meet the deadline for submission of your corrections or revised thesis, failure to do so may result in a fail outcome. In exceptional circumstances you may request an extension to the deadline for submitting the corrected or revised thesis/portfolio. Please contact your Doctoral Programme Administrator for information. If you have a disability access plan that relates to your ability to meet the deadline, please contact your Doctoral Programme Administrator.

• Step 11: Approval by Board of Studies (Doctoral)

The Board of Studies (Doctoral) normally meets approximately every four-six weeks. You will receive formal notification of the outcome of your examination shortly after it is approved by Committee.

You are permitted to use your new academic title of ‘Doctor’ from the point at which you are awarded your degree by the Board of Studies (Doctoral). You will no longer hold student status from the date of the Board of Studies meeting where your award is approved.

You can appeal against an academic decision made by the Board of Studies (Doctoral) about your degree award. Regulation 17 sets out the grounds, process and timescales for which you can do this.

If you wish to raise an issue you are encouraged to:

speak with your supervisor or Director of Studies

seek independent advice from the Students’ Union Advice and Support Centre

-seek advice from the University Independent Advisors for Postgraduate Research Students

• seek support from Student Services

-speak to the Doctoral College .

• Step 12: Corrections to your Thesis or Portfolio

No Corrections

If no corrections are required, you will need to submit a hardbound copy of your final thesis/ portfolio to your Doctoral Programme Administrator in the Doctoral College and an electronic copy to Pure , before the outcome of your viva examination can be approved by the Board of Studies (Doctoral) - see Step 13, below.

Minor Corrections

Depending on the outcome of your examination, you may be required to complete some minor corrections. It is uncommon for a thesis or portfolio to be accepted without requiring some form of correction following the examination. Minor corrections can either be trivial or typographical where you are normally given 30 days in which to make the changes. They can also be more substantial, where you normally receive up to 12 weeks to complete them.

When the minor corrections are completed, you will need to submit the corrected thesis to Moodle.

The internal examiner will then determine, on behalf of the Board of Examiners, whether the corrections have been completed satisfactorily, and whether you may now receive the award. It may help your examiner to do this if you complete the corrections in a different colour ink, and/or provide a document listing how each of the required changes has been addressed.

The internal examiner will update the examiners’ recommended outcome, and inform the Doctoral College. The Doctoral College will email you to inform you of the recommended final outcome that will go to Board of Studies (Doctoral) for approval. When you receive this email, you should start the process of printing a hardbound copy of your thesis and uploading an electronic version to PURE (see Step 13 below).

Revised thesis/portfolio

If the recommendation is to submit a revised thesis/portfolio, you will be given a reasonable time frame to complete the work, usually up to 12 months. You may also be required to attend a second viva. Before this deadline expires, the revised thesis or portfolio should be submitted to Moodle and paper copies presented to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College, in the same way as you did for the first submission.

Extension to your deadline

• Step 13: Submitting Your Final Thesis or Portfolio

Submitting a hardbound thesis/portfolio

Once your examination has been successfully completed, the final version of your thesis or portfolio should be submitted in hardbound copy to your Doctoral Programmes Administrator in the Doctoral College, along with a completed HD3 form before the final outcome can be approved by the Board of Studies (Doctoral).

You need to check the requirements for the colour of the hardbound case before proceeding with binding - see section 5iii of the thesis specifications document . Your hardbound thesis/ portfolio will be deposited in the Library by your Doctoral Programmes Administrator, and access will be subject to any approved restrictions. You are expected to cover the cost of printing the hardbound thesis yourself. Find further information about printing and binding a thesis here .

Uploading electronic thesis/portfolio to Pure

You will need to make the electronic copy of your thesis or portfolio publicly available by uploading it to the University’s research information system Pure . The Library provides guidance on submitting your final thesis/portfolio , including details on how to request a 12 month restriction to the electronic version.

• Step 14: Graduation

You will be contacted about the graduation ceremonies by email.

If you receive an invitation but have yet to have your final award approved, these invitations will be provisional. Deadlines for actions that must be completed before you are eligible to attend a graduation ceremony can be found here .

Your Bath student email address will be deactivated a short time after the Board of Studies (Doctoral) approves your award, so it is really important that you provide an alternate contact address within your SAMIS record. You may wish to switch to BathMail which is an @bath.edu email address that is exclusive to University of Bath graduates. Graduating students will automatically be sent a BathMail username and password to their student email account before it is deactivated.

Graduation Ceremony

The University holds graduation ceremonies twice a year, in December/January and July. Find more information on the dates of future ceremonies .

See eligibility to attend graduation ceremonies and doctoral deadlines for graduation ceremonies for more information.

If you are interested in attending a specific ceremony, please contact your Doctoral Programmes Administrator who will be able to inform you of the deadline for that ceremony.

See doctoral deadlines for graduation ceremonies , for more information on the next ceremony.

Preparation for Graduation

You can find out further information about how to prepare for your graduation ceremony . You should not book your travel until you have received confirmation that your successful outcome has been approved by Board of Studies (Doctoral) and the Graduation team have confirmed you have a place at the ceremony.

Certificate

Your degree certificate will be generated once the Vice Chancellor formally confers the award, following Board of Studies approval. Conferment is timed so that certificates can be released for the graduation ceremonies. If you decide not to attend a ceremony, or your ceremony is a while away, you can find out more information about receiving your certificate here .

Your Graduation certificate will include the following information: - your full name

degree awarded (such as Doctor of Philosophy)

date awarded

signatures from the Vice Chancellor, Director of Academic Registry and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International & Doctoral)

Please note that the University of Bath Doctoral certificate does not specify the subject studied.

Alumnus status

All graduates, former staff and students who have studied at Bath for at least one semester are members of our alumni community . Alumni receive invitations to events, regular updates about the latest news from campus and opportunities to get involved with University life.

There are University of Bath alumni groups or networks in more than 40 different locations around the world. Activities vary in each city or country, from an online network to a Chapter - where an international volunteer committee organises a programme of events for local alumni. Getting involved can be a great way to make new contacts and widen your social or professional circle.

University of Bath alumni can use the Sports Training Village and Library, which offer discounted membership and special rates to alumni. Alumni are also able to use the University Careers Service. To access these services you will need to provide your alumni ID number or other proof of alumni status, available by contacting the Alumni Relations team .

• Further information

During the above timeline, you may also be thinking about your next steps after your doctorate, in terms of your career. The University Careers Service can provide support and guidance and specialist careers information.

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What age will you be when you finish your PhD?

By med latte December 15, 2013 in Applications

How old will you be when you finish your PhD?   107 members have voted

1. what is your best guess as to the age you will be the year you finish your phd.

• Please sign in or register to vote in this poll.

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All PhD students take different amounts of time to finish. What is your best guess as to the age you will be the year you finish your PhD?

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beyondaboundary

Im a late starter but intend to be an early finisher... I'll be 46 if I start next fall so...51 is my goal

• King_Maro , callista and Canis

• 2 weeks later...

I've read that applying at 40+ can hurt your chances for admission.....but I've also read that schools like that the older applicant brings experience and demonstrated commitment to the field. I would love to get inside the heads of admissions committees on this issue.  

Honestly, though, I wouldn't want to spend my 20s any other way.

juilletmercredi

I started at 22, and I should be finished this summer, shortly before I turn 28.  I definitely would've spent my 20s another way, lol.

• rising_star

you mean you wish you have a chosen a different path? other than the PhD? Btw what you gonna do once you're done with?

Queen of Kale

Over 30.  But I really, really, really enjoyed my 20's too.  Maybe too much.  

Guest Gnome Chomsky

I'll be 29 when I get my master's. Might be able to finish a PhD at 32-33. Not sure if I'm gonna go the PhD route. Very glad I didn't start undergrad until 23. Joined the military at 17. Wandered the country for over 2 years when I got out. Glad I didn't spend my 20s in grad school.

Regret is too strong a word, but at the same time my PhD hasn't been a very happy road.  On the one hand, I sometimes wish I had at least taken about 3-5 years before I started the program to travel, work, enjoy life a little bit.  I had a bit of an existential identity crisis in my middle years of grad school that made life unpleasant.  Sometimes I wish I just hadn't pursued the PhD at all - I think I could've been quite happy with other careers that only require a master's degree.

But then I start to think about what things I would really like to do, and browse some job ads - and most of those things require a PhD, or a PhD (especially from my institution) greatly enhances your chances at getting them.  And if I didn't start until 5 years after undergrad, that would've meant I just started this year, and would be in grad school into my mid-30s.  Blech.  I'm glad for the opportunity to settle down with my husband and perhaps start our family in our early to mid 30s (I did not want to have children in graduate school, although I think that's a valid choice.  It was just my personal preference not to).

I think it just boils down to "Graduate school sucked and I was poor."

I'm doing a postdoc and then, who knows?  Part of me wants to make a go at the academic lifestyle at an R2 or SLAC, but what (I think) I'd really love to do is do research for a government agency or think tank.  I've also been exploring marketing research and consulting work.

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Tress Academic

#2: So you want to finish your PhD on time?

March 11, 2019 by Tress Academic

Do you sometimes daydream about the day your PhD is done? The very moment you proudly turn in your dissertation to the faculty and realise you are finished? Your PhD is completed! Such an elevating, happy and memorable moment! But then you slide back into the daily reality of your PhD . . .

You’ve been working on your PhD project for some time already and, with one eye on your work and the other on the calendar, you get the first inkling that you may not make it in time. And if you think a bit further – you feel that creeping fear of what would happen then? No more funding, maybe no supervision, and a scenario of writing up the final bits of your thesis at home? 

Or,  are you a PhD student who is just starting out and you know that your contract is limited to 3 or 4 years, and you’re 100% committed to and optimistic that you will hand in your dissertation on time? Well, go for it! You can do this. 

We’ve got something for everyone here: Get a quick overview on the 5 factors that are the most influential when it comes to PhD completion time ! 

1. Decide early on project-goals

PhD students often lose an awful lot of time in the beginning months of their PhD projects. Here are a few reasons: 

Feeling as if you’ve got lots of time?

Funny, but at the start of a PhD, 3-4 years may seem like an awful lot of time. We often meet PhD students who just started and tell us that ‘there’s not a lot they can do right now . . .’! Are you among those who feel no urgency to get a head-start on the important work for their PhD?  

Not feeling ready yet?

Or, do you think you’re not quite ready to identify your project goals and start working, because you don’t know enough about your topic yet, and you want to read more , and more, and then more . . .! Or you’re lining up potential topics for your project but you can’t make a decision which one will be best? So you do a few trials here and there, you look around at what other people are doing and that only creates more ideas, and further confuses your goals!

Do you really believe you will know a lot more after reading a few additional research articles, or waiting two more weeks to make a decision? Well, most of the time the answer is no. Because all you are doing is postponing the decision and potentially delaying your PhD. 

Better get a head-start …

Take a few weeks at the beginning to do focused literature research on the state-of-the-art in your field.  Be as specific as you can. Then start outlining your project ideas, gradually narrowing them down to the most promising ones. Discuss with your supervisors and further refine your ideas, until you can develop a clear goal for your PhD project . 

2. Design your research project to be appropriate

Are you approaching your PhD from an angle of ‘I want to do research on this topic until I know everything about it’? Well, the more you discover, the more you will realise that there are still tons of things that you don’t know. The more questions you answer, the more new ones will pop up. And that’s ok. But you can’t learn it all in your PhD years . If you are enjoying research and you make it your career choice, you can spend a lifetime researching the topics you are interested in, and dig in really, really deep. But PhD projects often are so big and time-consuming, that even if you were a superhuman it would be virtually impossible to complete on time.  

Make your project fit the time you have available for it

For your PhD project, the smarter way to approach it is to say: ‘Alright, I’ve got 3 years’ (or 4 or 5 depending on your country, funding, contract etc.) time to do my PhD. I need a project that fits to that!’ You need a sleek, smart, and innovate project that can be completed in this time span. Pick research questions and experiments that will yield enough promising and publishable results to allow for timely completion with high quality. Make sure your project is the adequate size so that you can manage.

3. Be focused

Are you enjoying the freedom you have to decide what to work on and how you spend your time? Do you feel like  it’s a massive bonus to be able to work at your own pace and preferences? But maybe you also realise that it’s  sometimes a bit of a challenge. 

Do you know how your days pass by?

How do you currently spend your time? Yeah, seriously. We know you’re doing research for a PhD, but how do you spend your time in a more narrow sense? How do your days pass by? On a weekly basis, how much of your working time is devoted to advancing your PhD? 

We’re asking, because many PhD students struggle to spend their time in the most meaningful way. Are you among those doing a bit of work here and there, trying out stuff that might or might not end up in your PhD project? Or do you catch yourself daydreaming, surfing the web, or spending a lot of time on social media? Do you join interesting but (for you) irrelevant meetings or activities, and spend an awful lot of time chatting with colleagues, answering simple e-mails, or preparing another party with your roommates? 

Are you postponing important stuff?

We know that it is so easy to go astray and busy yourself with easy-to-do tasks. But it is much more difficult to sit down and tackle the difficult stuff surrounding your PhD . It takes courage and discipline to sort out your research questions, and it takes willpower and a sharp intellect to work on difficult tasks for your project every single day. 

The problem with this kind of work-pattern is that you’re losing time fast . It doesn’t take a  dramatic turn of events to suddenly postpone your research. Simply  losing a few hours every day due to unfocused or unnecessary work is steadily eroding your time budget. And without even noticing, you pile up a big delay.

Focus on the most important tasks

The good news with this problem is that your work-behaviour is in your own hands. You can change it – and it’ll boost the speed with which you can make progress. They key to solving it is to sharply focus  on the crucial tasks and develop a crystal clear sense of what is the most important work that will bring your PhD project ahead. 

Ask yourself at the start of every single work day: What is most important task for me to do today so I can get on with my project? What has the biggest impact? Plan your day using a schedule so you know when to do which task. Start with the most difficult or most important task first. Work on this in a 1-2 hour session or for as long as you deem appropriate. For most people this is easiest in the morning and it has the great side-effect, that early in the day you’re done with the most important work! What an amazing confidence booster!

If you want to dig deeper into how to improve your efficiency and daily planning, download our free expert guide ‘How to boost your productivity as a researcher?’ .

Work with a project plan

In order to better estimate the  overall demands on your time, work out a project plan for the remaining months of your PhD time so you know what to  work on during each period of time. Sit down at the end of each month and take stock. What was your progress in the past four weeks? Are you working according to your schedule? Are you working on the most important tasks? 

You may also want to develop the ability to say ‘no’ to unnecessary tasks, irrelevant activities and any other distraction that comes your way.  

4. Start writing early

Sure, we know: You did this PhD to do research , and you love and enjoy doing that. Well that’s how it should be and it’s great to hear! But there’s another crucial component of doing research: writing . Researching without reporting is like a banana cake without bananas, or chocolate fudge brownies without the chocolate – it does not exist! 

Writing about your findings, insights and discoveries is an essential part in any PhD. One does not exist without the other. This is the way to communicate your interesting results to the scientific community, make your findings available, and help to advance research in your discipline. Ahh yes, and without it you won’t get your degree. 

Do you want to keep writing into the later stages of your PhD?

In spite of its importance, there is not enough emphasis on writing or developing writing skills right from the start of a PhD. There’s a very persistent belief among some PhDs (and some supervisors) that first you do your research, then you ‘write it up’. You save it for when you’re done with your research . This is a super problematic approach , because your PhD time is often running out or up by the time you think you can start to write. And then you end up in chaos, and experience an extremely stressful period, where you hastily write as much as you can in a short time span, often producing  lower quality work. 

Get into the habit of writing regularly

But it does not have to be this way! Writing is a skill that you have to develop . It’s like a muscle that you train up so it’s ready when you need it most!

You’ll achieve the best results and find writing much easier, if you make a habit of writing regularly, e.g. write every day at a particular time for an hour or two. We suggest you adopt a pretty broad attitude as to what constitutes writing tasks that you perform during your writing time. A writing task would be anything that you do that will eventually help you to get your papers for your dissertation or your monograph written. 

Here are a few examples: Making notes or excerpts from scientific papers that you read. Also searching for literature, or setting up a reference manager,  making a shortlist of journals in which you could publish your work, working on the overall topics for your papers . . . Include all of the above as writing tasks because you need to do them to get your dissertation written. 

Get used to writing right from the start of your PhD and writing the essential parts in your dissertation or publishing individual papers for it will literally feel like a piece of cake: Banana or Chocolate – the choice is yours! 

5. Line up support

Let everyone around you know that you want to finish on time. If no one knows that this is important to you, because you never speak about it, they’ll assume that you don’t care or it is not a priority  for you to complete your PhD at a certain date. So try to get everyone around you to acknowledge your goal of finishing on time and supporting you as far as possible. 

Get everyone on board

Tell other PhDs around you. Tell your friends, aunt Annie and your granny and they will take you up on it! Speak about it with your partner or spouse, as it is important for them to follow up on that goal , so you will have their support in difficult times . There will be weeks with a higher than normal workload and you will want to ask them to run for  groceries, or drop the kids in pre-school, or do the laundry. There will be times when you’re down and you’ll need them to motivate you, support you, and reinforce your belief in yourself that you can make it in the end.

Get help from your supervisors

Be intentional and purposeful with your work. In your workgroup, with your boss or PI, whenever the discussion about additional tasks or new ideas comes up – emphasise that you want to complete on time . Let your supervisors know right from the start that it is your goal to do a great PhD and complete on time. Explicitly ask for their support and help. Ask them to hold you accountable for what you want to produce and to deliver it in a given time. Ask them to check-in with you regularly to review your progress and the quality of your work. 

Yes, you can complete on time!

Now visualise the moment you turn in your dissertation . It will feel so great! You’ll be so proud of yourself and your research. Saviour the feeling of that moment! From now on, tune into this thought every day so you know that one day you will be gratified by your extra effort! Then make sure you put everything in place to move yourself towards this goal. You can make it happen. You can be among those completing on time! Good planning makes a for a happy PhD!

Related resources:

• Expert guide: 5 reasons why PhD students delay and how to avoid! 
• Expert guide: 5 steps to boost your productivity as a researcher!  
• Smart Academics Blog #47: Plan your project – save your PhD!
• Smart Academics Blog #85: Planning your PhD workday
• Smart Academics Blog #112: PhD project-planning quick-start

More information:

Do you want to complete your PhD successfully? If so, please sign up to receive our free guides.

Do you know other PhDs who might want to get their PhD done on time? Please share this post with them!

© 2019 tressacademic.com

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• CAREER COLUMN
• 13 March 2024

Three actions PhD-holders should take to land their next job

• Fawzi Abou-Chahine 0

Fawzi Abou-Chahine is director of grant funding at the FI Group in London.

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Many skills that PhD-holders acquire in the lab are useful in the corporate world. Credit: Getty

When I finished my PhD in physical chemistry at the University of Bristol, UK, 11 years ago, I didn’t expect to become a director in financial consulting, advising businesses on how to secure investments. But that’s what happened, and to get there, I’ve had to overcome several challenges that academia never prepared me for.

When I started my job search after earning my degree, I had to work out how to identify suitable employment, describe the value of the numerous technical and social skills that I had developed during my programme and apply those skills in the world of business.

I don’t think I fully appreciated how broadly my PhD skills could be used beyond my molecular-dynamics research. I used to think I was ‘just a chemist’ and limited accordingly the jobs that I applied for. However, I eventually realized that being able to analyse complex information quickly and communicate the key message concisely is valuable in any field.

Training: Conducting and troubleshooting in data analysis

I then widened my job search and changed how I described my skills. In my current role, I write concise proposals for clients and use the project-management and communication skills that I acquired while earning my PhD.

How we think of our skills influences how we progress in our careers. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learnt on how to find a suitable job as a PhD-holder.

Proactivity

When I first applied for post-doctoral positions, I rarely approached the hiring manager before submitting my CV. I assumed that they wouldn’t want to be bothered. I was much more successful after shifting my mindset and becoming more proactive. I eventually secured a post-doctoral position at Tampere University, Finland. Since then, every time I’ve applied for a job, I’ve approached the hiring manager through the professional social-networking platform LinkedIn or a cold e-mail, or had a colleague connect us. I keep my message brief, introduce myself and attempt to learn more about the role.

This directness doesn’t come easily to some people, but by exhibiting proactivity, you’re helping to solve the hiring manager’s problem — finding someone to hire — and you stand out from the crowd.

In my experience, successful PhD-holders, regardless of whether they stay in academia or transition to industry, take initiative. Demonstrating a positive attitude and actively seeking to complete the task at hand, such as solving a problem or finishing a project — rather than waiting for instructions — is much more important to a hiring manager than is any specific technical knowledge or skill.

Collection: Funding science

Most PhD-holders find that being proactive comes easily in an academic setting, such as approaching potential collaborators by e-mail or reviewing the literature before drafting a research-project proposal. However, when you are job hunting, you need to take a proactive stance with a more ‘commercial’ mindset. Getting a job is a transaction, and you are selling your skills in the job market.

Tailor your pitch

Earlier this year, I interviewed a candidate without direct experience in submitting funding proposals for engineering projects, a key requirement for the position. However, she did tell me about her relevant experience in writing reports that summarized her biology research, and she explained how she would apply that skill.

Her succinct description of her capabilities, and her awareness of how transferable they were, were key measures that I was assessing her on. Hiring managers want to know who you are, and which skills you have that are relevant to the role. How you present that information can separate you from other applicants.Academia teaches us to value technical detail and to justify our answers robustly. This is great for a journal submission, but there is much less time in a job interview or space in a written application to ramble on about all your brilliant capabilities. So, when I ask about a candidate’s experience, I am mainly trying to determine their relevant skills. I want to hear a concise and coherent story, not a detailed, chronologically accurate blow-by-blow account of their research. Tailoring your application to highlight only the relevant information will help the interviewer to quickly determine your suitability.

Language and tone

Shifting your tone is another technique to embrace. Academic training encourages objectivity, to eliminate bias in research. However, the passive language that is essential for peer-reviewed papers is not at all suitable for a job application; it is just not as engaging as active speech, and risks disengaging, or even boring, the hiring manager. Academic language is impersonal and cold compared with mainstream forms of communication. Hiring managers need to determine the specific parts that you played in your research. So, when describing your experience, focus on what you personally achieved, even when you worked in a group.

When I graduated, there was essentially no advice for newly minted PhD-holders about transitioning into industry. That’s why I share my career mistakes at university talks and in my book, A Jobseeker’s Diary , because I want others to avoid my missteps. Whatever career direction you go in, don’t forget to be proactive, hone your pitch and adjust your tone to match the job you are applying for.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00727-z

This is an article from the Nature Careers Community, a place for Nature readers to share their professional experiences and advice. Guest posts are encouraged .

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Susan e. crutchfield, m.d..

Dr. Susan Ellis Crutchfield, a trailblazing physician and beloved sister, wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away in Saint Paul on March 16, 2024, at the age of 83.

Susan was born on July 29, 1940 in Charleston, West Virginia. Her parents, Carter Vernard Ellis and Mary Jackson Ellis, moved to Minnesota in 1947 to attend the University of Minnesota. That same year, her mother became the first full-time Black elementary school teacher in Minneapolis.

Susan's life was marked by extraordinary scholarship and achievements; an unwavering love for her family and friends; and a selfless commitment to improving health outcomes for all, but especially within the Black community. Susan was a dedicated physician and made groundbreaking contributions to both healthcare services and medical insurance.

As a five-year-old, Susan was already a rising third grader in Minneapolis, and was interviewed by the national radio program Hobby Lobby about a fast spelling game she played with her mother. She knew she wanted to be a medical doctor from a young age.

At the age of 15, Susan graduated from Minneapolis Central High School. Susan then attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science. In 1963, she earned a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) making history as the first Black woman and the youngest person (at 22 years old) to graduate from the University of Minnesota Medical School.

Dr. Crutchfield started her career as a family physician in South Minneapolis and especially enjoyed taking care of children, as she had once dreamed of being a pediatrician. By 1966, she and her then husband, Dr. Charles E. Crutchfield had two young sons, Charles III and Carleton, and the family moved to Spokane, Washington. She worked as Clinic Director at Spokane Falls Community College while her husband was serving as a Captain at Fairchild Air Force Base. In 1969, the family returned to Minnesota. They were the first Black family to integrate the Highland Park neighborhood in Saint Paul. A year later, the family welcomed a third son, Christopher.

For two decades, Dr. Susan Crutchfield worked at the Minneapolis office of Prudential Insurance Company, one of the world's largest insurance companies. She began as Associate Medical Director and also practiced occupational medicine. She advanced to Director of Medical Services, finishing her career there as Vice President of Medical Services. She possessed extensive medical administrative knowledge. Her expansive experience included ambulatory clinical medicine, wellness and preventive medicine, financial oversight of medical managed care organizations, and insurance benefit design planning. Dr. Crutchfield was one of the rising Black women executives at Fortune 500 companies featured in Ebony magazine in 1984.

While at Prudential Insurance Company, Susan met Robert Mitsch. They married on May 15, 1976. The next year, their son Robert was born. Susan and Bob remained happily married for over 47 years.

Dr. Crutchfield was Metropolitan Health Plan Director at Hennepin County Medical Center for a decade. As an independent Managed Medical Care Consultant, she guided health management organization clients with her impressive expertise in life and health risk underwriting, quality assurance and cost containment.

Dr. Crutchfield served in numerous leadership positions. She was Chairman of the Board for the Minneapolis Children's Hospital and Stratis Health. She served on the boards of the American Heart Association, the Southside Clinic, and Tubman.

Dr. Crutchfield prioritized community outreach. She supported science education for children as a Charter Member of the Science Museum of Minnesota. She advocated for a smoke-free ordinance in Saint Paul on KMOJ radio, on behalf of the Ramsey Medical Society and the Ramsey Tobacco Coalition. She and her son, Dr. Charles Crutchfield III, co-hosted a local radio program on medical questions - for which they won the Gold Triangle Award (the highest honor from the American Academy of Dermatology) in 2003.

Throughout her life, Dr. Crutchfield endeavored to improve the health of others, especially within the Black community. For a decade, she volunteered as a family doctor and as a board member at Southside Clinic in Minneapolis. To support the diversity of future medical doctors, she served on the Minority Admissions Committee at the University of Minnesota Medical School for eight years.

Over the decades, Susan loved traveling with Bob. Her favorite city was Paris, France, where they had honeymooned. California became a favorite place when her son Robert was attending the University of Southern California. Susan and Bob also enjoyed exploring Italy, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. Susan loved flowers and visited many gardens on her travels. The Huntington and Descanso Gardens near Pasadena were Susan's favorite gardens because their flowers bloom year round. Susan was also a fan of the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins.

In retirement, Susan was thrilled to spend time with her precious grandchildren, always eager to be a part of their lives. Her calendar was filled with their activities, celebrating their birthdays and accomplishments, and attending their performances and sports events. She was delighted to bake cookies, play board games, and make holiday memories with them at her home.

Susan was preceded in death by her parents, Carter Vernard Ellis and Mary Jackson Ellis; her brother Carter III; and her son Dr. Charles E. Crutchfield, III. She is survived by her devoted husband, Robert Mitsch; her cherished sons Carleton (Linda) Crutchfield, Christopher (Thu-Mai) Crutchfield, and Robert Mitsch; her daughter-in-law Laurie Crutchfield; her sister, Joy Ellis Bartlett; and her 15 cherished grandchildren: Mahogany (William), Elias, Zachariah, Leenah, Olivia, Carmen, Safiya, Charles IV, Coral, Arianna, Christopher, Carina, Adam, Danial, and Sarah. She also leaves behind a host of beloved nieces, nephews, other family members, and friends.

In honoring the legacy of Dr. Susan Ellis Crutchfield, we celebrate a remarkable life filled with compassion for others; dedication to excellence and scholarship; commitment to improving the well-being of all, and especially within the Black community; and boundless love for her family. Her lifetime of contributions will inspire generations to come. She will be dearly missed and will live on in the hearts of all who had the privilege of knowing her.

In lieu of flowers, contributions to Doctors Without Borders would be welcomed tributes in honor of Susan’s legacy. Burial at Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis. Arrangements by O’Halloran & Murphy, Saint Paul.

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