Penn Is Not A Format Style

Me: What format style does your program require? 1st Year Doctoral Student: What do you mean? Me: Academic referencing… you know, as in, APA style?  Chicago?  Harvard? Doctoral Student: Penn!  I’m in U Penn!   It was a cold, dark, winter afternoon in early February when D and I met to discuss his writing. After […]

“Corporate Speak” In Academe: When You Submit Your Dissertation Is A Matter Of… Strategy

During my consultation last week with a 4th-year Doctoral candidate about his research and career plans, I cautiously asked if he was “on the job market.” His university, which Times Higher Education ranks among the Top 30 Universities Worldwide, had awarded him a 12-month Visiting Fellowship to a U.S. “Public Ivy” research university to work […]

Be A Specialist — But, Please, Speak To Your Audience

Some years ago, I found myself with a medical situation that perplexed a specialist, so he sent me to another specialist. Three months later, the problem was still unresolved — and didn’t seem like there was even a medical term for it. Will I ever recover? I asked. “If I knew, I’d be retired in […]

“You’ll Never Be The Same Again…”

Watching four fathers from very different backgrounds compete for top honors — and $10,000 — in last night’s Father’s Day segment on Chopped!, I came away with three amazing (parallel) thoughts… – Competing for top place (or completing your PhD) doesn’t have to be stressful… it can even be fun! – Reasons for entering a […]

Panning For Gold, A Research Problem… Or Just Something To Wear

Have you ever walked into your monstrous walk-in closet and wondered, “Hm, what can I wear?” Or, as in that LG commercial, where the guy stands in front of the multiple-door refrigerator and can’t seem to find what he’s looking for. For many graduate students, trying to establish an appropriate theoretical framework or narrowly define […]

Ending the ABD [All But Dissertation] Syndrome

Ah, The Life Of The Doctoral Student. So much thrill getting in… Then so much frustration trying to get out. You’re not alone. I feel your pain: I was once a Doctoral student, too. But I got done — and out. If you’re a perfectionist and still trying to figure out your research problem, or […]