Ah, The Life Of The Doctoral Student.<\/p>\n
So much thrill getting in…<\/p>\n
Then so much frustration trying to get out.<\/p>\n
You’re not alone.<\/p>\n
I feel your pain<\/em>: I was once a Doctoral student, too.<\/p>\n But I got done — and out.<\/p>\n If you’re a perfectionist and still trying to figure out your research problem, or your goal is to write a dissertation that answers and solves all matters in your field, please note:<\/p>\n Has that statistic sunk in yet?<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n That’s just one Doctoral completion for every two that enters the hallowed doors of academia!<\/p>\n And, if you had asked folks in your department or program, you’d have found that among those that eventually joined the ranks of “Dr.”-dom, many took 6, 7, 8, or 9 years to graduate.<\/p>\n Now let’s do some simple arithmetic here.<\/p>\n Let’s say Johnny Too-Good is so brilliant that he was offered admission to a number of Doctoral programs at prestigious universities soon after his Bachelor’s.<\/p>\n If he chooses Grad school in America, he\u2019ll likely spend three years completing his coursework, then realize he’s one course short, because of a conflict in course scheduling or a change in departmental rules, or for whatever reason.<\/p>\n Now he\u2019s told he can’t take his Comprehensives till he’s completed that last course.<\/p>\n That adds another one, perhaps two, semester(s) which he hadn’t expected.<\/p>\n Finally he gets to take his Comprehensives, and passes.<\/p>\n But, wait!<\/em><\/p>\n There’s still the Research Proposal… Proposal meeting with his committee… IRB approval… Research Protocol… and other hurdles… before he can even start on the actual research.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Then it’s perhaps another two years devoted to research.<\/p>\n Here’s where he has to make a tough decision — find a job, quickly, which means dropping out of Grad school (but how does he account for those four or five years)…?!<\/p>\n Or continue the slog — self- (or parental- or spouse-) funded — till he’s finally done with his research and dissertation writing, and his adviser and committee members have approved…<\/p>\n If he chooses this route, it could take 7 to 10 years to graduate, by which time he could be 35 — or older.<\/p>\n That’s the best case scenario.<\/p>\n Then there’s the worse… and worst… case possibilities.<\/p>\n\n
Only 52 to 57 percent of Doctoral students complete their degrees.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Before he knows it, Grad school funding has come to an end.<\/span><\/h3>\n
What if, by the time you’re finally done writing your dissertation…<\/span><\/h3>\n
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See how easy it is to become one of the 48 percent that remain perpetually ABD (all but dissertation) — i.e., the Dropouts or Non-Completes.<\/span><\/h3>\n