Eights and Dissertations
The Games of the XXIX Olympiad began on 08/08/08 at 8pm. In Chinese culture, the number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence, exactly what every dissertation student needs… What does it mean to be prosperous in the dissertation process? I’d say that it means that you are able to work on your dissertation a couple […]
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Balance and Dissertations
At 7am on August 7, 1974, Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire suspended between the roofs of the World Trade Center Towers. For Petit, balance was a life-or-death matter, just as it is for your dissertation… As workers made their way to their offices below, Philippe Petit walked across a wire, 1,368 ft above […]
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Toes and Dissertations
August 6th is National Wiggles Your Toes Day. Being silly is serious business for dissertation students… All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All work and no play makes Jack a dull […]
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Guardians and Dissertations
August 5th is James Gunn’s birthday. Did you realize that he wrote a scene in Guardians of the Galaxy just for dissertation students?… Peter Quill: I have a plan. Rocket Raccoon: You’ve got a plan? Okay, first of all, you’re copying me from when I said I had a plan. Peter Quill: I’m not copying you, I have […]
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POTUS 44 and Dissertations
August 4th marks the birthday of the 44th President of the United States. Here’s some words of wisdom from Barrack Obama that you can apply to your dissertation… We need to internalize this idea of excellence. Not many folks spend a lot of time trying to be excellent. — Barrack Obama I agree that we […]
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Persistence and Dissertations
On August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus finally set sail, after working on his proposal for seven years! Persistence pays off — for Columbus and for dissertation students, too… Christopher Columbus was convinced that he could find a western route to the Orient. He thought that circumnavigating the globe would be quicker and more efficient than sailing south […]
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Wonderland and Dissertations
On August 2, 1865, Lewis Carroll published Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a tale of profound confusion and wisdom. Dissertation students take heed… Lewis Carroll was a mathematician as well as an author. At its highest levels, math is about logic and reasoning, not numbers and computations. Carroll deftly weaves pithy advice throughout Wonderland in surprising and, to the characters, confusing […]
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Depression and Dissertations
August 1st is Jerry Garcia’s birthday. His most popular song, Touch of Grey, describes how too many doctoral students feel about their dissertations… Depression is a serious thing, and I absolutely don’t want to make light of it here. But, the fact is that I talk to doctoral students several times a week who say that […]
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