Marathons, Encouragement, and Dissertations
September 12th is National Encouragement Day, and it is also the day that the Battle of Marathon was fought some 2,500 years ago. Making this day doubly important for dissertation students everywhere… The story goes that once the Greeks defeated the Persians, a runner named, Pheidippides, was dispatched from Marathon to Athens to announce the […]
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Remembering and Dissertations
On September 11, 2001 the United States was attacked in a series of coordinated terrorists attacks aimed at the civilian population. At the time we said, “Never Forget.” Today, let’s remember… This is a tough one for me to write. Each day I send out a silly little blog post pertaining to dissertations. I hope […]
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Ideas and Dissertations
September 10th is National Swap Ideas Day. Celebrate by adding an accountability partner to your dissertation support network… One of my early dissertation students completed her study on the types of support a student needs in order to complete his dissertation. She focused specifically on students who were working on their dissertations remotely. They may […]
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Bugs and Dissertations
On September 9, 1945, Grace Hopper discovered the first computer bug in history. Dissertation students must deal with bugs, too… The term “bug” as it refers to computer programs derives from the first such bug ever found. Grace Hopper found this first bug—a moth shorting out a relay, which is removed with a pair of […]
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Books and Dissertations
August 9th is National Book Lovers Day. Celebrate by taking a little break with your favorite book, and then rededicating your yourself to becoming a published author in your own right by completing your dissertation… Some books are instructive. Some books are informative. Some are entertaining. Some are mesmerizing. As a doctoral student, you’ve certainly spent […]
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The Power of “&” and Dissertations
September 8th is National Ampersand Day. Celebrate by putting the Power of “&” to work in your dissertation… Fun fact: Did you know that the English alphabet used to include more than 26 letters? In fact, in the early 1800s the last letter was “&.” The “&” symbol is a ligature of the letters “e” and […]
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Life and Dissertations – Part II
We all have multiple priorities we must juggle, and seldom does a day go according to script. As a dissertation student, it’s how you handle each day that determines whether you succeed or fail… Have you ever had one of those days? Of course you have! Today, mine started at 5am, the usual time since my […]
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Rednecks and Dissertations
September 6th is, comedian, Jeff Foxworthy’s birthday. Let’s take a moment to laugh with a spin on his “You Might Be a Redneck” observations for dissertation students… Sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from crying. The dissertation is a long, frustrating, difficult process. If humor is born of pain, the whole dissertation journey […]
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Sunshine and Dissertations
No matter how dark the storm, the sun will shine, again. Know that whatever challenges you face in life, and in your dissertation, this, too, shall pass… A few days ago I shared the story of an unexpected rain I experienced in my life when my last surviving grandparent died. Today, I attended her funeral, and it […]
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Google and Dissertations
On September 4, 1998, Google was incorporated as a company. And, being a student and a researcher changed forever… I’ve spoken before about what life was like as a student before the Internet… We didn’t have Proquest or EBSCOhost. Our libraries were actual buildings. I had to leave my dorm room and trudge across campus (again […]
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