POTUS 22, POTUS 24, and Dissertations

March 18th marks the birthday of the 22nd President of the United States and the 24th President of the United States — and, they’re the same man…which reminds me of my dissertation experience…

Not many people are elected President of the United States. And when you consider only people who have left the Presidency, the number to be re-elected falls to just one. Grover Cleveland is the only person to hold this distinction.

This got me thinking about my own doctoral experience. I’m sure that you’ve heard that doctoral students have only a 50% chance of graduating when they enroll in a doctoral program. You could virtually flip a coin to determine whether you’ll eventually earn your doctoral degree. And, I should know. I’ve actually landed on both sides of the coin.

I first went to grad school for Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Chicago. At that point, I intended to become a research professor. I was studying cosmology, working out the characteristics of the dark matter that apparently comprises the vast majority of the mass of entire universe.

I worked 80 – 100 hours each week, teaching, studying, and researching. I was passionate about my work… and I never finished my dissertation. Less than a year before I was due to graduate, my thesis adviser, David,  died in a plane crash. I was told that no one else in the department could advise the work that I was doing with David and that I would have to start over.

At that point, I lost the passion and decided to ply my number-crunching wares at one of the investment banks downtown. I was a terminal ABD. The coin had landed wrong side up.

Within the next few years, the doctoral bug bit again, and I returned to school. This time around I was working full time. I had a wife and a mortgage. We were trying to have a child, who would eventually arrive four months before I graduated.

The experience was different this time. I was more focused on finishing than on enjoying the experience. My first graduate-school experience wasmy life; my second time around it was just something I was doing. I didn’t really care much about what I was studying for my dissertation, but I very much cared about getting it done.

This time the coin landed right side up. Less than three and a half years after starting graduate school for the second time, I graduated with my Ph.D.

So, when you wonder how people can fail to graduate, think about my story. I was passionate about my dissertation. I worked hard. I enjoyed what I was doing. Then life happened. Passions waned. And, it was time to move on.

But, if you wonder how people can be successful in graduating from a doctoral program, you can refer to my second story. The focus on finishing. The efficiency of the work. The anticipation of succeeding at this level, and moving on to the next.

If you feel like your dissertation’s still up in the air and you want to make sure the coin comes up “heads,”  click here to schedule a quick, 15-minute chat with me to see if you’re a good fit for our Fast Track Your Dissertation Coaching Program. If you are, then I’ll invite you to join the fastest group of dissertation students out there and help you to reach graduation a good year or two faster than you would on your own.