Is your university enforcing hard deadlines for finishing dissertations? Are you getting any signals from your university about what might be ahead for you? Has your advisor become more critical of your work?
Every day I talk with dissertation clients who are trying hard to finish their doctoral degree. This week several people sounded a similarly unsettling concern.
Two people in particular think their advisors are being less than forthcoming. One person over the past seven years has had an emotional personal life with severe physical struggles but has tried to make progress toward her degree. With her advisor’s becoming newly critical of her writing, this person thinks she is being pushed out. Another person has had two extensions and fears that he can’t get a third. He, too, has begun to receive less positive feedback about his writing from his advisor.
Clearly, statistics on completion rates within different departments are being scrutinized more closely. Some clients believe that their universities are actively pushing faculty to advise students to reconsider their plans for finishing their degrees.
As one client said, “My department is putting the screws to people who are taking too long because the numbers might scare away the new students the department wants to attract.”
Have you seen or experienced a shift in your department’s attitude toward the time it’s taking you to finish? Have you seen anything to suggest that some faculty members are choosing to undercut the work of long-time graduate students?
I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on the enforcement of deadlines and also on finishing the dissertation.
Nancy
Your Dissertation Coach
www.nancywhichard.com
P.S. If you haven’t subscribed to my Smart Tips newsletter, please sign up at www.nancywhichard.com. An issue about strategies for drastic situations is going out Tuesday.
My Dept has been grumbling about terminiating “beyond statute” students – and there are many of us – for years. Being one, it makes writing difficult – should I ignore my house, my husband, my kid and put off getting a real job to work on this when the Dept might terminate me tomorrow. My advisor says it won’t happen and encourages me to finish … but then regularly takes 5 months to repsond to a draft chapter (a problem most of her advisees have with her) thus pushing me further beyond statute. Last summer the Dean refused to renew all the “beyond statute” students until she personally reviewed all our files – she conveniently finished the week school began in Sept, didnt axe anyone – just caused us all a lot of stress and financial hardship, as our loans kicked in in June. Right now I am waiting to see if I can register for next year…. Glad to know I am not alone in this.
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Thanks for writing. What a struggle, but I know courage when I see it.
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