Defending dissertation in two weeks. Got any tips?

[democrat in Tallahassee]

I'm not sure what to expect. I'm a wee bit nervous.

[WoodrowFan]

1. don't panic

Just remember, it's in your advisor's interest as well that you pass. it looks really bad to have an advisee fail a defense because such serious problems should have been caught by your advisor BEFORE you get to the defense. Just stay calm and remember that for the narrow area of your dissertation you are the expert in the room.

you'll do fine!

[moc]

4. Exactly. It's your advisor's responsibility to make sure you're ready.

Do you have a strong advisor? What are the other members of your committee like? Any loose cannons? It's always good to have a strong advisor if anyone on your committee is a loose cannon. (There was a fellow in my department who used to look upon it as a challenge to make the student cry during oral exams. No, I didn't ask him to be on my dissertation committee.)

Don't worry. You'll do great! :toast:

[democrat in Tallahassee]

7. My advisor has been very good and I don't think that I have

anyone who has any axe to grind with me or with anyone else on the committee. Since it is an interdisciplinary dissertation they barely know each other cause they are from different departments. Still, you worry about the curve ball question or that there is some serious flaw you have overlooked.

[moc]

12. I know how scary it is. Two days before my defense, one of my

committee members told me I 'still had a lot of work to do'. This was the first feedback she'd given me despite the fact I'd been trying to meet with her for over a month. :mad: Two days before my defense, she pulled this crap. Fortunately, I had a strong advisor, and she alerted the other committee members to keep the wild card member under control. I was seriously freaked, but it all went just fine.

Have you met with each of your committee members and/or gotten feedback from them on your draft? If so, you can probably predict their questions based on their feedback.

Oh, and don't worry about the serious flaw. Again, it's your advisor's responsibility to make sure there are no problems.

What's your field, btw?

[wryter2000]

16. I swear, they pick lots or something

There's always one on a committee who gets a nose bent out of shape. The others usually whip that person into shape.

[wryter2000]

14. I still stick by what I said

The woman who gave me problems was from outside my department. My advisor had barely met her more than once, but he still worked things out for me.

[wryter2000]

18. I got a curveball question in orals

I told them honestly that I hadn't researched that area. It seemed to work.

[wryter2000]

13. What Woodrow said

We didn't have a dissertation defense, but I can say that for orals, I definitely felt that I was the expert in the room.

Do you have a good relationship with your committee chair? If so, drop by and huddle with him/her. Ask if he/she sees any problems and, if so, how you can fix them before the defense.

I know one member of my committee got into a snit about something she thought I overlooked in the dissertation. My advisor worked out a way I could do detention in her office (I swear, that's what it felt like!). He was the best, and I gave him a $75 bottle of wine when it was all over.

[gristy]

2. Did you ask your committee for tips?

That's the best I can think of.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

10. Yep, I asked. Told me to be able to think about how this

contributes to the scholarship and where it might be published. That was it.

[oldtimecanuk]

3. Yep, get the hell outta town would be my tip.... and that is serious.

Disseration from what? An illegal war? So, what's to defend from? Talk to me!

ww

[Olney Blue]

5. Congratulations! You are almost there...

Stay focused on your work, be current on the latest developments in your field, when asked a question, don't fake it if you don't know,
and look on this as a chance to have a great discussion on YOUR topic- of which you are the expert!

[oldtimecanuk]

6. Don't know how many of you if any listened to Howard Zinn...

on C-Span2 today, tonite... but he stated that the American people have to stand up like they did during the vietnam days...... Civil Disobiediance it's called according to him... If you are in jail in the US, your not in a coffin coming out of Iraq..... Do you see the point... But, beyond that, if you contact the correct organization, you may even not be in jail in the US.... (read between the lines)

ww

[slowry]

11. what.

[okasha]

8. Your advisor and committee should be on your side--

it's in their interest for you to do well. Remember, you'll be talking about your own original research. At this point, you should know more about it than they do.

Edited to add: a good night's sleep is essential. So's an empty bladder. ;).

[salin]

9. Get friends together

give your initial presentation and invite them to grill the heck out of you. If you are going to get flustered - better to get it out of your system - and to come to the realization that you really *do* (or should) know more about your topic than anyone else in the room. Seriously, they haven't spent the last x years focused so narrowly on all of the related research as well as yours. that said - pay attention to the comments the committee members have made along the way, and their pet areas of research and be prepared to address how that intersects with your research.

[PCIntern]

15. I was on committees at Penn years ago...

Stay calm...you're a master of your subject. The other posters are exactly correct - your advisor wants you to pass and if he or she thought that there's be roadblocks, they'd let you know. You'll do fine. Hope you didn't have to have many revisions.

And don't see the film "Getting STraight" with Elliot Gould before you defend.

Good luck!!

[EstimatedProphet]

17. Relax

It's not going to be easy, but go in with this knowledge:

As far as your dissertation goes, YOU are the expert. Don't let them take that away from you.

[Dudley_DUright]

19. Practice your talk and try to anticipate the obvious questions

What field are you getting your degree in?

[democrat in Tallahassee]

20. It's a PhD in Humanities but the dissertation deals with

classical studies and 19th century Victorian religion. Not one word has ever been written on this topic. My hope is that it will be a book; my major advisor really liked it but there was quite a bit of revision early on.

[Dudley_DUright]

22. I can't tell you how happy I was to finish my Ph.D. defense

I had to go back two summers after I had already taken an academic job to finish up. Sounds like you will be the only true expert on the topic in the room so I would not worry too much.

[ima_sinnic]

21. practice, practice, practice

--run through it half a dozen or more times, because every time you do, you will end up more confident than the last time.

Also, make sure your defense fills almost the entire allotted time (an hour, I assume? so try for about 45-50 minutes)--I was at a Master's thesis presentation where the student ran only about 30 minutes and the professors filled the rest of the time with intense questions.

The question part was what I dreaded the most in my Master's--you never know what they're going to throw at you, so give them the least amount of time to throw it.

[JohnnyLib2]

23. I'll repeat the themes above.

Think in terms of placing it in the larger scope of research, how others might use it.

My own "defense" was surprisingly affirming, almost a "welcome to the other side" conversation. Best wishes!

[charlottelouise]

24. The night before the defense

...get a good night's sleep. You need the rest far more than you need a 23d rehearsal of your presentation. Take a long hot shower or get a massage. You probably have been living on junk food for the last month, so eat something nutritious and tasty. Eat breakfast the next morning.

Everyone else is right -- unless you have a complete psychopath sadist for a chair, he/she isn't going to let you defend if you aren't ready -- it makes him/her look bad. Trust me, nobody else is going to see the flaws that you see in your research; as several others have said, you are the expert in this field.

One practical piece of advice, though -- make sure there's a trusted friend at the defense (if it's an open defense), to take notes if necessary, just in case one or more committee members have points they want you to address before they sign. These probably won't be any big deal -- the last defense I attended (I was a warm-body-and-a-signature-with-feet committee member for an old friend), one of the other committee members wanted a cite added (to her own research, naturally) and insisted a table have a bold, rather than italic, title. Still, it helps to have someone else taking this sort of stuff down, as well as any extemporaneous flights of inspiration you might come up with in responding to questions.

You are aware, too, that it's age-old tradition that your chair buys the first round of drinks after you are Dr. Democrat.

:toast: :party: :toast: :party:

Good luck and congratulations on soon-to-being Dr. Democrat !!!

[democrat in Tallahassee]

25. Thanks everybody. I feel better.

[msedano]

26. congrats. get a good night's sleep.

what are the traditions at your department, are you supposed to set up cookies and tea in the examination room? tablets and pens for note taking?

go in there with the confidence of knowing your stuff. have a 30 second, 1 minute, and 5 minute précis of the paper. rank order your sources; someone will ask you to name the most influential source, have three reasons why the source was influential and have a couple of cites in the diss. to illustrate.

you're in for the thrill of your life. you're going into the room and the chair shuts the door. take your seat, make eye contact with each person. sit back and maintain equanimity throughout the process. at the end, your chair will ask you to wait in the hall. you'll sit there alone listening to the muffled voices from within. maybe some laughter, maybe some chattering. in a moment, though it'll feel like it took ages, the door will open.

your committee chair will get your attention and say, "won't you please join us, Dr. DeminTallahassee?" It'll be the first time someone calls you "Doctor". Enjoy it.

mvs

http://readraza.com
http://labloga.blogspot.com

[Malikshah]

27. Here's a link to a list I got after I defended. Not sure if it would be

better to read *after* your successful defense.

It's a hoot. (Most likely you've seen some derivation of this already, but for those who haven't...)

http://windell.oskay.net/humor/qqqfiles/extras/thes.html

[lolly]

30. #105--"Go Into Labor"

Well, I was 8 mos pregnant at my defense. Guess I was lucky.

One problem--I had nothing "professional looking" to wear. I had assumed I could wear one of my skirt/top outfits from a previous pregnancy, without thinking that I was much heavier for this pregnancy.

That morning, I put it on, glanced in the mirror, and saw a sack of potatoes bursting out of the bag!

Changed into something only slightly less unattractive. Prayed I didn't have to stand up at any point in the presentation.

[entanglement]

28. Good luck to you

:)

Here's a useful hint: You're always allowed to ask them to repeat a question. Gives you more time to think, and sometimes it's helpful just to be able to gather your wits. :)

Since your dissertation is in the humanities, I'm not able to offer more specific advice. In the physical sciences / engineering, grad students mostly know if their work is worthy of a PhD by the time they reach the end. It might be 'x' journal publications or conference presentations or something else.

[ladjf]

29. If you know every page of your book to the extent that you could

field any question about it you will be OK. Also, keep your answers reasonably concise.

[buzzard]

31. No tips but good luck if you have gotten this far I am sure you will be fine, in another

10 years you will have forgotten all about it I know I did. My only real advice would be to get a good nights sleep and believe in yourself. Good Luck

[The Straight Story]

32. Tell em you are the decider and what you say goes...

If nothing else, you can run for president ;)

[fishwax]

33. congrats and good luck! And please

let us know how it goes :toast: