Welcome to Fall!

What do you think of when you think of fall? For me it brings memories of starting school as a child: The smell of a new box of crayons, freshly sharpened pencil, and a jar of paste. The feeling of nervous anticipation of a new beginning. 

This is the start of a new quarter for you and a change is taking place! Quarters will now be 11 weeks instead of the previous 12. You will have a 2-week break between quarters. I have heard many dissertation students say that they plan to work on their paper through the break, so it won’t matter. However, I want to encourage you to plan to take at least a few days off during your break between fall and winter. Refresh your mind and your spirit! (Mandy is demonstrating being refreshed in the photo). 

A new quarter is a time for a fresh commitment to your dissertation and, by extension, to your future. What will you get done this quarter? Lay out your plan week by week, make a firm deliverable to yourself- how many pages will you write? Decide on a writing schedule with something done every day. Think about this- if you wrote one page a day for 5 days a week x 11 weeks it would be 55 pages! Make the decision to move forward this quarter and get this paper done! If you feel stuck or unmotivated ask for a call with your chair, talk about the problem areas- ask for help! 

You are in charge of your progress on this dissertation- if you are not happy with how you are progressing- change something! Reach out when you need help, find some support from your peers, and be in regular contact with your chair. 

Next time we will have a guest writer. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Would you like to be a guest writer? Send me your ideas! leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu