Is there a monster under your bed?

As you lay awake at night, what are your dissertation fears? That you are not good enough? That you will run out of money? That you will not get your Ph.D., your family will be ashamed of you, and you will end up on the streets? Just as when you are were a child, these are the monsters under your bed.

First, rest assured that such fears and worries are very normal. Often the best way to handle the monster under the bed is to directly confront the fear. You are worried that you are not good enough? Let us examine that. How did you do in your undergraduate and graduate programs? You got As and Bs? Then you should be able to handle the dissertation. Think about (it helps to actually list them) your successes academically, what were you really good at? What always was a problem for you?

What do you feel is your weakest area related to your dissertation? Do not just worry about it, take control of the monster! Is it writing? Then look into taking a writing course. Look into hiring an editor to work with you.

Is your weakest area research methodology? Then read some books in your methodology area, so you feel more confident.

Beware of the common tendency to close your eyes and pretend the monster is not there, while you quiver in fear. Face it and wrestle it to the ground! You are in control of your destiny, take whatever steps you need in order to get rid of the fear and get done! 

Next time, we consider dealing with criticism. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

Impostor Syndrome

It is very common for students to feel insecure and that they are simply pretending to be a doctoral student. You may feel that if people really understood how little you know they would not allow you to get a Ph.D.! This feeling actually has a name, the Impostor Syndrome, and it is particularly common in students who are the first in their family to get a doctorate. If you consider it carefully, it makes total sense that you feel this way: you have not known many people socially who have a doctorate and you are, in all likelihood seeing them as smarter than or more creative than you are.

Let us consider if this true. Would you expect a doctoral student to know as much as an accomplished researcher or professor? Of course not, the student is in school to learn. Give the student 20 years and he or she will be as knowledgeable and confident as any other professional is.

You are that doctoral student! You are not expected to know everything at this point. So relax, and take the opportunity to meet other students and doctoral level researchers and get to know them as people. Ask about their families and home lives and you will begin to realize they are similar to other people you know and to you. You have earned your place in your doctoral program; you will gain the necessary experience you need to be successful and graduate! 

Next time, we consider the monster under your bed. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

Webinar: Your Professional Image in Dissertation and Beyond

Stay curious!

Today I want to remind you to stay as curious as Mandy is in the photo. It is so easy during the long dissertation process to become bored or complacent, forgetting the drive that has led you to this point. Curiosity about everything in your environment and related to your study will keep you excited and provide the energy to get done.

Feel like you have lost the curiosity in your study? Here are some questions to lead you back. It often helps to write out your answers in your journal so you can refer back to them later. Think back to before you started your doctoral program… what lead you to that decision? Why did you decide to make that commitment? What did you want to do with your degree at that time? What steps can you take today to get you where you want to go?

Why did you choose the topic that you did? Have you read any recent books on your topic or methodology, lately? If not, that may help get you going! 

Next time, we consider the imposter syndrome. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu

A Guest Blogger!

Today’s post is from a PhD graduate of the College of Management and Technology, Carol (Charlie) Barton.

Best practices can be a way to avoid reinventing the wheel. I offer three sets of best practices aimed at providing a foundation for you to leverage during your journey.

Dr. McCollum’s Time Management Videos

It is a fact; each day on our planet holds 1440 minutes. Why is it that some people seem to get so much more done than others? Dr. McCollum, Dean of Student Affairs, recorded six videos about time management. If you are unsatisfied with your progress or are looking to learn a new way to do things, watch these videos. Furthermore, I recommend that you review the videos at the beginning of every term. Reason? Our life situations change and sometimes the tools that were not right earlier may be just the ticket now.

• Introduction to Time Management
• Managing from the Inside Out
• Self-Awareness and Time Management
• What is Working and What is Not Working
• Goal Setting
• Tools & Resources

Putting on Your Oxygen Mask

We wear many hats. Student, worker, parent, caregiver, volunteer…the list could go on indefinitely. It is time to put on your oxygen mask. Use what you’ve learned from the time management videos to help you meet your obligations. If you do not take care of yourself, physically, emotionally, and mentally, then you will probably find yourself having difficulties with your dissertation work.

Very important! Do not short yourself on sleep. Credible research findings show that sleep deprivation leads to poor judgment, the inability to internalize information or form memories (Rolls et al., 2011), as well as a host of adverse physical effects. What this means is, staying up and reading that article doesn’t get you closer to done if you cannot remember what you read.

Doctoral Capstone Resources

There are many, many places you can go on the Walden website to find answers to your questions. While it is interesting to randomly click through links; is that really the best use of your time? Walden created a one-stop resource for all things Capstone. Bookmark the Doctoral Capstone Resources page. Rather than wandering the web site, visit here first for:

• Literature Review Resources
• Methodology, Research & Statistics Resources
• Writing Resources
• Capstone Process & Timeline
• Tips from Dr. Riedel, CAO, Walden University
• Are you struggling? We can help

Summary

Time Management: Figure out the time of day that you are most productive and block it out. Keep your promises to yourself. Look for baby steps.

Putting on Your Oxygen Mask: By taking care of yourself, you acquire the energy to study effectively and manage your commitments. By scheduling leisure activities, you will find yourself able to concentrate because there is playtime on the books.

Doctoral Capstone Resources: Get the right answer to your question. Once you find your answer, bookmark that page. To the extent that you are able, avoid rework. This means learning how to save and rapidly retrieve information that you need. Hint: set up a folder on your browser menu bar. I have bookmarks to the library, Center for Research, TurnItIn, and other places.

Remember: A best practice must fit your needs in order to work for you.

References:

Rolls, A., Colas, D., Adamantidis, A., Carter, M., Lanre-Amos, T., Heller, H., & de Lecea, L. (2011). Optogenetic Disruption of Sleep Continuity Impairs Memory Consolidation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science,  USA, 108(32), 13305–10.

Depression

As Mandy is demonstrating for you, sometimes you may get depressed or down. What can you do about these blues? A few suggestions – do something for someone else. Strange as it may seem, helping others often is a boost to mood.

Make a plan for the next week or so, remind yourself of your goals and think about how you can get a step or two closer in the next week.

My final suggestion is to try something new, take an art or language class, or learn a new skill. Do something that gets you excited again. If you find that you are depressed for a long period or feel suicidal, please talk to your physician or a licensed therapist.

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

Confidentiality breach

Imagine that you are doing a program evaluation. You will survey participants before the program begins and again after the program. In order to match each person’s pre and post program survey, you will have them write their names on each form. Somehow during the data collection a few surveys get left behind. This is a breach of confidentiality. Someone else could see the responses and know who wrote them. In a program setting, that may not seem a serious offense, but consider if it was one’s supervisor that saw a derogatory comment about him or herself.

What to do? First, as soon as the loss is realized, get the surveys back in your possession. Second, report the breach to your committee and the IRB. They may want you to notify the individuals involved, but let them make that decision. You also may want to consider not using names in studies, instead ask people to pick a number or phrase that they will enter on the pre survey and remember for the post survey. 

Next time, we will discuss depression. Do you have an issue or a question that you would like me to discuss in a future post? Send me an email with your ideas. leann.stadtlander@waldenu.edu