Round One

In May of this year, I sat down with my committee and discussed the proposal for my dissertation. It was odd, in a way, because what we were talking about was completely different than what I had in mind. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it isn't necessarily the way I would have chosen to do things. In 2008, I received a fellowship to conduct research in Wales, and I intended to use this opportunity to conduct research for my dissertation, but that wasn't the case. This is where the importance of a good advisor comes into play.

Although I've had a very good experience at Miami, there were certain things that could have made the experience that much better, and as a result, I could be much more prepared for what lay ahead. Graduate students - ask questions, talk, talk, talk to your advisor, and make them listen to you. If you are a part-time student, as I am, with a family, job, and all that entails... you have to be VIGILANT and constantly look out for your best interests. If you don't, you can get lost in the program and no one will know but you.

That, to a degree, is what happened to me. I got lost in the program for a while, and now I've just wondered about out into the sun. The reality of grad school, of a PhD, of a life as an academic is becoming clearer as I get closer to the end. Silly, isn't it, that that is where most graduate students get their moment of clarity - when it's almost all said and done. Get your moment earlier than this.

Last week, I submitted all 5 chapters of my dissertation for review. This is my first round of edits, and now that the writing storm has subsided, I'm looking for more and new opportunities to write. "Hello blog... it's been a while." I hope to make more concise, content-oriented posts, and not just ramble on like normal. I'm optimistic it can happen, but it's going to take a paradigm change in terms of my routine/thought-processes, etc...