Ask Doctoral Advising

Once learners pass comps and move into dissertation, their relationship to time management in the scholarly world changes. They no longer have the regular deadlines for assignments in courses, and for some it is a struggle to figure out how to manage their time without receiving, completing and turning in weekly assignments.

Yes, learners may use dissertation milestones as deadlines, but they need to make sure they set a series of deadlines along the way in order to complete each milestone on time. In other words, they need to plan the rest of this journey. The learners are driving this dissertation bus and the mentors are sitting next to them with navigation materials in hand. But the learners are the ones who are doing the driving. They should know what the rules of the road are and what the various signs along the way mean before they turn the key the first time.

The learners and mentors should have an early discussion in which they plot out this road trip. What route is the learner taking? How long might it take? Is the learner going to follow the speed limit, go a bit faster, or go a bit slower? Or a lot slower? What if the mentor/navigator suggests an alternate route that might get you to your destination faster? What is the plan for encountering the inevitable detour? Will the learner/researcher and mentor/navigator be able to have a professional discussion about how to handle this wrinkle in their original plan? What is the best way to proceed without too much of a delay? How much direction does the learner/researcher need from the mentor/navigator at each step? Does s/he ask as each exit approaches what to do now, or has the learner/researcher learned the route pretty well and only needs to ask the mentor/navigator a few questions to keep on track?

Is the learner/researcher able to get good mileage from this bus? Does s/he keep switching from the gas pedal to the brake? Or is the journey nice and steady, maybe even on cruise control? Does the bus go nicely down the center of the travel lane toward its destination, or does the bus weave from lane to lane, sometimes causing whiplash to your mentor and committee members?

What kind of a driver are you on this journey? How well have you prepared so that you have a smooth journey on this road trip?