Ask Doctoral Advising

The winter is difficult for me, especially keeping to a running schedule. Before the winter, I scheduled four days of running and three days of cross-training. This winter crushed my motivation, and I took the winter off from running and am experiencing the consequences of my decision. Now, my runs are more difficult, my diet is not as healthy, and my discipline to schedule running has dwindled. Even though I took time off from running, I could have returned to it more smoothly if I had included some running in my schedule. In other words, time off didn’t have to result in inactivity.

Likewise, taking a quarter off from your doctorate can be difficult to return to if you don’t have a plan to stay in academic shape. Before your quarter off, you were in the ebb and flow of research, writing, and thinking about your academic field. To avoid some of the difficulties from returning from a quarter off, stay engaged with your academics.

Here are a few suggestions for your quarter off:

1. Reflect on your development of the doctoral competencies
2. Revisit research topics for possible dissertation ideas
3. Read the literature in your field; for instance, seminal scholars, journals, and articles
4. Write 10-15 minutes daily
5. Look at a dissertation on iGuide with the dissertation locator
6. Ask yourslef what you will do differently next quarter that will contribute to you becoming doctoral

What will your quarter off look like?