The road to a PhD...

...is a long one. But, at least progress has been made.

First, you take classes part time for 4 years...2 every semester and 1 in the summer. Some of the classes are amazing, fun, and so much is learned. Some just feel like a hoop to jump through. You miss family fun in various forms, aren't "available" for much and spend 2 nights a week away from home (in addition to work stuff). Sigh.

Then... you study like mad for several months to take the highest stakes test imaginable...prelims. You may have to re-teach yourself things you should have probably learned along the way. Prelims (for our department) involve being provided 3 questions that must be answered in a well-written, well-thought out, 10-13 page paper. Writing a paper...that's a snap. Writing in a computer lab with a 4-hour time limit is not. This process is worse in some other departments, better in others. It is nerve wracking to say the least.

Then...you wait to find out if you passed (I'll know in mid-November). If you pass, you can write and defend your dissertation proposal. The proposal is a thorough description (50-70 page paper)that 'outlines' what the dissertation will be about, why that is important, and how it will be done.

Then...the real fun begins (no really, I think this will be fun). You collect 'data'. For me, that will be in the form of about 30 interviews with college students at 5-6 campuses.

Then, the real drudge begins. All those interviews? Yeah, they have to be transcribed, analyized, synthesized, etc. That is going to take some time...

Then, write like mad and present the finished product (called a "defense") next April. Yeah, April seems like the distant future, but trust me, this is going to be a stretch!

And then...well, if you know me know, you can still call me Anita...or maybe Dr. C :)

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