PhD Coaching Blog — Thesis

Can I be replaced by AI? This is the question I've been asking myself. And I've come up with two answers: Yes and No. Yes, I can be replaced by AI in the sense that graduate students who used to come to me for assistance in writing and editing their dissertations are now turning to AI to do that.  How do I know?  They tell me so. What is interesting is that because I work hard to build trust with the students, they are very open in explaining how they use AI to generate content for some of their thesis...

On International Women's Day, I sent a message to all women PhD candidates who are pulled in so many ways as they manage their studies.  But it's not just women, of course.  Juggling studies, work and home is something that all grad students have to do.   I know that the stresses and challenges of completing a PhD program are experienced by everyone who starts the journey.  I’d like to send a few words of encouragement to you too, with one or two suggestions for making it to the end. First, some of the happiest students are just focused on their...

In honour of International Women's Day, I'm posting this tribute to the women who are working on a doctoral thesis whilst juggling dozens of other responsibilities and demands.  If you're one of those, I salute you. Often the thesis writing for these candidates is done in stolen precious moments at the end of the day, or waiting for a bus, or in stolen breaks in the the office.  Even women who are full-time students still have to find time for research and personal writing in the midst of lab work, writing journal articles, or attending meetings with advisors. And then...

Happy 2024! Registration has now closed on my small group coaching sessions to produce a "Good Enough" thesis, that will give students a good start in this New Year: https://www.phdcoaching.ca/pages/upcoming-thesis-workshop However, I know that many doctoral candidates don't want to join a group and prefer individual coaching. I completely understand, and there are many benefits to one-on-one sessions. The main advantage is that the entire focus is on your own thesis.  Whether you need help with your writing, or want to discuss what your supervisor said to you in margin comments, the discussion is just about your own work. It's...

      Expecting to be dawdling over your thesis in 2024?   To help you avoid that, I invite to join me for a four-week series of tutorials on how to write a “Good Enough” thesis, starting January 25th. Why?  Well, did you know that the average thesis takes eight years to complete? I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks that PhD programs are excessively long and that doctoral students take too much time. In spite of the best of intentions, too many find themselves failing to reach the end of their studies, and there are probably several...