As of Autumn 2024, I am defending my dissertation and planning for graduation. Get ready to follow me on this journey! Expect more to come.
Table of Contents
- Wearing Many Hats
- Looking Ahead at the Timeline
- Balancing the Work and Fun
- Here’s to a Good Semester
Wearing Many Hats
It is Autumn 2024, and my life is quite busy. At the moment, I am scheduling my dissertation defense. It’s looking like I’ll be defending the day before election day! So, we’ll know very early in November if I’ll have the fancy new title.
In addition, I am a lecturer, and I’m teaching three sections of the same class. Specifically, I’m busy working that job four days a week for about six hours a day, not including prep and emails.
I’m also dabbling in a few projects. For instance, I’m trying to get involved in study abroad on campus. I’m also looking to get involved in some educations related activities.
Likewise, I have an almost 7-month old, who has recently started crawling and eating solids. Needless to say, she’s keeping me very busy!
Finally, I can’t forget my software responsibilities. October is coming up, and I always try to get back into managing some of my repos during Hacktoberfest.
Looking Ahead at the Timeline
For anyone who has ever wondered what the last semester looks like for a PhD student, I can basically share my timeline. Right now, here’s what things look like:
- September 30th: Send Copy of Dissertation to Committee
- October 14th – 21st: Receive Approval of Document & Submit Application for Final Examination
- October 21st: Undergo a Dissertation Format Review
- October 28th: Send Copy of Dissertation to Graduate Faculty Representative
- November 4th: Hold Defense
- November 4th-27th: Revise & Submit Dissertation
So, there you have it! I need to have my document fully drafted by September 30th, so just over a month from now. At the moment, the only thing I have missing is my introduction. I should have that fleshed out in a couple weeks. Then, I’ll be spending the rest of the time just revising the document.
Balancing the Work and Fun
Personally, I tend to have a lot more energy when I’m doing a lot of different activities. So, teaching, writing a dissertation, working on this site, and raising a child has actually been really nice for me. However, it does mean I have a lot less time to just breathe.
Of what little free time I have, I have been pouring it into a private Minecraft server with some friends of mine. In addition, I’ve been reading One Piece. At the time of writing, I’m about 300 chapters in, so like a quarter of the way through the material. Overall, I’m really enjoying it, especially right before bed.
Likewise, there are some regular events in town that my wife and I have been attending with the kiddo. I enjoy food trucks, so any opportunity to throw money at one is great for me.
Beyond that, I’m always tapped into politics. I’m not sure that’s particularly healthy, but it’s what I like to do. I think they call that brainrot.
Here’s to a Good Semester
Given that it’s just the first week of the semester, and I’m only settling in, I wasn’t able to dedicate a lot of time to writing this week. As a result, this short piece is the best I can do! As a result, let’s call it a day.
As always, I have plenty more where this came from:
- I Won the Graduate Associate Teaching Award!
- All But Dissertation: The Light at the End of the Tunnel
- Can I Just Rant for a Minute? Grad School Applications Suck
Of course, you’re always welcome to take your support a step further through my list of ways to grow the site. Otherwise, take care!
Recent Blog Posts
The infamous "name a woman" challenge has expanded into a speed run where you name 100 women. I took the challenge and failed miserably (hence why I'm hiding it behind the paywall).
It's July 2024, and I have three chapters of my dissertation drafted! Two more and we'll be ready to defend.