The rest of the story...

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Actually, the years spent at my "terminal" university were merely the last leg of a much longer journey. The average English PhD takes nine years, and my program ended up taking—not including two years spent transferring between schools—one year over “average.” Basically, a decade of my life.

 

Due to transferring from one school to another after getting quite far at the first school, I practically completed two PhDs. This less traveled road, however, allowed me to experience almost every possible scenario a PhD student might face. Changing schools? Check. Changing directors? Check. Changing dissertation topics? Double check.

 

I taught countless courses during these years and also worked as an Assistant Editor for an academic journal. Although this extended my department funding, it also weighted me with a heavy workload that had to be completed in tandem with my own graduate work. 

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Long story short, I took out a loan during my final year instead of editing the journal or teaching so that I could finally focus on my dissertation. By that time, I'd spent years researching my topic in my "spare" time, so all that remained was a final push of reading, and of course, the writing.

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Just being able to get up in the morning to do the work I was there to do was incredible. No wonder I was able to complete the last of my research - and all the writing - within ten short months.

 

What greatly aided my focus, however, was reaching out for help when my subject matter had reached a crossroads. Had I not done that, my dissertation might not have gone in the right direction, and I quite possibly may not have finished at all.

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The advice I received didn't come from my director or committee members. Although my committee provided great input, the much-needed advice was ultimately somewhat of a deviation from my director's vision, and even my own, to an extent. 

 

Ultimately, however, this new direction was what I truly wanted to write about. Sometimes all we need is a nudge to accept what we already know, or to validate a direction we already want to take.

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Needless to say, I did graduate. By that time, I had worked with students as an instructor, tutor, mentor, and graduate school guide, so my natural inclination was to continue working with students.​

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Eventually, I was inspired to create Dissertation Coach and its 21-question survey, which helps students achieve success in the form of their own acceptances, defenses, and graduations. So now you know... the rest of the story.

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If you have an issue of your own that you'd like assistance with, click the link below to get the help you need.