Becoming a PhD is a journey, a long journey. I began this process in spring of 2005 with the course work. The work at this level included a lot of reading and writing papers (15 page papers plus). I enjoyed the courses, I really stretched my knowledge of complex concepts and developed a understanding of leading and managing of higher education institutions. The coursework was fascinating, but the people in the courses really raised the bar. They truly are the best in their fields. I was proud and extremely humbled to be in the process with them.
I was so excited in Fall of 2007 to enter the comprehensive exams. Excited because this marked a major milestone in my life, however terrified. If I did not pass the exams then I get one chance to re-write the exams after reading the feedback. This was an extremely difficult exam consisting of four essay questions. One question I wrote, one was on theory, one was on research, and one was on utilizing theory to practice. I passed all the questions, except one and was able to re-write the question. I honestly was disappointed in myself for not passing all the questions on my first try. It is a lot of pressure, if you do not pass on the re-write they then issue you another masters degree and you cannot continue with the program.
When I did the revisions, I was so dedicated and I really tried to keep my head from running crazy. I knew that I could pass, just needed to focus. And pass I did! It was the longest two weeks of my life, but I passed!
I then entered the dissertation stage. I picked my mentor, picked my committee and started the milestones for this part of the process. I started in Jan of 2008 with this part of the process. I admit, I did not work on the project daily. It honestly is very overwhelming. I felt like I was in over my head. I really felt like I was not qualified to do this. Maybe everyone feels this way in the process. For me, I typically feel I can tackle anything if I try hard enough. This is so difficult that I had a very hard time getting started.
Since March of 2009, I have reduced my work load to finish up this process. I honestly have been working on something with the dissertation about 10-20 hour a week. I really have kicked it into gear. I am finally feeling like I can do this, I am confident now. I have finally wrapped my head around it. I understand what I need to do, now the only problem is that my life is a little crazy. I need the life things to slow down a bit so I can focus. I am finding that this process at this stage is purely mental. It is the ability to get up, get motivated and keep the process going.
I cannot wait till I can finally say I am finished... It truly will be an accomplishment. I now understand why they call this the terminal degree!
I was so excited in Fall of 2007 to enter the comprehensive exams. Excited because this marked a major milestone in my life, however terrified. If I did not pass the exams then I get one chance to re-write the exams after reading the feedback. This was an extremely difficult exam consisting of four essay questions. One question I wrote, one was on theory, one was on research, and one was on utilizing theory to practice. I passed all the questions, except one and was able to re-write the question. I honestly was disappointed in myself for not passing all the questions on my first try. It is a lot of pressure, if you do not pass on the re-write they then issue you another masters degree and you cannot continue with the program.
When I did the revisions, I was so dedicated and I really tried to keep my head from running crazy. I knew that I could pass, just needed to focus. And pass I did! It was the longest two weeks of my life, but I passed!
I then entered the dissertation stage. I picked my mentor, picked my committee and started the milestones for this part of the process. I started in Jan of 2008 with this part of the process. I admit, I did not work on the project daily. It honestly is very overwhelming. I felt like I was in over my head. I really felt like I was not qualified to do this. Maybe everyone feels this way in the process. For me, I typically feel I can tackle anything if I try hard enough. This is so difficult that I had a very hard time getting started.
Since March of 2009, I have reduced my work load to finish up this process. I honestly have been working on something with the dissertation about 10-20 hour a week. I really have kicked it into gear. I am finally feeling like I can do this, I am confident now. I have finally wrapped my head around it. I understand what I need to do, now the only problem is that my life is a little crazy. I need the life things to slow down a bit so I can focus. I am finding that this process at this stage is purely mental. It is the ability to get up, get motivated and keep the process going.
I cannot wait till I can finally say I am finished... It truly will be an accomplishment. I now understand why they call this the terminal degree!
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