The Doc Journey: Things You Need to Know (that they probably won't tell you)

Get the article full article (with bonus tips): www.ExpandYourHappy.com

1. Humility is your new best friend. Don't expect things to come easy; the ability to humbly ask for guidance when you need it is imperative. 

2. Grades mean (next to) nothing. Having a 4.0 doesn’t mean much in a doctoral program, because a doctoral degree is a terminal degree. Instead of focusing on grades, adopt a growth mindset and seek to truly master the content in your courses.

3. Accepting critical feedback is non-negotiable (prepare to be rubbed the wrong way). You will receive a lot of feedback throughout your program. Commit to taking feedback in the spirit it is intended – to transform you into a doctor. Dump being defensive and get curious. 

4. Self-care is your secret weapon. Stress impacts your ability to think clearly, and if there is ever a time you need to unleash your genius it is now. If you don’t already have a daily self-care practice, get one. 

5. Journaling is magic for writer’s block. Putting pen to paper allows you to tap into ideas that simply don’t come out when you are sitting in front of a computer screen. 

6. Becoming an expert takes time (probably longer than you think). Getting your general research idea accepted by your committee typically comes only after reading MANY (think 50-100) articles on your topic. If you are struggling, chances are this is why.

7. You can’t do it all (and that’s ok). If you don’t already have about 15 hrs/wk to dedicate to your studies, now is the time to figure that out. Having a strategic plan can be the difference between finishing or not (and for those in a relationship - the difference between staying partnered or being single at graduation). 

8. Hiring outside help is common (and can be your saving grace). Scholarly writing at the doctoral level takes years to hone. Also, many research projects require techniques not taught in core courses. Your committee is there to guide you, not teach you these additional skillsets (see next point). 

9. Your committee is not doing this work for pay (and are very busy people). Being on a committee is how faculty give back to their profession and stay connected to their field. It is not done for money.

10. Your passion may be your pitfall. If you are too close to the topic, it can wreak havoc, making it difficult to maintain a scholarly voice. More importantly, you will likely uncover wounds; healing emotional trauma takes time and energy, two things that will be scarce. 

11. Your committee is made up of humans (they aren’t perfect). It is very common for a Chair to pass a milestone document only to have the committee return it with significant feedback. At some point, you and your Chair will habituate to the text and not be able to “see the forest through the trees”. Your committee members will be reading your document with fresh eyes and will see all the gaps and inconsistencies. 

 12. It’s ok to take a break (or even stop altogether). Universities do not encourage breaks because if you take one, you might not come back. However, if you are practici

Transcript

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The stress you will experience is a burden shared with those you love and who love you You're listening to the Happy Doc Student Podcast, a podcast dedicated to providing clarity to the often mysterious doctoral process. Do you feel like you're losing your mind? Let me and my guests show you how to put more joy in your journey and graduate with your sanity, health, and relationships intact. I'm your host, Dr. Heather Frederick and this is episode two. In this episode, I'm going to talk about an article I wrote called: The

Doctoral Journey: 0:44

Things You need to Know that they probably won't tell you). In today's episode, I'm going to cover 12 things because that's how many are on the list right now. But I have found this article to be much like a dissertation. It's this living, breathing document. And if you've got things that you'd love me to add, go ahead and reach out and let me know. But today we're going to cover 12 things. The article that you can download does have bonus tips and in the interest of time, I'm going to save those and let you read those in the article. I'm not going to cover those in the podcast. And before we get started, I want to let you know that while I do have both experience at a land-based residential program and in online programs, recently, say the past 10 years, most of my experience has been with primarily online programs that catered to working adults who have already had a professional career and are coming back to school. So all that to say that maybe all 12 things, they're going to resonate with you, maybe just a few, but I promise you, I've given this article to many students in different programs, in different stages of their programs. And they all say, oh my goodness, I wish someone had told me this stuff upfront because now things are making so much more sense. Without further ado, let's jump in and get started with number one. The first thing you need to know is that whether you are pursuing or considering a doctoral program, humility will be your new best friend. Chances are, you've already achieved a lot. If you're thinking about a doctoral program, right? Academically, professionally, but a doctoral journey is kind of like those other life events that people will tell you. You know, there's, no way to really prepare for it. It just, until you're immersed in it, how can someone really tell you what it's like to say, for example, have a kid or get divorced or be told some life-changing information about your health. It's not easy. And if it was then more than an estimated, 2% of the population would be able to call themselves doctor right? Now, just because it's not easy I want you to know that I believe you can fulfill this dream with your sanity, your health and your relationships intact, right? That's the whole point of this podcast. But the best way to do that is to allow humility to be your new best friend. Chances are, there's been a lot of things in your life that have come easy, but there's going to be things on this journey that just aren't. And while you're not expected to know everything, the reality is that your faculty mentors, your chair, your committee members, we don't always remember what it was like to be in your shoes. So the ability to humbly request guidance when you need it is so important. Now, I'm going to read through these other points here in just a minute. And some people say that when they take in all these points, it feels a little overwhelming. And so if you start to have that feeling, I want you to remember this point and remember that there is literally a village full of people that are there to

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from your faculty, to your advisors, to librarians, to people working in the writing center, career center. They literally exist to help you out. And so think of it this way, they live out their purpose best if you ask for help, when you need it. Point number two, and this is one that rubs a lot of people the wrong

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grades mean next to nothing when you're in a doctoral program, I want you to think about what a GPA has meant to you in the past and what a doctoral program is. A doctoral program is a terminal degree. And while I'm not wild about that phrase, it makes sense, right? Because terminal means the end. There's not another rung on the higher ed ladder for you to climb once you have your doctorate. And if you stop and think about what a GPA has meant to you in the past, it's typically used as an indicator of how successful you'll be in your next academic endeavor. Right? So you needed to get a high GPA in high school to go to college, to go get your master's degree, et cetera, et cetera. But by the time you finish your doctorate, trust me. No, one's going to ask you what your GPA is. Now, I'm not arguing that you shouldn't care about the content in your courses. In fact, you should care more than ever, especially the ones that are related to scholarly, writing, research design, statistics, and things of that nature. What I'm suggesting is that if you have an obsession with grades, and a lot of perfectionists do, and if you're listening to this, you may fall into that category: let that go. Instead of thinking about, I need to get the A, I need to get the A, I'm going to suggest that you adopt a growth mindset and truly seek to master the content in your courses. Especially those ones I mentioned, which aren't always popular, like research and statistics. And as you immerse yourself in your program, collect as much critical feedback as you can on your ability to think, write, and research like a scholar. What I'm asking you to do here is instead of trying to figure out or ask your faculty, your professors, how you can get a better grade, ask: how could I have made this better? And chances are when you do this, you're probably going to be getting pretty good grades.

Let me sum this up by suggesting: 6:17

stop celebrating a grade and start celebrating the acquisition of skills you are going to need to complete this journey. Now, if you can get on board with that and really start welcoming critical feedback, it makes point number three so much easier, which is: accepting critical feedback is non-negotiable. You need to be prepared to be rubbed the wrong way. You are going to receive a lot of feedback throughout the program, but especially when you're writing your dissertation or your doctoral project. And when I say a lot of feedback, I mean, a lot. You are going to go through so many revisions that at some point you're probably going to be tempted to throw in the towel. Remember that 50% statistic where people are dropping out and most of them at this stage when you're being asked for revision after revision, after revision. Commit to taking feedback in the spirit that it's intended to transform you into a doctor, it is not personal. You are expected to evaluate the feedback and determine how best to address it. This is not personal guys. Dump, being defensive. And start getting curious when that feedback comes, whether it's on a paper early in the program or a talk that you give or your dissertation ask, what am I learning here? Now, this may or may not come as a surprise, but sometimes the lessons that you're learning in this program are not academic in nature. One of my mentors, I love this quote she has, Dr. Stein. She'll say you don't do a doctorate. You are becoming a doctor. Some of these lessons have to do with things outside the academic realm. And I'm going to leave that there because I'm sure there will be plenty of episodes that hit that point. Let's turn to the academic feedback that you're getting, particularly as it relates to your research. You may get conflicting feedback. Think about it. There are a million ways to skin a cat, right? There's a million ways to do research. You may get feedback that you disagree with, which is perfectly okay. Although often if you get feedback that you disagree with, it's because you didn't really articulate a point very clearly in your paper. The bottom line here is you need to own your research. So you're going to make the revisions that make sense. You're going to find resolution in the conflicting feedback and this may mean getting your chair, your committee members involved so you're clear on what way you're going here. And if something isn't making sense, then ask your chair for clarification.

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never, and I mean, never ignore feedback. Think of your final manuscript is a demonstration project. It must demonstrate to the academy that you have mastered the skills that are commensurate with the degree you will be rewarded. Now remember that 2% statistic I gave you earlier. Don't expect it to be easy to demonstrate your worthiness. But remember whether we're talking about feedback in a content course or on your manuscript, your faculty, mentors, your chair, your committee, they're there to help. Their job is to help you transform into a doctor and this happens through giving critical feedback. Your job is to graciously receive their guidance. And I know this is really hard to do, but I hope you download the document where I give bonus tips about how this can be easier. Point number four is probably my all time favorite. Self care is your secret weapon. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that stress impacts your ability to think clearly. And my oh my, if there is ever a time you need to unleash your genius it is now. So if you don't already have a daily self-care practice, I'm going to suggest you adopt one A S A P and work on building your stress relief muscle. Now, this doesn't need to be extensive or complicated. In fact, learning to take just a few full and deep breaths or meditating for five minutes a day is a great place to start. And I mentioned that this was my favorite. I'm going to have a lot of episodes that are related to how to adopt a self-care practice. In fact, I think my next episode is going to dive a lot deeper into what do I really mean by this and how could you get started? So let's move on to number five. Journaling is magic for writer's block. Putting pen to paper allows you to tap into ideas that simply don't come out when you're sitting in front of that screen. The next time you find yourself staring at a blinking cursor, I'm going to suggest you grab a pen and some paper and see what happens. Point number six is specific to your dissertation or your doctoral project research. And this point is becoming an expert takes time. Probably longer than you think. Getting your general research idea accepted by your committee typically comes only after reading many, many articles. And when I say many, I want you to think somewhere between say 50 and a hundred articles just to land on your specific research area. And in order to find those articles, you're going to have to sift through many times that number. This is going to require dedicated time in the library. And if you're struggling with finalizing your research topic or your research design, this is probably why. Now you can remedy this heartbreaking situation by identifying your general research topic, your general area, as early in your program as possible, and taking every opportunity that you can to read and write in this area. When you complete your content courses, and you're working on your research plan for 15 to 20 hours a week of focused time to do this research, to read articles, to write and to revise. Listen up , these hours should not always be at the end of the day when you're exhausted, you need to carve out specific hours when you're fresh on your calendar. I've got more tips about this coming up in other episodes. And that leads me nicely to point number seven, which is you can't do it all. And that's okay. Many doctoral students are working adults with competing responsibilities. And if you don't already have a solid 15 hours a week that you can dedicate to your studies. There is no time like the present to figure that out. Now it's true, you can get away with fewer hours often in your content courses, 10 to 15 hours a week is a good rule of thumb. Of course, it depends on the course and the activities that you're doing in those courses. When you get towards the end of the program, that dissertation doc project stage 15 to 20 is a better choice if you want to finish in a timely manner. Now, this might mean planning now and collecting paid leave at your work so maybe you can cash it in and use it for writing days. In fact, I once had a student who saved up vacation time and then took every Wednesday off for six months and devoted that Wednesday to writing. Maybe your strategy entails things like rearranging responsibilities at home, like starting now, teaching your kids how to prepare simple meals or creating an agreement with your family and friends regarding your need to miss non-critical social events. And this is a big one, minus the guilt trip. And securing support in other ways, that will free up your time. Like maybe a friend could offer to take your kids once a week, or a family member may offer to clean your house or mow your lawn. These may seem like little things, but when you get to this stage in your program, every hour counts. And I know this probably goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyways. The stress you will experience is a burden shared with those you love and who love you. So being candid about your needs and collaborating on a strategic plan can be the difference between you finishing this degree or not. And for those of you in a relationship, it can be the difference between staying partnered or being single at your graduation. Point number eight is hiring outside help is common and it can be your saving grace. Scholarly writing at the doctoral level takes years to hone. And many research projects require techniques that may not be taught in your core courses. So for example, of course, you're going to have your basic research and your statistics courses, but when it comes. To refining your research project you may decide, for example, to do action research or to use a discriminant function analysis. And these are things that are usually not going to be taught in your basic courses. And the onus is on you to learn these techniques. Your committee is there to guide you. Not teach you these additional skill sets. So if you don't have a decent command of the techniques required for your project, you may want to seek outside help like an editor, a writing coach, a dissertation coach, or a statistical consultant. This can save you time, money, and many headaches. And a lot of people will say to me, but Heather, that's going to cost me more money. How can that save me money? And I'm here to tell you if you hire help when you need it, it's going to save you from having to repeat classes. Of course, if you want to go this route, I definitely recommend talking to your chair first, which brings me to my next point, because some of you may be thinking. wait, that isn't the job of my chair, my committee member, I thought because I'm paying tuition and they're getting paid shouldn't they be teaching me all these things? But point number nine is your committee is not doing this work for pay. And they are very busy people. It goes without saying people don't go into education to get rich. Right? But for every academic doctor, there was a committee who supported their research. Being on a committee is how we give back, how faculty give back to their profession and stay connected to their field. It is not done for money. Now, my recommendation is that you don't ask your chair, your committee, how much they're getting paid, that you just trust me on this. Make no mistake. These are people who are going to be giving you many many of their hours providing feedback. So even though sometimes getting that feedback is going to be very difficult, do what you can to be grateful. Point number 10, this is one that students give me a lot of feedback on and said, oh, I wish someone had told me this earlier. And this point is your passion may be your pitfall. You know, faculty often instruct students to pick a research topic that they are passionate about, and this is not bad advice. I would even argue that choosing a topic you're only remotely interested in would kind of be like marrying someone you're just lukewarm about. However, if you are too close to the topic, it can wreck havoc. Researching something you've experienced, whether it's divorce or abuse, can make it difficult to maintain a scholarly voice. But more importantly, during the writing process, you will likely uncover wounds, and healing emotional trauma takes time and energy. And time and energy are two things that will be scarce during this phase of your program. So instead of asking, am I passionate about this topic? Maybe ask yourself, do I honestly want to become an expert in this area and is doing research on this topic, a logical step to my next career? Now I want to be really clear here. I am not telling you don't research something that's close to home. I'm just saying before you make that decision, think carefully about some of the potential pitfalls. Point number 11 is that your committee is made up of humans and newsflash, they aren't perfect. It is very common for a chair to pass a milestone document, like say your prospectus or your proposal, even your final document onto the committee only to have the committee return it with what feels like significant substantial feedback. And I want to explain what's going on here because so many people are confused when this happens, but it's really, really common and it's common because your chair likely understands exactly what it is you want to do and why you want to do it, or why you did it. And remember your having phone calls, email exchanges, they're reading multiple drafts. And at some point both you and your chair are going to habituate to the text. Remember all those revisions I was talking about earlier? And you're simply not going to be able to see the forest through the trees. Your committee members will be reading your document with fresh eyes, and they're going to be able to see every gap and inconsistency. Every eye that's not dotted. Every T that's not crossed. It's their job to point this out. Also every member of your committee comes to the table with their areas of expertise. Together a committee provides a comprehensive archive of knowledge. So I want to make it really clear. Your chair does not know everything. It truly does take a committee to create an acceptable dissertation or doctoral project. And point number 12, and the final point for today's episode is that it's okay to take a break or even stop altogether. I'm going to be honest. This is not a popular one with universities. They don't encourage this because there's a risk if you take a break you won't come back. And when that happens, it messes with their grad rates, it messes with their bottom line. However, I'm going to say, if you are practicing self care and you intuitively know that it's time for a break, discuss this with your chair or your student advisor. I have seen students leave for a few weeks and come back refreshed and ready to tackle the task at hand. And these were the same students that were on the verge of stopping and maybe never coming back. What if you take a break and you don't want to come back? Then listen, chances are the degree is no longer aligned with your life purpose. I have seen many, many students chase a dream that was never theirs. Most of these don't finish. I hypothesize that it's because without a really clear why the tenacity and the grit required for this journey just isn't there. The bottom line is that it's your life. So take a moment to confirm that this degree is something you want. And if you aren't completing this degree for you, then you might want to stop right now. There is no shame in not completing a program that doesn't serve you and the reason you're here. Okay, so that sums up 12 things you need to know about the doctoral journey that they probably won't tell you. And if you feel a little overwhelmed after listening to this, I really want to encourage you to download the document. That has some bonus tips, but more than that, when you download the document, you'll have the option of opting into a free seven day email adventure. But these emails come once a day for a week. They give you an action item that will not take you more than five minutes. I know you're busy. I have had students who are early in their program tell me that those seven emails had a profound impact on how they planned to navigate the rest of their program. And I've had students near the end of the program say that those seven emails were just what they needed to kind of re-inspire them and motivate them and remind them why they were getting this degree. You'll be able to find links in the show notes below, or you can find the document and the email adventure at ExpandYourHappy.Com. Thanks for listening and I look forward to connecting with you on the next episode. Until then I'm wishing you more joy in your journey. One more thing, just a quick reminder that the information opinions and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only.