A Dissertation Story

[Eaquae Legit]

You're in luck! I have some time off, plenty to admire the graceful, complex figures and the elegant results!

[Eaquae Legit]

Okay, I admit to not actually understanding all the figures. But guys, you should all give Kirsten a cheer, because it's 100 pages of impressive research and solid writing. I really hope my dissertation comes off so well, and I doubt it will be even a fraction of the slog, since I don't have to have so many calculations (or any of them).

[starlooker]

I love you, Ali. Thanks so, so, so much. I needed that.

Well, it's to the committee. All five of them. Who I spontaneously invited to the wedding. Including the one I've never met, and the other I've only met once.

I'm so -- I don't know. Overcome. I've been doing so much procrastinating that it's just today, finishing up the discussion of all the various threads that I realized -- as much as I see myself as being such a slacker in life, that was a lot of hard, dedicated work. And there's also a huge part of myself that's terrified it won't be enough. I really, really, really just am craving reassurance (hence the frantic request for readers) that I worked hard on something that shows the fruit of it. Even if I only worked hard sporadically.

[Jayelle]

Congrats on getting it in, K! I'm sure all will go well with your defense.

This:

All five of them. Who I spontaneously invited to the wedding. Including the one I've never met, and the other I've only met once.

cracked me up so much. I just imagine you all flustered and effusive "And..and...you can all come to my wedding!!"

[starlooker]

Hehehe. It was almost like that.

Hello All,

It's here, it's here, it's done! It's done at last! Well, pending your approval and, of course, some editing, that's to be expected. Frankly, I thought my inner perfectionist would never allow me to get this sent out. But I'm extremely, extremely excited to be sending my little writing project to you all. Labor of love and all that.

I'm hoping, if at all possible, to defend sometime between October 4-October 8th, which is four weeks from now. I'm going to be in town that week before my wedding on the 9th (to which you're all invited, by the way), and since I'll be sticking around for the week before the wedding and possibly a day or two after, that might give me some time to get the edits done and be totally finished before going back to Kansas... My personal preference is for Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday; however, I will meet at 3:00 AM Friday morning and be completely thrilled to do so if that's what you folks want. (In other words, I'm flexible.)

[Oliver Dale]

Gah! I can't believe I missed this. Congratulations, Kirsten! Finishing the rough draft is a huge huge deal. I know you shipped this off already, but I would totally love to glance through it, if you wouldn't mind. oliverdale22@gmailDOTcom

[starlooker]

Thanks for the interest, Ollie! I'm sending it over to you now. Hope you enjoy glancing at it.

[starlooker]

Trying to round up committee members is a hundred times worse than herding cats. Doing it long distance is even more fun, because it's not like I can camp outside their office doors.

[starlooker]

And here's an exciting twist.

My at large member no longer works at UND.

Apparently hasn't for quite some time.

NO ONE FREAKING TOLD ME THIS.

NOW WHAT??????!!!!???!???!?!?

[steph]

Like you needed any more stress!!

[starlooker]

I know.

The conversation with the person who picked up his extension was pretty interesting.

Female Voice: "Hello, this is K____."
Me: "Hi, I'm looking for R____."
Her: "At UND?"
Me: "Yes."
Her: "He no longer works here?"
Me (panic, anger): "What? Since when? He has to work there!"
Her: "He hasn't been here for quite some time. What do you need him for? Maybe I can..."
Me: "He was the at-large member on my dissertation committee. No one sent me anything. I've been emailing, his address works. No one told me." <pause> "I mean, not that it's your fault or your problem."
Her: sympathetic noise, then, "You must not have been in very good touch."
Me: "I've been living in Wichita, Kansas. He was my at-large member. I sent him things. The email didn't bounce back. No one told me. I'm in the counseling department, for God's sake."
Her: <Struggling for a response.>
Me: "I'm sorry. I'm going to go call my advisor now."
*hangs up while she's saying something along the lines of good luck*

[starlooker]

Here are my three strands of hope:

1. It's the at-large member. Their job isn't so much to critique the work as to make sure that my committee is not railroading me. So, it might be possible to find someone who would step into that spot if someone can pull a string somewhere.

2. It turns out, the graduate school records clerk in charge of committee appointments used to work in the Financial Aid office with me. And she loved me. I helped her out with all kinds of difficult people. So I sent her a rather pleading email and hope she remembers me and can help out.

3. My advisor is a miracle worker. She's GOT to know someone at UND who she can sweet talk into jumping in. If we can just get the paperwork done asap.

[Jayelle]

Universities are so very sucky at things like this. I have so much sympathy for you, Kirsten!
*hugs*

Paul's first few weeks have been a bit of a nightmare for things like that.

[Rei]

They've got to find someone... Is it generally counted as your job to get the At-Large member, or is that someone they assign? Because especially if it's the latter then there's no way that they shouldn't be on the hook for it. And even if it isn't, the fact that nobody, you know, used the most common form of communication in any university anywhere, that is, e-mail, really puts them on the hook for it anyway.

I hope they resolve it very, very soon!

[Eaquae Legit]

Oh God, what a nightmare.

I hope it gets resolved quickly, and if there's any way in which long-distance menacing growls can help, you let me know and I'll get a-growlin'.

[starlooker]

*insert singing of the Hallelujah chorus here*

I got an Education faculty member on board my committee as an at large member at the last minute.

I got an old department friend to badger people for signatures on all relevant paperwork.

And as of today, it all got submitted and they all signed off on the Preliminary Approval for my defense! (This means they aren't allowed to ask me to make any substantial changes or additions to the work based on the defense.)

Now I just have to defend it, revise it, and let people start calling me Doc.

A good note in what has otherwise been a scary and crappy week.

[Gravity Defier]

Now I just have to defend it, revise it, and let people start calling me Doc.

I will call you that if you promise to invent a time machine that I can then borrow to escape the here and now. Otherwise, I'll have to elongate that to "doctor."

This is awesome.

[Rei]

Yay! I'm glad it's gotten resolved! Do you know yet when you defend?

[starlooker]

Yes, I defend Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at the University of North Dakota, Montgomery Hall, Room 316 from 10:00 - 12:00 CST.

It's open to the public (technically); if anyone's in the area, feel free to show up so that the committee will feel obligated to be nice to me in front of strangers. And then I'll take you to lunch or something

[Eaquae Legit]

Aw, man, I would love to come! I'm guessing you can't move it closer to BC?

[starlooker]

T - 93 minutes.

Gah. I'm starving and still have to finish my damned powerpoint. And pick up muffins for the committee.

But I'm really handling myself kind of amazingly well.

[Young Val]

Cheers!

Sending all positive thoughts and good vibes your way!

[jotabe]

Good luck!

[starlooker]

It went really well. I responded to questions -- including the "gotcha" question from the clinical psych professor -- amazingly well. Those are not my words. Also, according to him, my "grasp of the quantitative material put most of the defenses I've seen across the street to shame." Considering the unofficial but very real rivalry between the clinical and counseling departments, that's high praise.

Per my advisor, the number of revisions I need to make are some of the fewest she's ever seen on a dissertation before.

I am so tired and emotionally drained. I need a nap and a good cry.

It's actually over. Almost. Just a few forms to fill out. But it's really over.

[Jayelle]

Hooray! Congrats!

Now let's get you married!

[jotabe]

congrats, doctor starlooker

[Rei]

AWESOME!! Congratulations, zona!

[Young Val]

YAY!

[LilBee91]

YAY!!! Congrats! I can't even imagine how wonderful you must feel.
So exciting!

[starlooker]

Thanks, everybody! And thanks for the new title!

[Gravity Defier]

Congrats, Doc!

[Petra456]

Congratulations!!!

[Oliver Dale]

I am so thrilled for you! Congratulations! Wow...

[Oliver Dale]

Kirsten, I hope you don't mind me posting in your thread, but I have such fond memories of it that I didn't want to start a new one.

I officially have a committee. As in... I managed to get five suckers to sign the piece of paper. I also have an approved plan as well as a proposal to defend. It seems so far away, but this is the very first time ever it actually feels possible.

[Luet]

Congrats, Ollie! We're all rooting for you!