Do Grad Students Know the Process for Finishing?

[Mobius]

"I've written several chapters already. The prodigal defense is just a formality.

-real grad student who still hasn't defended a prospectus several years after saying that.

[lightning]

Maybe we should ask instead, "Do Grad Students care enough to know the process for finishing?"

At least at my university, we are transparent about the process (with reams of documents), and there are many people along the way whose job it is to let the grad students know (graduate program chairs speaking at doctoral seminars & orientations and going over the process), to remind them (staff graduate advisors checking in and checking up), and be available for questions (graduate program chairs and advisors). Of course, there are the graduate committees & faculty, too, but as stated above, that can be hit-and-miss. 

The info is out there. If the grad student cares enough, the grad student will know.

[Mobius]

Proposal, not prodigal.

[dr_codex]

Proposal, not prodigal.

"Prodigal" is accurate in its own way.

And funnier.

[craftyprof]

I wasn't this level of delusional, but I genuinely believed I would finish by December, April at the latest and am now the proud owner of a diploma with an August date on it.

I misjudged how long subject recruitment and data collection would take.  I was prepared to run all of my planned analyses, but needed extra time for the "huh, this is weird" results and follow-up meetings with my stats advisor.  I was prepared to grind on the writing, but didn't budget for the couple of weeks when depression meant I couldn't stop lying on the couch long enough to open a Word document.

And then my sweet naive self thought formatting the document before my meeting with the "ruler lady" would take like an hour tops. Then you increase your lefthand margin a half inch and you're suddenly fifteen websites deep trying to learn how to make Word stop freaking out while recreating half your tables.

Dissertating is weird.  Even when you think you're prepared for it, the process will throw you some curve balls.

[mamselle]

Rumor had it the "ruler lady" at our place was a retired nun with several ideas about the usefulness of rulers.

She'd retired by the time my cohort started submitting...I think some people were disappointed.

M.

[Caracal]

I wasn't this level of delusional, but I genuinely believed I would finish by December, April at the latest and am now the proud owner of a diploma with an August date on it.

Yes, although I think most people will finish by a deadline if they absolutely have to. As most of us know, there are self imposed deadlines and actual deadlines and the self imposed deadlines only become real if you get enough momentum behind them that it would become embarrassing to miss them.