I may have complained to (everyone) a couple people once or twice during the past six months as I’ve written my doctoral dissertation. I had a somewhat bad attitude since… well… nobody is ever going to read it again, and it took up a great deal of my time.
My project has really been three projects, which means three chapters, three lengthy introductions, three very distinct discussion sections. I tried to get away with doing the bare minimum, but my advisor (to her credit) made me put forth an effort and do a good job. And now, I have to say, I’m pretty proud of it.
Screen shot from the introduction to Chapter 3 of my dissertation.
At last I turned it in and presented my work to a room full of tomato-throwing, hateful, skeptics. They went easy on me (because actually they were mostly really nice people with whom I have good relationships, and none of them actually brought tomatoes).
Tim flew back from Utah (where he has been doing a visiting pathology rotation at ARUP laboratories, and Erin flew back from Rochester, NY (where she took a post-doc position and now studies RSV in a funny twist of fate). It was so, so, nice to have both of them there, along my sister Cami, my brother Lance, and my good friends Daniele, Chadene, and Nora, and other departmental or medical school friends. Lots of friendly faces to look for in the audience.
I gave my talk:
And then spent an hour and a half being grilled by my dissertation committee, during which I had a hard time remembering the functional significance of lungs (i.e. that they are useful in obtaining oxygen from the air). I was a little frazzled at first, but recovered, at least enough to convince the committee that I should graduate. They asked me to leave the room, and then finally called me back in. My department chair stood up, shook my hand, and said, “Congratulations, Doctor Dickey.” I (barely) held back tears of relief as I shook everybody’s hands.
When I came home, Tim’s mom and Amelia surprised me with a lovely cake from White’s bakery that had a lot of icing from which a certain toddler could not help herself from snitching pinches.
I had a nice talk with my advisor, during which she promised me a solemn promise that nothing in my career would ever be as stressful or time-consuming as the process of writing a doctoral dissertation. I have to say it was ever so much more painful than I imagined.
In a nutshell: 5 tables, 61 figures, 277 references, 289 pages, and 49, 968 words that NOBODY WILL EVER READ AGAIN.
But… it’s done. 6 1/2 years, 5 apartments, one husband, and two babies later… it’s done…
HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!
8 comments:
Laura, I am so incredibly proud of you! Well done!
You did it!!!! Let's celebrate at Bombay House. You just say the day.
So well put, as usual. ;) CONGRATULATIONS DR. DICKEY (or is it DR. HANLEY?! As mentioned in my email, I was so so so sorry I couldn't make it - I wanted so badly to be one of those faces in your audience, but am satisfied to read that it went so well!
So, I edit theses/dissertations as part of my work and I have to say 289 pages?! You should be proud. :) Our students get off easy. I've only had one come through that was even close to that many.
Congratulations on finishing Dr. Laura Dickey Hanley!
Congratulations Dr. Dickey! What an accomplishment! Kinda feel a little out of your league. ;)
I am so so so proud of you. Your defense was awesome, and it was clear that you were well-liked and loved by everyone in the room.
I shall read it! I am excited to read it and very proud of all the work and effort that has gone into this. Nice job, young lady! It does help to be loved by all!
That is amazing! Congratulations! You are the bomb! And I wish I could say that I would read your dissertation, just so that SOMEONE would...but I won't. sorry.
So, am I allowed to call you The Doctor now? Because that would be just so cool. :)
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