Finishing the dissertation
You're going to find that there is a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.
I can't recall the taste of food. Nor the sound of water. Or the touch of grass. There's nothing…no veil between me and the wheel of fire.
Do, or do not. There is no try.
That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? IS THIS NOT WHY YOU ARE HERE?
Great, kid. Don't get cocky!
I can't recall the taste of food. Nor the sound of water. Or the touch of grass. There's nothing…no veil between me and the wheel of fire.
Do, or do not. There is no try.
That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? IS THIS NOT WHY YOU ARE HERE?
Great, kid. Don't get cocky!
Labels: Hackademia, Posts Mainly For My Own Amusement, School, Stand Back - I Take Large Steps, Times I've compared myself to characters from the Lord of the Rings AND Star Wars
posted by Dr. Vector at 3:27 PM
7 Comments:
I know what you're thinking, 'cause right now I'm thinking the same thing. Actually, I've been thinking it ever since I got my degree: Why oh why didn't I take the BLUE pill?
Once you start down the doctoral path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will!
...as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice.
Now you can sit back, relax and then suddenly wake up at three am thinking, "Oh God! The viva!!!!!!" just like I did.
Well done though and enjoy the break. Keep up the sauropod stuff!
Awesome.
Doug M.
Now you can sit back, relax and then suddenly wake up at three am thinking, "Oh God! The viva!!!!!!" just like I did.
I actually had to look it up just now. Oddly enough, there is no thesis defense at Berkeley. You have your oral qualifying exams in your second or third year, and after that you just have to get your committee's signatures on your title page and file your diss. with the Graduate College. You can give a finishing talk before the department (I did), but it isn't required and it isn't a defense.
If your committee doesn't think you'll succeed with the thesis, they don't let you through at the qualifying exam stage. After that, you're set, as long as you can get those signatures. I've heard of committees required massive rewrites and the addition of more chapters, but I've never heard of a committee flatly refusing to sign someone's thesis.
I collected all the signatures last Thursday and filed successfully Friday morning, so that's that. I am released on my own recognizance, free to use my Ph.D. to announce to the world, "I'd like a job, please."
Thanks all for the kind words.
Damn you and your non-viva-ing ways!
Cool!
This post is greatness.
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