Rate yourself honestly on the following attributes, using a scale of 1 to 5, where one means “weak” and 5 means “strong.” How strong is/are your… (mark “DK” if you don’t know).
Writing skills
MS Word skills
Computer skills
Mastery of English language
Mastery of style guide
Interpersonal skills
Motivation to do the work
Ability to learn on your own
Understanding of program standards
Understanding of the doctoral process
Love for learning
Love for research process
Scoring is simple. Just add up all the scores.
How did you do? Are you ready?
Over 36: you are ready. Congratulations… I think.
25 to 36: you might be ready. But then again…
24 or less: you aren’t ready… yet. Sorry!
Don’t feel bad if your score is lower than you might like. No matter what this little scoring rubric says, you are going to forge ahead if you really want to get your Ph.D.
People tried to talk me out of going to graduate school (“It’s so expensive,” and “Wait until you have more time”), but I was determined to succeed. I applied, was accepted, and the rest is the eight-year saga of my doctoral journey.
Here’s to stubborn, self-willed persistent dissertators!
Earning a doctorate is not for everyone. It’s not easy, it takes a long time, it costs a lot of money, and it may not help you achieve your career objectives. If you find yourself flagging, here are some obstacles that might be getting in your way.
- Underdeveloped study skills
- Lack of organization
- Lack of computer/Internet skills
- Time and money constraints
- Lack of support
- Lack of confidence
- Unrealistic assumptions
- Sense of entitlement
No matter what your field, methodology, or theory, no matter what kind of institution you are attending, one thing that all dissertators have in common is that they need to get their dissertation proposal approved before they can move on and earn their Ph.D. If you need help, let me know.
