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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.

Coaches offer different services. Some coaching companies offer packages that include one-on-one sessions with a coach, participation in an online writing peer group, and editing of documents. Do you have an idea of what you need and want from a coach?

Some people are on track after one session; some need multiple sessions. How much “hand-holding” do you want? How tough do you want your coach to be? Do you want the Coach from Hell to whip you into shape or do you want a Fairy Godmother Coach to pat you on the back and cheer you on? Best to know now, before you get Coach Nazi when you were hoping for Coach Sunshine.

Getting help or going it alone: The lonely decision of the non-traditional dissertator

What do you want from a coach? For each item below, choose a number from zero to 10 to indicate how much you want your coach to do the things in the list. Zero, obviously, means you don’t want a coach at all. Trick question, I guess. A 10 means you want the whole enchilada.

• Hand-holding__________________
• Critical feedback______________
• Discipline______________________
• Frequent interaction__________
• Telephone calls________________

Scoring: add up your numbers

• 0 to 15         You are a DIY kind of person.
• 16 to 30       You are somewhat confident.
• 31 to 50       You think you need a lot of help.

Normally, your Chair and/or Committee members should give you at least some feedback and support. Your Chair should help steer you back on track when you are heading for a cliff. Not everyone is so lucky, sadly. When your Chair doesn’t seem to be doing his or her job adequately, it might be time to hire a dissertation coach.