Timeline for Advisor says I shouldn't expect to finish thesis soon, but won't offer specific feedback on what is missing; how to react?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
29 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9, 2014 at 7:07 | comment | added | Davidmh | In my department we require 4 publications to get a PhD. When I started, the head of studies said that even if I get there very much ahead of time, he would not let me graduate too soon, as an important part of PhD studies are just being in a scientific environment. One year is definitely not enough. | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 17:07 | vote | accept | Jake | ||
| Sep 29, 2014 at 16:07 | comment | added | Jake | @NateEldredge In the formulations of this that I have encountered, the actual time to completion is about twice the estimated time. However, one day effectively consists of about 8 hours, according to a popular convention based on practice, so it is easy to see how a 2 hour task can be stretched out over several days. | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 16:05 | comment | added | Jake | @JeffE I think that both statements are true in different ways. Students often underestimate the time required to complete work, but they often work with very low efficiency, and especially so if they have unclear understanding of the dissertation process. | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 16:02 | comment | added | Jake | @Alexandros I have considered that. In fact, I knew that my previous version of the paper I have just submitted to the advisor would not be published; right now it is likely to be publishable after major revisions. However, I am sure that there are no substantial errors in my research, as the concept is sound, straightforward, and already tested. There are many small items to be taken care of, and that is what my advisor refers to, saying that I should have a well-written version of what I have already done. | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 14:39 | comment | added | Nate Eldredge | @JeffE: There's a rule I once heard: "To determine how long a task will actually take: make your best estimate, double it, and switch to the next higher unit of time." So "two hours" becomes "four days", and "one month" becomes "two years". It should be Somebody's Law but I don't know whose. (Hofstadter's Law is closely related.) | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 14:24 | comment | added | JeffE | Indeed, for various reasons, students often take more time than necessary — Actually my point was exactly the opposite: For various reasons, students often want to take less time than necessary. | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 13:49 | comment | added | Alexandros | @Jake It is not really a matter of preference. Have you ever considered that your paper might get rejected? Or the peer-review process reveals some subtle mistake you have missed and ruins your results? Then your thesis will document what? Your possibly faulty results? | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 13:44 | comment | added | Jake | @DavidKetcheson Indeed, it is very possible to get the PhD without publishing a single paper, although I would prefer to have some publications. | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 13:41 | comment | added | Jake | @Alexandros Actually, I would prefer to have a peer-reviewed publication before graduating, but my advisor does not want me to worry about that. However, there is a possibility of publishing the paper I have completed, as well as papers based on material in my thesis draft. In my department, the expectation is about one paper per year if not enough progress is being made on the thesis, or something like that. | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 13:38 | comment | added | Jake | @JeffE Indeed, for various reasons, students often take more time than necessary to complete their thesis, and what you said makes sense. | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 13:35 | comment | added | David Ketcheson | To all those focusing on publishing: in some fields (e.g. math) people have gotten tenure-track or tenured positions without publishing a paper. It's extremely rare, and maybe it couldn't happen in the current state of affairs. But there is precedent, so I wouldn't say "impossible". Just very unlikely. | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 13:30 | answer | added | David Ketcheson | timeline score: 1 | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 12:18 | comment | added | Alexandros | So, you actually want to do a PHD without not even a peer-reviewed publication? In Physics? Not possible. First publish. More than once. Then write dissertation. Then get a PHD. A PHD is not a MSc, where you pass some courses, write a thesis that just makes your advisor and your committee happy (without the prerequisite of a peer-reviewed publication) and instant PHD in less than two years. | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 1:48 | comment | added | JeffE | if I go berserk on this, I can finish all that in under one month. — So three years sound about right, then. (Ha ha only serious.) | |
| Sep 29, 2014 at 1:40 | history | edited | seteropere | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
make it clear its a PhD dissertation
|
| Sep 28, 2014 at 23:38 | answer | added | Danny W. | timeline score: 5 | |
| Sep 28, 2014 at 21:40 | history | tweeted | twitter.com/#!/StackAcademia/status/516341668661194752 | ||
| Sep 28, 2014 at 21:07 | answer | added | aeismail | timeline score: 2 | |
| Sep 28, 2014 at 20:48 | answer | added | Benedikt Bauer | timeline score: 5 | |
| Sep 28, 2014 at 20:29 | comment | added | Benedikt Bauer | How many pages it is when written up does not necessarily correspond to how much work it was to get it all done right. Having the basic idea and theory may be easy and one is tempted to say "Here's the theory, the rest is trivial", but often only when you try to apply it, you will see the flaws and issues it has. Getting that fixed can be really time-consuming... | |
| Sep 28, 2014 at 20:21 | comment | added | Jake | I looked at previous dissertations completed in my department, and in similar cases, application of the theory to some examples is something like 20 pages and can be a relatively trivial task. This is further confirmed by the advisor's suggestions. | |
| Sep 28, 2014 at 20:19 | comment | added | Jake | I started working on it last year, but most of the time I was doing a large number of courses, so the effective time would be more like 5 months, which is of course not much. I wrote a technical report and an article during this time. The article is yet to be reviewed by the advisor. | |
| Sep 28, 2014 at 20:15 | comment | added | Wrzlprmft♦ | How long have you been working on your dissertation and did it lead to any publication? Also, depending on your subfield, “applying your theory to some examples” is the major, time-consuming challenge. | |
| Sep 28, 2014 at 20:10 | comment | added | Jake | The field is physics. | |
| Sep 28, 2014 at 20:09 | comment | added | Benedikt Bauer | What field are we talking about? | |
| Sep 28, 2014 at 20:08 | history | edited | ff524 | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
deleted 42 characters in body; edited title
|
| Sep 28, 2014 at 20:07 | review | First posts | |||
| Sep 28, 2014 at 20:10 | |||||
| Sep 28, 2014 at 20:02 | history | asked | Jake | CC BY-SA 3.0 |