To Graduate and Professional Students

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Whether heading back for a graduate/professional degree, or moving towards comprehensive exams and writing your thesis/dissertation, I totally understand that you are committing yourself to major changes both in terms of time and energy, as well as financially.  I stayed at Penn State after my bachelors degree and committed two years of my life for my MBA.  It was somewhat easy because I was living on-campus as a resident assistant.  However, when I decided to go for my doctorate in Special Education, I left my job as Director of Residence Life at Curry College and packed up my life to move to UMass -Amherst.  My status changed to student rather than professional and my finances were connected to two teaching assistantships and student loans!  What a change.  Whether you are going part-time or full-time, it is a major commitment that is different than studying for a bachelors degree.  When I defended my comprehensive exams, which was developing an adolescent develoment inventory with both researching the construct validity of seven scales and the reliability of 200 questions, I was done.  I felt like I couldn't go on to my dissertation studies I was so tired.    I took the summer off and then recommitted myself to my dissertation (and took out another student loan- Uggg) because I just had so much invested in getting my degree.  I very easily could have just moved on as ABD.  I understand how much time and energy this process can require and how so many people just give up.  As an academic coach, I help people focus on what's important and how they can move through the thesis/dissertation process in a way that is both healthy and in the end successful. 

When I work with graduate students, I focus on their specific needs.  Life is way more complex when committing to graduate studies.  Sometimes upgrading time management tools is helpful in balancing all the commitments in your life.  Other times it is revisiting your writing process as papers become more important in the curriculum.  It may even be working on specific goals around the thesis or dissertation.  My goal is to help support you in whatever challenges you are facing as you move through your graduate program.