Dissertation Tips
Taken from the OPA-STUDENT listserv – 5/22/02

Greetings, Jane. I am at that other school in Cincinnati, and I am in the process of setting a defense date. The two best pieces of advice I received were:

1. Pick something that you can reasonably finish (beginning of proposal to defense) in about 18 months.

2. Finish the dissertation before internship.

I have abided by both of these suggestions, and look forward to interning with no thought about defenses and data analyses and the like.

Some things that helped along the way:

1. Smaller steps.

2. Staying on top of committee members for feedback and stuff. Some have to harass their mentors as well, but I am blessed with a mentor/chair that reads what I give him and returns it in about a week. It can get really irritating waiting around for feedback.

3. I chose to do a study that had a limitation on how long I could collect data (survey in two waves to counseling centers).

4. If you do like #3, do not be fooled. They receive a HUGE number of requests and they get sick of filling out forms. I used Dillman's "Tailored Design Method," which allegedly helps with response rate. HA! If you survey psychologists, we are the worst at returning these things.

5. Have committee members that fill gaps in what you and your chair know.

6. Always remember: The best dissertation is a done dissertation. Since my research was made possible by a grant from the University of Discover Card, I chose a cheap methodology. Best one? No way and I knew it. But the best would have cost thousands! Do something reasonable and know its limitations.

That's my two cents on the matter. Good luck.

Mitch
Univ. of Cincinnati