Finding a Voice
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
thesis defense: clear pass
On Monday morning Mom and I drove 5 hours to Caronport where I defended my thesis to a committee of three (Dwayne Uglem, Peter Engle, Sam Berg), with approximately 26 people sitting in. It was a wonderful experience and I received a clear pass. Dr. Uglem said several times that my research is "a gift to Briercrest."
I had some good advice from my friend Chelle, which she received prior to defending her Ph.D. dissertation:
Smile, and don't panic. They are on your side--they want you to pass.
Enjoy the defense. This is your work that they are talking about, it should be fun, at least on some level. (:
Be confident. You know your subject better than anyone else.
Don't be defensive. Take your time answering questions. Take a deep breath before the difficult questions, and defend your argument.
Beforehand, try to anticipate your weakest points and prepare answers.
Be willing to acknowledge when you have missed something, but never say "Oh, I never thought about that." Again, take a deep breath and talk about the subject at hand.
Remember that this is a conversation about YOUR work, remind them of that if necessary. Defend your work, not what you did not do.
Again, smile and remain your beautiful, pleasant self.
That's what I did and it was actually a lot of fun (including the "comprehensive oral exam" prior to the defense). And they really did want me to pass. :)
After turkey dinner with the Gabors and a little stop in Moose Jaw to visit Aunt Helen, Mom and I drove 5 hours home, arriving at 3:00 a.m.! This morning I felt more than a little tired and dizzy, but satisfied and relieved.
Thanks for praying and/or attending. Will make the necessary revisions next week and should post the polished thesis online by April 30th.
I had some good advice from my friend Chelle, which she received prior to defending her Ph.D. dissertation:
Smile, and don't panic. They are on your side--they want you to pass.
Enjoy the defense. This is your work that they are talking about, it should be fun, at least on some level. (:
Be confident. You know your subject better than anyone else.
Don't be defensive. Take your time answering questions. Take a deep breath before the difficult questions, and defend your argument.
Beforehand, try to anticipate your weakest points and prepare answers.
Be willing to acknowledge when you have missed something, but never say "Oh, I never thought about that." Again, take a deep breath and talk about the subject at hand.
Remember that this is a conversation about YOUR work, remind them of that if necessary. Defend your work, not what you did not do.
Again, smile and remain your beautiful, pleasant self.
That's what I did and it was actually a lot of fun (including the "comprehensive oral exam" prior to the defense). And they really did want me to pass. :)
After turkey dinner with the Gabors and a little stop in Moose Jaw to visit Aunt Helen, Mom and I drove 5 hours home, arriving at 3:00 a.m.! This morning I felt more than a little tired and dizzy, but satisfied and relieved.
Thanks for praying and/or attending. Will make the necessary revisions next week and should post the polished thesis online by April 30th.
posted by Colleen McCubbin at 1:00 AM
1 Comments:
It was good to hear that you successfully defended you thesis paper in front of the panel. It was good that you have the right confidence to defend your thesis because some people always get nervous and eventually affect what the outcome of their presentation was. Anyway, I do hope everything went well after it.
Post a Comment
<< Home