Due to popular demand, I thought I'd write down a few thoughts about what happened with my defense to help out anyone who's interested (and going to defend relatively soon; probably all this will be changed in another year or so. Bureaucracy never rests!).
I've divided this into “What to expect when…” sections, placed in no particular order. Any duplications or obvious mis-orderings can be blamed directly on the temporary brain damage sustained by having to deal with volumes of administrivia.
Everyone has their own style, so there's not much to say here except that it will take longer than you might think. It's not the writing so much as all the darn cross references, spell checking, bibliography entries, figure captions, margins, etc. I think I spent the last two weeks just making formatting changes.
Here are a couple of things that helped me a lot:
The main thing to remember is that somebody will be a pain in the you-know-what. Everyone I know who's gone through it tells me that there was somebody who held up the show. Of course, there's no way to predict who or what, but just plan on the final signature taking some time to get because of something last-minute. If you can, leave yourself plenty of time before the university deadline for turning in your final version. Think of it as your deadline insurance.
My impression is that the committee really wants to see two things. They want you to stand up for yourself, but they also want you to admit where your work is weak. I also got the feeling that they all wanted to put their own spin on the final document. This makes sense, of course. They all have good things to say; in my case, I felt like I got a lot out of their suggestions for changes to my dissertation.
For me, we talked about 3 points where I needed to make changes in my dissertation. All three were good comments, and like I say, I was glad for the feedback. I guess I expected them to suggest changes, and I approached the closed-door session with an attitude of compromise. Again, I tried to hold firm on what I felt were my main points and gave way where my claims were weaker. I don't think they let anybody through without some criticism. A fair amount of modesty along with a firm (but fair) commitment to some bottom line is probably your best bet.
Of course, they went through the “step outside and sweat while we decide your fate” bit, and who knows what they talk about then. After about 15-20 minutes they gave me the smiles-and-handshake reception.
Oh yeah, then they teach you the secret Ph.D. handshake. Of course, I can't tell you what that is .
What nobody tells you is that Kinko's, *all* Kinko's in town, suck. There are some places that actually call the university and know what the requirements are, and they are the places to go. Kinko's is not one of those places. Unfortunately, the university can't say who they are for legal reasons (they'd probably get sued for favoritism).
But I can attest to the fact that Ginny's is a good place. Apparently they staff up and load up on the right kinds of supplies when the deadlines for turning things in approach, so they are probably a good bet. One specific note: you have to turn your dissertation in IN THE RIGHT KIND OF CARDBOARD BOX, which Ginny's (but not Kinko's) carries.
Lynn (thesis “witch”) will measure your margins. And check the paper quality, and do a host of other things that she has on her check list. She's very thorough (again, as she should be); I tried distracting her but she's done this a million times so it's down to a science. Here are some pointers:
I spent a small fortune on making copies, but I had a grant to charge against. The largest costs were for making copies for the committee members and for the final copy on special paper. Here are some specifics:
I thought it was just me, but after talking with others (even those who already had jobs lined up) apparently I'm not crazy. I'm not sure what the right term is, maybe “postpartem depression” or the like, but there is definitely a feeling of disconnectedness when you're done. Not depression, not despair; just sort of an “alone” kind of feeling. I guess after years of being in a situation, such an abrupt change will obviously require an adjustment.
`Course, it could just be the temporary brain damage due to administrivia .
-Paul Baffes (oops, I mean “Paul Baffes, Ph.D.”)