Destination Peach

Where Reality and Inspiration Meet

Doctoral Life: The Marathon Continues…

Five years later and I am still in school. Still trying to graduate. I never imagined it would take me this long to graduate. When I started my doctoral program, I had no clue what I was getting myself into. The doctoral program and dissertation takes marathon energy to successfully graduate.

When I last wrote about my dissertation, I had passed the Institutional Board Review and was ready for final dissertation approval. When I made it to final review, I was told by my committee that I wasn’t ready to go to the next step. When I found out the news I was devastated! Really devastated! Devastated like my first romantic relationship heartbreak. I was so devastated, I had to take a break from working on my dissertation to restore my mental health and live life. In the process of restoring my mental health and living life, I took a 9 month break from school. In my break, I even thought about quitting school and going ABD (all but degree).

While trying to figure out if I was going to finish school, I pray-fully asked God and my ancestors what to do? Do I finish school or not? Please send me a sign. A day later, I received an email from a research participant with access to additional participants. This was the affirmative sign I needed to move forward with my doctoral journey.What I learned from the experience is that school is not worth the mental distress. When I read an article about a doctoral student committing suicide, I empathize because that could have been me. My extreme devastation was a red flag. Speaking on behalf of many doctoral students, these research projects become our livelihood and we sacrifice a lot!  

Mental health issues in doctoral programs is a real thing. To the doctoral students out there…whether you are just starting your journey, in the middle of your journey, or at the tail end of your journey, seek support! The doctoral journal cannot be accomplished alone.  Find your tribe! For those wondering, I still work on my dissertation. I will graduate! Now knowing what I know, I work on my dissertation in a more tolerable manner.

Let’s continue the conversation below…for those of you who have been enrolled in a graduate degree program, how have you overcome the mental stressors of school?

Until next time…

-Peach

Half Way Up

It has been a long time since I posted. My absence has been for a great reason. I am nearing the final phases of my dissertation, which means I can finally see the lights at the end of the tunnel…and by lights, I mean the graduation lights in the stadium in which I will be wearing my expensive cap and gown.

The doctoral journey has been long…and now that I am nearing the end of my journey it has been a surreal experience. I’ve been in school since Pre-K…and I’m tired. Yet, I feel encouraged knowing by December my journey will be completed. Needless to say, I am half way up the mountain in my journey to the top!

In my writing hiatus, there has been so much content I’ve been wanting to write…but in between helping people heal, going hard on my dissertation, and maintaining my self-care…I haven’t had time. What I have learned in my hiatus is that greatness requires dedication.

I choose to be great! In my dedication to personal greatness, I can only commit to so many things before I feel overwhelmed and start to operate from a space of mediocracy. All of my creative brilliance has been dedicated to my dissertation and writing in different compacities.

There will be future blog posts coming soon. Trust and believe.

Until next time…

-Peach

 

How To Survive Graduate School

Today in casual conversation, a person asked me how have I been committed to my doctoral program for so long? It took me a while to give a response, considering that I didn’t want to go into Kanye mode and respond with, “it’s because I’m great…that’s HOW”. As I pondered for a moment and gave my humbled response of, “GOD, my parents, my older brother, Essie Mae, all my ancestors, and therapy”…it dawned on me.

It dawned on me that I have been enrolled in universities as a full-time student since 2005.  In the 11-year time span, I completed my bachelor’s and master’s. And I am several months away from completing my doctoral program. From the many blog posts I have written about my education journey, being a graduate student is not easy.

For those of you on the higher education journey, I wanted to share some tips that have helped me make it this far…in hopes that it can help you to!

21 tips to survive graduate school:

  1. Be intentional– Know your degree program, and set your intentions on the bigger picture of degree completion.
  2. Stay organized– Keep a planner, and write memos in your phone.
  3. Have a support system– Family, friends, instructors, and cohorts can help you persevere when the struggle gets real.
  4. Understand you will lose people– When you embark on the graduate school journey, you will learn rather quickly who is worth your time.
  5. Schedule self-care– Schedule time to take care of yourself. If you fail to take care of yourself, you won’t have the stamina you need to take on the challenges of graduate school.
  6. Life Happens– Know that everything will go wrong at the wrong time, staying calm and centered will help you tremendously.
  7. Study often– Procrastination in graduate school is deadly. Make the most of your time and study. You can’t wing your way through graduate school.
  8. Make studying a priority– Schedule days and times for when you will study. Let no one interfere with your arranged study time.
  9. Network– Instructors and students can connect you with amazing resources.
  10. Ask for help– You don’t have all the answers. When you ask for help, be explicit with the questions you ask.
  11. Get into the habit of collecting references– Collecting references will come in handy for future courses and dissertation research.
  12. Start thinking about your dissertation topic in advance– The more you ponder your topic, the less stress you will have about selecting a dissertation topic.
  13. Read and read some more– Reading should be your favorite hobby as a graduate student.
  14. Write for your life– Enough SAID!!!
  15. Get rest– You can’t operate effectively when you’re tired.
  16. Say no– Don’t feel obligated to do everything.
  17. GPA’s– GPA’s don’t carry much weight once you graduate. Focus on the learning process, instead of a grade.
  18. Make a commitment– Commit to yourself that you will graduate no matter the circumstance.
  19. Don’t take a break– Avoid breaks at all costs! The chances of students actually returning to school after a break is very slim.
  20. It’s not easy-Know that graduate school is not intended to be easy for a reason.
  21. Get in-Work Hard-Get Out…Then save the world! – Words advised by a phenomenal professor.

Hope this list helps #happystudying.

Until next time…

-Peach