Taylor Swift and Dissertations
December 13th is Taylor Swift’s birthday. So, what, can absolutely anyonebe a dissertation mentor? Well, let’s see what words of wisdom Miss Swift has for doctoral students… Yes, seriously!…
When you’re 25 or 30, you know, you can’t wear lime-green eye shadow anymore.
— Taylor Swift
Well… she’s just gettin’ warmed up. Shake it off!
OK, let’s give her another chance…
I always have to be writing.
— Taylor Swift
Well, it can seem that way. But, in fact, if you develop a bulletproof research plan, then you really know what you need to know. You know what you need to research. You know what you need to write. At that point, it no longer seems like you always have to be writing. Everything has changed. And, the stress level goes way down!
Nothing ruins your day more than getting a bad review.
— Taylor Swift
How many times have I heard that one from doctoral students upon receiving feedback from their dissertation committee? It can be frustrating to work so hard on a document only to have someone bleed red ink in every margin.
But, you shouldn’t feel bad. Call it what you want, but I say receiving detailed feedback is actually a bit of a blessing. Your committee is giving you a giant cheatsheet that tells you exactly how to win their approval.
Would it be better if they simply gushed about how great your work is? Without question! But, I’ve served on lots of committees and coached hundreds of students, and I can tell you from experience that that never happens, as in never ever!
So, chin up when you’re hit with a metric ton of “feedback.” Just do what they say, and you’ll be done before you know it!
I think every girl’s dream is to find a bad boy at the right time, when he wants to not be bad anymore.
— Taylor Swift
It’s almost as if she’s trying to prove her previous point, huh?
Give her another shot. …Ready for it?
You can’t be in love with a Google search.
— Taylor Swift
<< Blank space >>
I think I am smart unless I am really, really in love, and then I am ridiculously stupid.
— Taylor Swift
Three in a row? No, actually. This one’s great advice for dissertation students. Bear with me here…
You see, one of the most common pieces of advice you might receive about your dissertation is to find topic that you’re passionate about. This is horrible advice! It’s not given maliciously, mind you. For some students, it’s actually good advice. Safe and sound.
But, if you already have an established career, if you have a family, a mortgage, and other responsibilities, then your primary objective is to graduate and the sooner the better!
So, how does being in love with your topic make you stupid? Well, it’s like we already discussed. You graduate when your committee is happy with your work.
If you take their advice and do what they say, then you’ll graduate and get on with your life sooner. Out of the woods and into a place in this world that you can be proud of, where you make a real change!
Quick question, though: when’s the last time you ever took someone’s advice when you were in love? Right. I didn’t think so.
But, if you understand your dissertation isn’t an enchanted love story, if you don’t want to be haunted that you’ll wake up one morning and say “I did something bad,” if, instead, you want to drive your dissertation like a getaway car, then I wish you would click here to schedule a quick, 15-minute chat with me to see if you’re a good fit for our Fast Track Your Dissertation Coaching Program.
If you are, then I’ll invite you to join the fastest group of dissertation students out there and help you to reach graduation a good year or two faster than you would on your own. Just say, “Taylor Swift sent me!” Or, don’t. Say something else. Just speak now!
