POTUS 9 and Dissertations
February 9th marks the birthday of the 9th President of the United States. Here’re some words of wisdom from William Henry Harrison that you can apply to your dissertation…
I’ll confess that it was a bit difficult finding relevant quotes from William Henry Harrison. In my defense, he was only President for 30 days…
To Englishmen, life is a topic, not an activity.
— William Henry Harrison
Make sure that your dissertation efforts focus on the activity required to complete your project much more so than the topic of your study.
Times change, and we change with them.
— William Henry Harrison
I have advised, coached, or otherwise helped over 300 students earn their doctoral degrees by completing their dissertations. And, I very much doubt that even one of them ended up exactly where they envisioned at the outset.
Dissertation committees have a knack for nudging even the most well-conceived and carefully planned projects this way or that. As important as planning ones dissertation is, it is equally important to remain flexible and to change as the situation dictates.
Indeed, intractability may be the cause of more terminal ABDs than indecision!
All the lessons of history and experience must be lost upon us if we are content to trust alone to the peculiar advantages we happen to possess.
— William Henry Harrison
One must grow into the title of doctor. Doctors are not born, nor do they enter doctoral programs. It is only through the work you do, particularly on your dissertation, that you transform into an individual worthy of that mantle.
Part of the process of transforming into a doctor is knowing where to turn for help, guidance, and support when they are needed. Seeing your limitations and augmenting areas of need rather than trying to solve every problem with only the skills you possess.
If you’d like to explore whether I may be able to help you through this transformation, 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.
