5 Things Your Dissertation Committee Wants You to Know.
1) Don't Rush It. it IS a process. Your dissertation committee members will work with you, providing feedback and guidance, but it's important to understand that it may take a number of revisions before you produce work that is of high academic quality. That's typical. Be realistic and understand that your committee members also have other obligations and may not be able to provide immediate feedback.
2) Don't Take It Personally. You will put your heart and soul into your dissertation work, but expect that your committee chair and other members will very likely want to see changes made. Don't take their feedback as personal criticism. Remember, the goal is to produce a quality product.
3) Be Proactive. Don't wait for your chair to tell you what do do next, check on your progress, or ask for corrected revisions -they may not. We are here to serve as coaches. This is your project, so show your determination by taking the lead.
4) Let us Know What You're Doing. Keep your committee up to date with drafts of your work. This helps us to keep you headed in the right direction. If you go of-course, it's better to know early in the process.
5) We Want You to Succeed. While you may not believe it, we genuinely want you to succeed - it makes us look good too. However, in doing so, we will work to ensure you produce a quality product; one that you and your committee members will be proud to put their names on.
