 | The Dissertation Boot Camp in September allowed these graduate students to accomplish work without distractions. |
There will be no bellowing drill sergeants or stomping boots at the boot
camp being held this month at the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences; in
fact, noise of any kind will be strictly prohibited. — By Gila Reinstein
T H I S
Procrastination is not an option
at Dissertation Boot Camp
But then again, this boot camp is not aimed at new recruits, but at a specific
class of veteran graduate students — those in the writing phase of their
dissertations.
Dissertation Book Camp will provide an interruption-free, stress-free, no-excuses-just-do-it
weekend for Ph.D. students. The event will be held Nov. 10-11 in the Hall of
Graduate Studies (HGS). Richard Wing, an academic writing fellow in molecular
biology and biophysics, will lead the event.
The program, sponsored by the Graduate Career Services Office, is now in its
second year. The November marathon will be the second boot camp held this fall.
A boot camp held in September was organized by Maria Lebedeva, an academic writing
fellow in genetics, and Victoria Blodgett, assistant dean and director of Graduate
Career Services.
At that event, ample food and drink were provided; laptops were required; and
cell phones and kibitzers were prohibited. Graduate writing tutors were on hand
for those needing assistance.
“HGS 119 was our main writing room with a ‘silence’ policy
enforced,” says Lebedeva. “We also had a lounge set up in the alcove
of the HGS common room, where we had breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as coffee
breaks. The lounge area allowed the students to take a break and mingle.”
Lebedeva found that she was able to do some of her own work during the writing
sessions, energized by the boot camp participants who were hard at work. In addition,
she says, she enjoyed the frank exchanges during meals and breaks.
“Because many disciplines were represented, it was interesting to see both
the different and similar challenges we face as advanced graduate students,” says
Lebedeva. “There was a support group atmosphere during meals, with people
sharing their experience with writing the dissertation. At one point, students
talked about the distractions they faced at home or in their office, so it was
great to see that the distraction-free environment we provided really helped
them to write.”
Boot campers expressed enthusiasm about the program and the progress they made.
“I only wish I could attend boot camp every weekend!” wrote one participant,
in an anonymous evaluation at the conclusion of the program.
Another commented, “It was so much FUN to work in the atmosphere created. The weekend got me out of an attitude
slump I had been in since August.”
While many Ph.D. students would benefit from attending Dissertation Boot Camp,
says Lebedeva, “[E]veryone works differently, and for some people sitting
in a quiet room or having other people around them is simply not the best environment.
That being said, for a majority of the students in attendance, including myself,
the boot camp did provide the right atmosphere to get to work.”
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Procrastination is not an option at Dissertation Boot Camp
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Campus Notes
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