Jonathan Warren, who recently finished his Ph.D. in the History of Christianity at Vanderbilt University, reflects upon what he learned from writing his dissertation. Thank-you Jonathan! … [Read more...] about Five Things I’ve Learned from Writing a Dissertation Series
Completing Your PhD
Five Things I’ve Learned from Writing a Dissertation, Part 3
Jonathan Warren shares the last in a three part series. Explore Part 1 here and Part 2 here. As I wrap up this series, two more things I learned from my dissertation come to mind: 4) You need to strike the proper balance between research and writing. One of my besetting issues during the entirety of my Ph.D. program was the sense that I always needed to know more about the topic than I did before I could write about it. My tendency was to consume more and more information, compile more and more detailed … [Read more...] about Five Things I’ve Learned from Writing a Dissertation, Part 3
Five Things I’ve Learned from Writing a Dissertation, Part 2
Boston Public Library Last time I explored how important it is to have a supportive community while writing. Here I move on to lessons 2 and 3 from my dissertation process: 2) Be realistic about how much time good writing takes. I mentioned before that I'm an ENFP and find it extremely hard to focus. I'm also very social and tend to get depressed if I spend too long in the library researching and writing. One of the initial challenges for me in making progress on the dissertation was developing what historian … [Read more...] about Five Things I’ve Learned from Writing a Dissertation, Part 2
Five Things I’ve Learned from Writing a Dissertation, Part 1
Over the past six years, I've been enrolled in a Ph.D. program in the Graduate Department of Religion at Vanderbilt University, studying church history. For the past three years, I've been trying to write a dissertation, which is more or less like trying to write a book–but for three or four very persnickety readers. More than once during this process I've questioned whether I would be able to finish. I never struggled with “imposter syndrome” during coursework or comprehensive exams, but during the dissertation … [Read more...] about Five Things I’ve Learned from Writing a Dissertation, Part 1
13 Ways of Looking at Graduate School: Part 4
Below is the final piece of a 4-part series by an anonymous contributor, a recent PhD recipient who has been involved with ESN and wanted to share lessons he learned during graduate school. In the fall he will begin teaching at a private Christian university. Praise God! Click here to read Part 1, click here to read Part 2, and click here to read Part 3 -- be sure to check out the helpful conversation in the comment section on 9. Don't be afraid to be known as a fanatical Christ-follower. ~ … [Read more...] about 13 Ways of Looking at Graduate School: Part 4