What should I expect when I go on the road with my dissertation?

I was asked to share some thoughts on what to expect when you go on the road. So, I'll kick off a list that others can add to. ~Drake

10 things to expect when you take your dissertation on the road:

• Expect that at least one of your flights will be canceled.
• Expect to use a presentation backup. Particularly if your laptop is stolen in the airport on your way to an interview and the copy on your jump drive is out-dated. Can you say Kinkos at mid-night? True story.
• Expect to be asked questions that you have never thought about before, but can’t explain why you didn’t think about them.
• Expect to try and anticipate every possible workshop question, but then to hear none of the ones you anticipated.
• Expect to talk about BYU and the PhD prep track, even if you didn’t go through the PhD prep track.
• Expect to float a lot of cash on credit cards. Reimbursement, in some cases, takes months.
• Expect to not have much of an appetite at lunch (many workshops start right after lunch). Don't order a bacon-burger.
• Don’t expect to be very effective on your other projects.
• Expect to need Advil, or Tylenol. Pepto for sure.

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