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

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Things to expect when you take your dissertation on the road:

  • Expect that at least one of your flights will be canceled.
  • Expect that you will lose your baggage (i.e. try to fit all you need in carry-on luggage).
  • 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.
  • Expect to forget all the questions that were asked if you don't write them down. If you write every question down, along with your resonse, you can pull this record out to prepare for future presentations.



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