This article was updated on Feb. 23, 2026 If you feel like you’ve completely emptied your tank toward your PhD, you’re not alone. After all, depending on the discipline, around 30-40% of PhD candidates never complete their program. So kudos to you for making it this far! Submitting your dissertation is the final hurdle, which […]
The literature review process can be one of the most stressful aspects of the dissertation, often because it comes so early in the writing process. This single chapter of your dissertation represents all of the background research you’ve done on your topic, the long history of academic work that has been completed on your area
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You’ve successfully completed the basic application for medical school. Congratulations on making it through this difficult initial process; we know how tough it can be! Now that you’ve finished the first round, however, you need to step up your application process and deal with your second hurdle: the secondary application essays. The purpose of the
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One of the main tools that boosted my productivity when I was earnestly trying to write my dissertation was a writing group. Despite having written countless papers, reviews, and articles in the past, I found myself frozen and overwhelmed when facing the prospect of writing a whole dissertation. Instead of trying to write something, anything,
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Tips for Procrastinators: Writing a Compelling Statement of Purpose for Professional School or Graduate Study by Katrina Oko-Odoi We’re now at the tail end of the admissions season, so most of the super-organized, timely applicants will have long ago submitted their last application for professional or graduate school. I know there are some stragglers out
Finding the Antidote to Graduate School Senioritis By Katrina Oko-Odoi While I have shared my number one secret for dissertation writing success already, finding an antidote to that vexing feeling of senioritis—of the graduate school variety—is another story altogether. I admit that I have struggled with the terrible habit of procrastination throughout my graduate
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I went to middle school and high school in New York City and one of my favorite places to visit was (and still is) the Museum of Natural History (by the way, the movie “Night at the Museum” does not do its magnificent exhibits justice). A very memorable exhibit is the “Evolutionary Clock” which compresses
Evolution of Your Thesis: The Last Fifteen Minutes by Dora Farkas Read More »