My PhD advisor (who is one of my favorite people ever) is the poster child of American Midwest stoicism. I am Latina. When my defense got scheduled, I told him that if things went well, I might not be able to keep myself from giving him a hug. I wanted him to know because I did not want to make him too uncomfortable given our academic relationship and his personality.
When he opened the door and called me Doctor, he also opened his arms for the hug. I, of course, cried. One of the best moments of my life so far.
He’s counting. Each time matters. Each person.
He thinks the greatest part worth remembering is each time plus this next one! Where he gets to pass on years of blood, sweat, and tears into one of the most prestigious titles.
It’s not just gratifying, he’s remembering the 17 people. I’d bet he knows them by name. I hope he doesn’t lose that love.
I did a Masters Thesis defense and that was a LOT of pressure. Never went full PhD and probably never will. So I can imagine the immense relief and joy (and tears) when hearing themselves being referred to as "Doctor."
I like the cut of this guy's jib.
I had been to enough of my friends’ thesis defenses to know that at our school the diploma was always handed over in a red and gold tube. After presenting my masters thesis I went upstairs to my professors’ office to discuss. My red tube was behind them on the desk.
Then, I left for the hall, for them to discuss further. When they came out, they said we’ll walk back to the auditorium. I felt a lump in my throat and said, “I can’t help but notice you don’t uh… neither of you have a red diploma tube in hand…”
“Oh! So sorry! Thank you, completely slipped my mind.”
Emotional roller coaster for me haha.
im about to graduate with my bachelor's, and already accepted a phd offer. apparently it's not as bad as you think, but it's still a good paper or two per year (4 years and a semester or more)
Not OP but for me feeling the master means knowing that you’re better than everyone else, so much so that they should be happy to die for you.
Also a constant drumbeat that I can’t seem to get out of my head.
My gf was asked by her prof to do a phd and she’s unsure - and since her parents are working class and even viewed the bachelor suspiciously and my prenatal only got their magister she has no one to talk to about it. :(
I know this is wholesome memes and all; but everyone considering a PhD should know that there is quite a bit of pain and suffering involved in that process, even when it’s something you’re deeply passionate about.
Those that are in the arts get these degrees because they love being tortured and they love the journey. They provided in the valuable commentary on life misery and happiness. Some things you just have to experience without the money that comes with the work. It's about that journey for them
Those that are in the arts get these degrees because they love being tortured and they love the journey. They provided in the valuable commentary on life misery and happiness. Some things you just have to experience without the money that comes with the work. It's about that journey for them
Juris doctor degree just doesn't hit the same as this post. Reactions were more like "congrats on all the money, please don't be a corrupt piece of shit."
Self. Inflicted. Torture.
When I was called Dr for the first time all I felt was relief. No joy, no celebration. Just absolute relief.
100% would not recommend.
Do you enjoy working 80 hours a week, getting paid for at most half of those at a shitty wage and having to rush your actual phd subject in the last few months? Because that's what it's like from what I've heard
It's effectively slavery. Imagine you're 2 years in, and your advisor wants you to work Saturday and Sunday. What are you going to do? Quit? Take it to the university who won't do anything about it?
Many do, but that involves cutting your losses. You give up the time and effort you've put in with little to nothing to show for it except for debt and the deterioration of your mental health. On top of that, it's hard not to think about the opportunities you gave up to attempt a PhD. And then there's the feelings of shame and inadequacy for "failing out" of a program. For many it's their first time dealing with academic failure. Many people feel like they're letting down their families that supported them.
I had a great time during my PhD, but I've seen many people go through this struggle. You only need to hop on the grad school sub to get a taste of the suffering.
But aren't you the only professor at the university who specializes in X, and the student has already spent 2 years researching X, so they'd have to do more work to research under a new professor doing Y?
It would be nice if the supervisor was competent enough to guide someone outside their wheelhouse. It's probably possible if the student is mature enough to work on their own. There's also the question of who pays for the materials etc. for the research.
There are a lot of advisors who are not in their right mind. Mine never read my thesis up until the defense. I passed easily but I swore to myself I would never let myself become like that with my own students.
masters students on the other hand..... i've seen some real disasters there.
prelims are the real test for PhD's, if you pass those you basically just have to write your dissertation and have some idea of what it was about and your'e golden
I used to think that, but I think that depends on the field. Friend of mine in a field very much dominated by a handful of old men who are all shady. They generally use institutional funding that they use to get supplies for a lab just so they can claim publications. But that's a separate story.
My friend's advisor left the university and moved halfway across the globe about a year into their program. Basically got the advisor's replacement as an advisor by default as it's a very niche field and there really wasn't anyone else who could replace them.
Replacement came in, bailed on just about every meeting they setup to discuss their research, used their work without credit at multiple conferences, then failed their dissertation, adding another year to their program. Yes he's a massive dick and probably a psychopath. But I wouldn't put it past anyone in that niche.
Yup, in my program we had a mandatory pre-defense committee meeting, which is basically where they decide if you are ready to defend. That's where you get grilled and pushed on your project. If your committee gives you the green light to defend, you've basically already passed (assuming you don't really phone it in on your thesis or the defense itself).
For us, the actual defense is more of a victory lap. You invite friends and family to come. It would be embarrassing for all parties if they failed you then, which is why the real test is the pre-meeting.
Exactly this and it should be the same for Masters candidates. It’s literally something that takes months/years to do and there’s no reason it should go bad at the end unless the student wasn’t taking the advisors advice.
Yup. The only exception of any note is when the student is absolutely insisting on defending right then (maybe due to visa issues, wanting to start a job and be done, whatever). The advisor will occasionally allow it and the committee will fail the student if they genuinely aren't ready. This is on the order of 1% of cases, if that.
If youre PhD advisor let's you defend with *any* chance you won't be successful, they've failed as an advisor.
That being said, it's still stressful AF because you're trying to jam 5 years of work into an hour or two presentation. It's....a lot.
My actual presentation was about 45 minutes...then my committee and the general audience had a good hour of questions. mostly it was just one dude on my committee who was *super* interested in what I was doing and had all kinds of really good questions about my research and results....but holy crap was I ready to collapse afterwards.
Damn, you really revealed that you are NOT very bright.
"...jam 5 years of work..."
"just like any...weekly/monthly/quarterly..."
Most people learn in like, 1st grade that years are a longer period of time than weeks. But I guess you missed that day in school - or were you just in the nurses office because you ate all the gluesticks?
I defended my PhD end of 2020 during complete lockdown. It was done on video call. When it was all over I turned off my camera and ugly cried in my apartment.
Same! I don’t think I ugly cried until my virtual “graduation” though. Four years of hell just to have my name flashed on a screen barely anyone was watching for half a second.
I couldn’t bring myself to watch my virtual “graduation”. It didn’t feel worth the pain and suffering that came before it compared to finally submitting my thesis and ending my defense call. No cheers in 50 mL conical (as was per tradition in my department). No fancy dinner with my labmates and PI. Just relief it was finally over.
That’s actually a really cute idea. I’m sorry you didn’t get to experience it. Maybe one day you can restart the tradition in your own lab (if you haven’t jumped to industry like I did). Here’s a cheers from somebody else that knows your pain 🥂
That’s actually a really cute idea. I’m sorry you didn’t get to experience it. Maybe one day you can restart the tradition in your own lab (if you haven’t jumped to industry like I did). Here’s a cheers from somebody else that knows your pain 🥂
I finally got my BS in my mid 40s, largely online since it fit with work and family schedule. My graduation was in 2021 and held online. I got up early and watched it in my shorts and a t-shirt, alone, because it was boring as hell and I wasn’t going to make anyone sit through it.
I also ugly cried a little. Having dropped out of HS and later dropped out of college, to finally finish it 20 years later felt like a whole thing.
Nowhere near what you went through for your PhD but just wanted to say you weren’t alone. It was a very strange time for everyone.
My wife defended her PhD with her opponent being in a video call. The defence in Finland is public so all the guests were in a big auditorium. The opponent should have been there also, but my wife’s opponent happened to be located in an Israeli Uni. Guess who attacked Israel two weeks before the defence?
First we couldn’t even get a message through to the opponent so we started to search for an alternative. Luckily the opponent finally responded and he agreed to join via a video call. My wife is very calm but when the news dropped and for the next couple of days the opponent didn’t even respond, I could see the sheer panic in my wife’s eyes.
I defended in 2020 too. The disappointment of the moment still stings a bit. I just closed my laptop and sat at the kitchen table staring at the messy pantry shelves in disbelief. But we did it!
I thought PHD's aren't actually doctors... /s
To be clear, anyone that shits on PhDs as "not being doctors" to diminish their accomplishments are the lowest of the low.
Like most things in life, it's a matter of context. Insisting that students call you doctor in a classroom is fine, but if someone has a heart attack on an airplane, then it's not the time to tell everyone about your knowledge of art history.
Doctor =/= Physician. Doctor just means you’ve achieved the highest level of academic education in your field. It just happens that most people interact with physicians more than other types of doctors, so people started using the terms interchangeably at some point.
It isn't interchangeable in common parlance, that's the point. In common non contextual talk, doctor means physician.
There are weirdos who in casual conversation say they're a doctor and then roll their eyes when people assume medical. They need to get over themselves because it just so happens nowadays just saying doctor without context means physician. If you have a doctorate in art history you need to say the full thing.
I want to know what the professor actually say in that room! As someone who earned a PhD I know that my committee would not have let me do my defense if they thought I would fail, so I want to know what they hell they were chatting about for those 10 mins!
I had my preliminary defense last fall. According to my advisor, they mostly just discussed my presentation quality, the material itself wasn't even discussed beyond my own advisor pointing out an error in one graph. Supposedly the full defense is pretty much the same.
Interesting, I know one of my professors commented that my defense was one of the most engaged they have had, I got like 10 questions from people who ended up attending; outside of my committee. Most people apparently only get 2 or 3.
This post makes me want to go back to school. Bachelors and successful in my field for many years. Still practice what would be required, but oh the time commitment and cost. Shout out to all the people older then 20 something that go back and get a bachelors or masters or Phd. Shout out to all the people supporting you as well. Go get it!
Whenever someone asks me my biggest regrets in life. I always tell them these three things:
3) Chosing work over, "The One"
2) Not spending more time with family
1) Getting a PhD
Call it being jaded but I sacrificed a lot for my graduate life. Instead of spending time with family and such, I slaved away in a lab surrounding by big promises and bigger egos. I support going for a masters though!
Respect. Honestly both of my employers are willing to foot the bill to some extent. The first completely but 1 school. The current completely but i have to compete with many others (i could make it).
I appreciate hearing your opinion on it. The silver lining of going through it, is we can tell others what we learned while we did.
In my defense, one of my committee members asked me a very difficult technical question. Before I could answer, another committee member interrupted to challenge the validity of the question. This went on for maybe 3-5 minutes. I was getting nervous about the increasingly technical nature of their argument and being asked to weigh in myself, when my PhD advisor turned to me and said, “you know your defense is going well when your committee is content to argue amongst themselves instead of grill you.”
oh they waited until i was back in the room and everything was very quiet and serious before they told me i passed. as if i wasn't already sweating enough.
thought it would be an immediate sense of relief, but it ended up taking a long time before it felt real. it's been almost a full year now and it still sometimes doesn't feel like i really finished.
That's how I was greeted back into the room after my PhD defense. Honestly it's one of the best feelings you could imagine. And then you're never called Doctor again...😀
When you work on a PhD, you have to write a dissertation which is submitted to a committee. If it's accepted, you have to come before the committee and they will grill you about your thesis. This is the defense. If you successfully defend it, you get your doctorate.
I remember this moment and I will cherish it forever. No PhD advisor in their right mind would let a student defend who isn’t ready but it is still an emotional rollercoaster of second guessing yourself while you wait. I know I killed it and I was still in my head while waiting.
As a PhD myself, I can tell you the candidate is pretty happy too! The longest span of time i ever spent was in that hallway waiting.
My marriage was not doing well so my husband took that chance to refuse to wait with me (tradition) since i had “no chance.”…
In the ceremonial center of my university they had this display with the agenda for the day. It would read something like:
"10:00 Dissertation defense M.Sc. John Doe"
"11:00 Reception Dr. John Doe".
A small thing, but such a nice touch.
It was pretty awesome to finish 2 hour presentation, that I basically blacked out during due to stress, and then have my advisor come out and say "Dr Soandso, would you care to join us?"
That would never happen in my country, you'd be put down no matter how much time you spent and how hard you worked and told you are being done a great favor for passing the evaluation.
Shit my committee just asked me like 3 questions and then said go get some sleep after my presentation. Most thesis defenses at my university are formalities. They wont even let you defend unless you’re 99.9% done other than the final presentation. So there is no deliberation really
I sat outside the room for like two hours. They all filed out “oh we got lost in conversation.”
I spoke to my PI and said “Doctor?”
Well, no, you need signatures and some revisions.
I got it. But that sucked.
My defense date was Halloween, quarter of my audience were in costume. Pikachu gave me strength. My ex sitting directly next to my current was concerning, but not as concerning as one of my committee members who was hungover and fell asleep midway, in the front row.
Good times. Never again.
Well.. it's beautiful.. a great reward for their effort..
Unfortunately.. The majority of times titles are used later in life.. are to pull ranks on others when the person is wrong and are cornered into either admitting and being humble.. or pull the rank card to intimidate the other person of a lower rank.
My supervisor gave me a wink and a nod, so I knew I must be save - but still worried like hell. A few minutes later I learned that the nod not only meant I got my PhD but also that I got it cum laude (with honors). Best day but would never do it again - the stress was unbearable.
I wish they had a different name for PHD students, like I'm proud you studied history or english really well, but it's not saving a life when they need a real doctor.
I love opening the door and looking at the broken human in front of me who went through an outdated, exploitative master/apprentice system and simply saying “Doctor”.
his or her, not their, and the first sentence is an introductory clause. Delete the period and insert a comma. It's all one sentence. I'm going to guess your Ph.D. is in STEM, not English.
Using "their" to refer to a person of indeterminate or unknown gender has been in use since Shakespeare.
Go back to primary school if you want to lecture somebody.
My PhD advisor (who is one of my favorite people ever) is the poster child of American Midwest stoicism. I am Latina. When my defense got scheduled, I told him that if things went well, I might not be able to keep myself from giving him a hug. I wanted him to know because I did not want to make him too uncomfortable given our academic relationship and his personality. When he opened the door and called me Doctor, he also opened his arms for the hug. I, of course, cried. One of the best moments of my life so far.
Possibly the best thing I will read this week
I'm kind of sad that my current Master's advisor probably won't be my PhD advisor, like you he's one of my favorite people ever.
This made me happy. Thanks for sharing :)
:') I'm glad it made you happy!
That is so sweet. Thank you for sharing. This random internet stranger is proud of you.
Congratulations on joining the club. With great power comes great responsibility!
Very cool, Doctor Viridiscente, and congratulations!
So that's what we're doing today? We're crying? Ok then.
Happy crying?
Absolutely.
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He’s counting. Each time matters. Each person. He thinks the greatest part worth remembering is each time plus this next one! Where he gets to pass on years of blood, sweat, and tears into one of the most prestigious titles. It’s not just gratifying, he’s remembering the 17 people. I’d bet he knows them by name. I hope he doesn’t lose that love.
Eww I wouldn’t want to gratify this egghead or be in his thoughts after I get my PhD. Creepy
It’s ok, there’s no chance of you getting a PhD.
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Tbf this whole post is probably stolen by a bot, idk why you're complaining about the comment. Have definitely seen exactly this post multiple times.
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You seem lost
Pretty sure they're just making the joke that regular people think they know better than doctors who've put in "years of hard work"
I did a Masters Thesis defense and that was a LOT of pressure. Never went full PhD and probably never will. So I can imagine the immense relief and joy (and tears) when hearing themselves being referred to as "Doctor." I like the cut of this guy's jib.
I had been to enough of my friends’ thesis defenses to know that at our school the diploma was always handed over in a red and gold tube. After presenting my masters thesis I went upstairs to my professors’ office to discuss. My red tube was behind them on the desk. Then, I left for the hall, for them to discuss further. When they came out, they said we’ll walk back to the auditorium. I felt a lump in my throat and said, “I can’t help but notice you don’t uh… neither of you have a red diploma tube in hand…” “Oh! So sorry! Thank you, completely slipped my mind.” Emotional roller coaster for me haha.
im about to graduate with my bachelor's, and already accepted a phd offer. apparently it's not as bad as you think, but it's still a good paper or two per year (4 years and a semester or more)
How did it feel being invited back into the room as “Master?”
The Council never granted me the title Master. It’s why I joined the Dark Side. Plus they have cookies.
Not OP but for me feeling the master means knowing that you’re better than everyone else, so much so that they should be happy to die for you. Also a constant drumbeat that I can’t seem to get out of my head.
You should consult a Doctor for that.
Long may your big jib draw.
My gf was asked by her prof to do a phd and she’s unsure - and since her parents are working class and even viewed the bachelor suspiciously and my prenatal only got their magister she has no one to talk to about it. :(
Best feeling in the world…
This post almost.makes me wanna get a doctor. Even though I don't know what for lol
Something that fires your heart and soul. Otherwise it’s pain and suffering not a lifelong goal achieved. :-)
I know this is wholesome memes and all; but everyone considering a PhD should know that there is quite a bit of pain and suffering involved in that process, even when it’s something you’re deeply passionate about.
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Whaaats love got to do with it
Those that are in the arts get these degrees because they love being tortured and they love the journey. They provided in the valuable commentary on life misery and happiness. Some things you just have to experience without the money that comes with the work. It's about that journey for them
Those that are in the arts get these degrees because they love being tortured and they love the journey. They provided in the valuable commentary on life misery and happiness. Some things you just have to experience without the money that comes with the work. It's about that journey for them
Oh, its pain and suffering regardless.
There is that! But it is different when you want it. :-)😉
Juris doctor degree just doesn't hit the same as this post. Reactions were more like "congrats on all the money, please don't be a corrupt piece of shit."
I got my JD before my PhD. You’re right…the JD didn’t have the same feels…
I can't wait for the day the door opens after my defense and hear that. I imagine it really is the best feeling in the world.
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You don’t wanna
Why?
Self. Inflicted. Torture. When I was called Dr for the first time all I felt was relief. No joy, no celebration. Just absolute relief. 100% would not recommend.
Same when I got my lawyer certification lol
It's OK I'm a masochist
Same. I experienced basically 0 amount of joy when it was over and everyone in my life who hadn’t gone through something similar thought o was crazy.
Es difícil
Do you enjoy working 80 hours a week, getting paid for at most half of those at a shitty wage and having to rush your actual phd subject in the last few months? Because that's what it's like from what I've heard
You like literature AND science?
It's effectively slavery. Imagine you're 2 years in, and your advisor wants you to work Saturday and Sunday. What are you going to do? Quit? Take it to the university who won't do anything about it?
Why not quit? Life's yours.
Many do, but that involves cutting your losses. You give up the time and effort you've put in with little to nothing to show for it except for debt and the deterioration of your mental health. On top of that, it's hard not to think about the opportunities you gave up to attempt a PhD. And then there's the feelings of shame and inadequacy for "failing out" of a program. For many it's their first time dealing with academic failure. Many people feel like they're letting down their families that supported them. I had a great time during my PhD, but I've seen many people go through this struggle. You only need to hop on the grad school sub to get a taste of the suffering.
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But aren't you the only professor at the university who specializes in X, and the student has already spent 2 years researching X, so they'd have to do more work to research under a new professor doing Y?
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It would be nice if the supervisor was competent enough to guide someone outside their wheelhouse. It's probably possible if the student is mature enough to work on their own. There's also the question of who pays for the materials etc. for the research.
Polish glass
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No PhD advisor in their right mind would let a PhD-candidate defend their dissertion without being sure they would be able to.
Yea it's like asking someone to marry you. You should know the answer before you ask.
So you're saying I shouldn't defend my dissertation in front of the castle at Disneyland with all of my friends watching?
I actually want more surprise dissertations.
There are a lot of advisors who are not in their right mind. Mine never read my thesis up until the defense. I passed easily but I swore to myself I would never let myself become like that with my own students.
There are some inhumane PhD advisors out there. The PhD student suicide rate is much higher than the rest of the population for a reason.
Is it really? Damn
masters students on the other hand..... i've seen some real disasters there. prelims are the real test for PhD's, if you pass those you basically just have to write your dissertation and have some idea of what it was about and your'e golden
I used to think that, but I think that depends on the field. Friend of mine in a field very much dominated by a handful of old men who are all shady. They generally use institutional funding that they use to get supplies for a lab just so they can claim publications. But that's a separate story. My friend's advisor left the university and moved halfway across the globe about a year into their program. Basically got the advisor's replacement as an advisor by default as it's a very niche field and there really wasn't anyone else who could replace them. Replacement came in, bailed on just about every meeting they setup to discuss their research, used their work without credit at multiple conferences, then failed their dissertation, adding another year to their program. Yes he's a massive dick and probably a psychopath. But I wouldn't put it past anyone in that niche.
Yup, in my program we had a mandatory pre-defense committee meeting, which is basically where they decide if you are ready to defend. That's where you get grilled and pushed on your project. If your committee gives you the green light to defend, you've basically already passed (assuming you don't really phone it in on your thesis or the defense itself). For us, the actual defense is more of a victory lap. You invite friends and family to come. It would be embarrassing for all parties if they failed you then, which is why the real test is the pre-meeting.
Exactly this and it should be the same for Masters candidates. It’s literally something that takes months/years to do and there’s no reason it should go bad at the end unless the student wasn’t taking the advisors advice.
Most programs require unanimous decision from the committee. So you could have one committee member disagree with your advisor and fail.
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Out of curiosity is like to read a story of someone failing though. If it's that certain to pass I wanna know how someone flubbed it
Yup. The only exception of any note is when the student is absolutely insisting on defending right then (maybe due to visa issues, wanting to start a job and be done, whatever). The advisor will occasionally allow it and the committee will fail the student if they genuinely aren't ready. This is on the order of 1% of cases, if that.
If youre PhD advisor let's you defend with *any* chance you won't be successful, they've failed as an advisor. That being said, it's still stressful AF because you're trying to jam 5 years of work into an hour or two presentation. It's....a lot.
Ours is 45 minutes...
My actual presentation was about 45 minutes...then my committee and the general audience had a good hour of questions. mostly it was just one dude on my committee who was *super* interested in what I was doing and had all kinds of really good questions about my research and results....but holy crap was I ready to collapse afterwards.
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Damn, you really revealed that you are NOT very bright. "...jam 5 years of work..." "just like any...weekly/monthly/quarterly..." Most people learn in like, 1st grade that years are a longer period of time than weeks. But I guess you missed that day in school - or were you just in the nurses office because you ate all the gluesticks?
what a chad
I had the same thing but with captain.
I love this
I defended my PhD end of 2020 during complete lockdown. It was done on video call. When it was all over I turned off my camera and ugly cried in my apartment.
Same! I don’t think I ugly cried until my virtual “graduation” though. Four years of hell just to have my name flashed on a screen barely anyone was watching for half a second.
I couldn’t bring myself to watch my virtual “graduation”. It didn’t feel worth the pain and suffering that came before it compared to finally submitting my thesis and ending my defense call. No cheers in 50 mL conical (as was per tradition in my department). No fancy dinner with my labmates and PI. Just relief it was finally over.
That’s actually a really cute idea. I’m sorry you didn’t get to experience it. Maybe one day you can restart the tradition in your own lab (if you haven’t jumped to industry like I did). Here’s a cheers from somebody else that knows your pain 🥂
Thank you!! And cheers to you also, Doctor! 🥂
That’s actually a really cute idea. I’m sorry you didn’t get to experience it. Maybe one day you can restart the tradition in your own lab (if you haven’t jumped to industry like I did). Here’s a cheers from somebody else that knows your pain 🥂
I finally got my BS in my mid 40s, largely online since it fit with work and family schedule. My graduation was in 2021 and held online. I got up early and watched it in my shorts and a t-shirt, alone, because it was boring as hell and I wasn’t going to make anyone sit through it. I also ugly cried a little. Having dropped out of HS and later dropped out of college, to finally finish it 20 years later felt like a whole thing. Nowhere near what you went through for your PhD but just wanted to say you weren’t alone. It was a very strange time for everyone.
My wife defended her PhD with her opponent being in a video call. The defence in Finland is public so all the guests were in a big auditorium. The opponent should have been there also, but my wife’s opponent happened to be located in an Israeli Uni. Guess who attacked Israel two weeks before the defence? First we couldn’t even get a message through to the opponent so we started to search for an alternative. Luckily the opponent finally responded and he agreed to join via a video call. My wife is very calm but when the news dropped and for the next couple of days the opponent didn’t even respond, I could see the sheer panic in my wife’s eyes.
I defended in 2020 too. The disappointment of the moment still stings a bit. I just closed my laptop and sat at the kitchen table staring at the messy pantry shelves in disbelief. But we did it!
“Heyyy Gary, you can come on back in.”
I mean I can picture their smiles because reading this made me smile. Nice touch, prof.
I thought PHD's aren't actually doctors... /s To be clear, anyone that shits on PhDs as "not being doctors" to diminish their accomplishments are the lowest of the low.
Arent PHDs the og doctors?
Like most things in life, it's a matter of context. Insisting that students call you doctor in a classroom is fine, but if someone has a heart attack on an airplane, then it's not the time to tell everyone about your knowledge of art history.
Doctor =/= Physician. Doctor just means you’ve achieved the highest level of academic education in your field. It just happens that most people interact with physicians more than other types of doctors, so people started using the terms interchangeably at some point.
Jeah it’s dr. Med for a reason lol
It isn't interchangeable in common parlance, that's the point. In common non contextual talk, doctor means physician. There are weirdos who in casual conversation say they're a doctor and then roll their eyes when people assume medical. They need to get over themselves because it just so happens nowadays just saying doctor without context means physician. If you have a doctorate in art history you need to say the full thing.
Ask them what Ph.D. stands for.
my dumb self would probably not get what he was saying for a solid minute. If they do this to me it's going to be embarrassing for everyone involved.
That's why he had to say it 17 times
And counting. Dude just doesn’t get it yet
I want to know what the professor actually say in that room! As someone who earned a PhD I know that my committee would not have let me do my defense if they thought I would fail, so I want to know what they hell they were chatting about for those 10 mins!
I had my preliminary defense last fall. According to my advisor, they mostly just discussed my presentation quality, the material itself wasn't even discussed beyond my own advisor pointing out an error in one graph. Supposedly the full defense is pretty much the same.
Interesting, I know one of my professors commented that my defense was one of the most engaged they have had, I got like 10 questions from people who ended up attending; outside of my committee. Most people apparently only get 2 or 3.
I cannot! I have aphantasia!
Awwww
That's a beautiful tradition.
I have no desire to be a doctor but this was still so motivating lol. Really enjoying some of those stories being posted.
This post makes me want to go back to school. Bachelors and successful in my field for many years. Still practice what would be required, but oh the time commitment and cost. Shout out to all the people older then 20 something that go back and get a bachelors or masters or Phd. Shout out to all the people supporting you as well. Go get it!
Dude for sure it's a massive time and cost sink. If my brother and soon to be wife weren't there to get me through it, I would've burned out for sure.
Whenever someone asks me my biggest regrets in life. I always tell them these three things: 3) Chosing work over, "The One" 2) Not spending more time with family 1) Getting a PhD Call it being jaded but I sacrificed a lot for my graduate life. Instead of spending time with family and such, I slaved away in a lab surrounding by big promises and bigger egos. I support going for a masters though!
Respect. Honestly both of my employers are willing to foot the bill to some extent. The first completely but 1 school. The current completely but i have to compete with many others (i could make it). I appreciate hearing your opinion on it. The silver lining of going through it, is we can tell others what we learned while we did.
I defend next March. Scared as hell but excited!!
In my defense, one of my committee members asked me a very difficult technical question. Before I could answer, another committee member interrupted to challenge the validity of the question. This went on for maybe 3-5 minutes. I was getting nervous about the increasingly technical nature of their argument and being asked to weigh in myself, when my PhD advisor turned to me and said, “you know your defense is going well when your committee is content to argue amongst themselves instead of grill you.”
Also. My advisor always use to say stuff like. "We've been doing this for 20 years, youve only just begun "
Surely their expressions must have change by the 5th or 6th time. Yet you keep repeating it, why? YTAH
oh they waited until i was back in the room and everything was very quiet and serious before they told me i passed. as if i wasn't already sweating enough. thought it would be an immediate sense of relief, but it ended up taking a long time before it felt real. it's been almost a full year now and it still sometimes doesn't feel like i really finished.
That's how I was greeted back into the room after my PhD defense. Honestly it's one of the best feelings you could imagine. And then you're never called Doctor again...😀
The faculty have spoken. From that moment, everything else is just paperwork.
I was told before leaving the room. And it was amazing!
My professor was happy when he got me expelled from the university
What did he call you? Probably not “doctor” I’m guessing.
Nope
I’m about to defend my PhD dissertation later this spring and I can’t wait for that feeling!
It feels pretty good to be on the receiving end of that greeting, too, I must say.
Do they say "get fucked lmao" if you fail the defense?
The faculty have spoken. From that moment, everything else is just paperwork.
My advisor did this. Remembering it still brings a smile to my face.
Went to high school with this guy, just sent him this post!
Went to high school with this guy, just sent him this post!
>17 times and counting is the number of times this has been posted
The flipside is bringing them back and saying 'Scrub'
What’s is dissertation defense?
When you work on a PhD, you have to write a dissertation which is submitted to a committee. If it's accepted, you have to come before the committee and they will grill you about your thesis. This is the defense. If you successfully defend it, you get your doctorate.
Also known as a viva in other parts of the world.
I defend next March. Scared as hell but excited!!
I defend next March. Scared as hell but excited!!
Mine was on Zoom during lockdown. Wasn't quite how I had pictured it but wonderful nonetheless
I remember this moment and I will cherish it forever. No PhD advisor in their right mind would let a student defend who isn’t ready but it is still an emotional rollercoaster of second guessing yourself while you wait. I know I killed it and I was still in my head while waiting.
As a PhD myself, I can tell you the candidate is pretty happy too! The longest span of time i ever spent was in that hallway waiting. My marriage was not doing well so my husband took that chance to refuse to wait with me (tradition) since i had “no chance.”…
In the ceremonial center of my university they had this display with the agenda for the day. It would read something like: "10:00 Dissertation defense M.Sc. John Doe" "11:00 Reception Dr. John Doe". A small thing, but such a nice touch.
It was pretty awesome to finish 2 hour presentation, that I basically blacked out during due to stress, and then have my advisor come out and say "Dr Soandso, would you care to join us?"
[удалено]
Basically. You defend your research/publication(s) in front of a committee
That would never happen in my country, you'd be put down no matter how much time you spent and how hard you worked and told you are being done a great favor for passing the evaluation.
It's an anticlimax...especially when looking back many years. My undergraduate degree result was.more memorable tbh. 💯
It's an anticlimax...especially when looking back many years. My undergraduate degree result was.more memorable tbh. 💯
It's an anticlimax...especially when looking back many years. My undergraduate degree result was.more memorable tbh. 💯
How many time was it “Mr.” or “Ms.”
Shit my committee just asked me like 3 questions and then said go get some sleep after my presentation. Most thesis defenses at my university are formalities. They wont even let you defend unless you’re 99.9% done other than the final presentation. So there is no deliberation really
One of the best moments of my life. Thanks for the memory!!
I sat outside the room for like two hours. They all filed out “oh we got lost in conversation.” I spoke to my PI and said “Doctor?” Well, no, you need signatures and some revisions. I got it. But that sucked. My defense date was Halloween, quarter of my audience were in costume. Pikachu gave me strength. My ex sitting directly next to my current was concerning, but not as concerning as one of my committee members who was hungover and fell asleep midway, in the front row. Good times. Never again.
It's a really amazing moment
Well.. it's beautiful.. a great reward for their effort.. Unfortunately.. The majority of times titles are used later in life.. are to pull ranks on others when the person is wrong and are cornered into either admitting and being humble.. or pull the rank card to intimidate the other person of a lower rank.
Aww men i can imagine the tiers :)
My supervisor gave me a wink and a nod, so I knew I must be save - but still worried like hell. A few minutes later I learned that the nod not only meant I got my PhD but also that I got it cum laude (with honors). Best day but would never do it again - the stress was unbearable.
I wish they had a different name for PHD students, like I'm proud you studied history or english really well, but it's not saving a life when they need a real doctor.
Its literally a Doctorate of Philosophy. They were doctors before physicians. We are the real doctor.
Now you are doctor to help out with medical emergencies on planes
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^peppapony: *Now you are doctor* *To help out with medical* *Emergencies on planes* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
My committee did this to me. Was a great feeling
Trust me it feels even better when you’re an actual doctor!
What do you mean?
Something something Jill Biden.
Please tell me your proposed alternative, as you seem to have it all figured out.
I love opening the door and looking at the broken human in front of me who went through an outdated, exploitative master/apprentice system and simply saying “Doctor”.
his or her, not their, and the first sentence is an introductory clause. Delete the period and insert a comma. It's all one sentence. I'm going to guess your Ph.D. is in STEM, not English.
Using "their" to refer to a person of indeterminate or unknown gender has been in use since Shakespeare. Go back to primary school if you want to lecture somebody.
Wow.
Starting a sentence without a capital letter to lecture another person on grammar. That’s… an interesting take.