Thesis talk

[birdienl]

I submitted my PhD thesis yesterday! Four years of work on paper and now out of my hands :-S



The thesis will now be read by the so-called 'reading committee' of 5 professors. And then I will have to have the thesis designed and printed as a booklet. And then there's the thesis defence date at the 21st of June. So, I'm not completely done, but this is one big step nonetheless!
(No more writing and editing, no more evening and weekend work in the coming time, more time to read and relax!)

Comments

[starcrossed.livejournal.com]

congrats :) What a huge achievement- feel very proud of yourself :)

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I do, a little bit, though it mostly feels very unreal for now...

[elysium-22.livejournal.com]

Wow!!! Congratulations! I bet a huge weight is lifted from your shoulders now that that's done. Amazing!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yeah, it feels a bit unreal for now and I immediately had to dive into my new project. I guess my head needs a few days to really let it go, lol!

[touchofgr3y.livejournal.com]

That is amazing! I hope you're doing something fun to celebrate this :)

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Just some chilling for now, but I have some fun dinner plans for next week!

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh, congratulations!!!! That is so awesome!! I hope your defense goes well and in the meantime you are able to relax and enjoy your free time!! :D

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I do have a new job/project for the coming six months, but at least it will be more 9-5 than the last few months!

[ringsandcoffee.livejournal.com]

Yay! Congrats. Also, chuckling at your icon.

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Hehe, yeah, that icon is apt. But ofcourse not true for the results in my thesis!

[nelmiocuore.livejournal.com]

Well done! <3

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[kolibrichen.livejournal.com]

conrgrats :) I know it's a HUGE relief to get this out of your hands (and a bit scary too) ;)

I have my thesis defence on Friday so I know your pain :)

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Oh wow, Friday! Good luck! How do thesis defences work in Germany? Is a lot hanging on it? Because in The Netherlands, it's more a formality and ceremony and day to celebrate.

[kolibrichen.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome :)

Thank you very much :) I'm a bit exited, but only because I have to sit in front of three professors and talk for 1,5 hours :/ The thesis itselfs counts twice as much as the defence work :)

Yes, it's a bit different here. We hand our thesis in and wait for up to six months (sometimes longer; depending on the university and the profs) to get the results. Then you have to wait for two weeks if anyone from your departement has a complaint concerning the judgement of your `reading commitee`. If you pass this you have your defence work in the next 4 to 6 weeks. And to get your title you have to follow the revison of the report your profs have given you and print your thesis again following the rules of your university. So I will have a bit of fun with my 450 pages later on :D

And I wish you the best for the upcoming months :)

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

I'm always surprised at how different PhDs are in different countries.
In a way your system makes more sense, that the judgement of the reading committee really counts and that you have to revise as well. In The Netherlands, once you've handed in your thesis, you have to have done some really stupid things or plagiarized or something not to pass. Basically, this means the judgement solely rests with your own professor/supervisor. If he deems your thesis oké to hand in, you can basically trust you're going to pass.

I'm not complaining about the Dutch system, I do appreciate that my thesis defense date will be a day for celebration, more than for stressing. But on the other hand, it feels weird that to get a title so little rests on the external committee.

[kolibrichen.livejournal.com]

I know :) But ther're so many differences at the universities (and departements), too.

Yes, it does :D But in a way it's very difficult to fail your PhD-thesis anyway. You have to screw up really hard. You can pass it with an adequat/4 (not sure with the grades here^^). But if you can get a (good) job offering with this is another question ;)

I understand you completely. And I wish you all the best :)

Sorry if I made any spelling mistakes, it was a long day and the spell checker isn't working ;)

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

What do you hope/plan to do after you get your PhD?

[kolibrichen.livejournal.com]

Hope is the key word here :D I've written 30 applications for various jobs (trainee, museums, offices, agencies etc) but so far I had no luck. I can intensify my application writing now that I'm able to name an actual starting date :)

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Ugh, it's not easy nowadays... Good luck!

[kolibrichen.livejournal.com]

I know, but I have to keep the hope up and try and try again until I'm getting lucky ;)

Do you have plans for the time after your PhD-thesis/ project?

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

I'm currently still employed at the university until the end of July, be it only for 50% (but that's totally okay for now, what with all the things I still have to do for my thesis defence). A scientist from the clinical department of our Faculty wants to submit a proposal at a research funding organisation and has asked me to work for her as a postdoc if the proposal is accepted. I hope to know the outcome of that somewhere this summer. If it's not accepted, I will apply for postdocs or other research jobs (government?) and I'm also thinking about maybe trying teaching. I don't want to work in the pharmaceutical industry though, I believe that's not my 'thing'.

[verdande-mi.livejournal.com]

Congratulations :D :D And good luck the defence of it. It's good you have some time before that happens!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Yes, in The Netherlands it's customary to hand in your thesis some 4 months before the defense. So the reading committee has time to read it and you have time to get the printing and everything settled.

[mspeacockwi.livejournal.com]

Go you!  Congrats!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[lantairvlea.livejournal.com]

Congratulations and good luck on your upcoming defense!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[richyl88.livejournal.com]

Congrats! That's a huge step!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[topum.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[ever-maedhros.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Wow, what a milestone! Working on something that big with such diligence for four years! That's very impressive. :)

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[deathling.livejournal.com]

CHEERS!

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

Wow, congratulations! So much work...you must be feeling awesome!!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

I'm really happy, but I expected something... more? Some elation or a really relieved feeling, but... nope. Maybe it will come after June 21st, when it's really done, maybe I'm just expecting too much!

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

I can kind of understand that. It takes time to adjust. Is there any way that something can change in the next few months and you'd have to do any additional work?

When I walked out of my last final before college graduation, I knew I should feel happy but I was concerned about my grades that semester. It was a bit irrational, but I had a fear that maybe I didn't actually pass and would have to go back another semester and retake a couple of classes, so it was hard to fully embrace my new freedom and completion.

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

It's quite unlikely that I have to do additional work. The system in The Netherlands is such that when your professor approves your thesis, your reading committee only has to formally approve it. Unless you've plagiarized or done really weird/illegal things, the thesis will not have to be redone.

But today I was actually quite elated, I worked in the lab again for the first time in maybe 4-5 months of only writing! It was amazing!

[deeplyunhip.livejournal.com]

Belated congrats! That is most impressive!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[stellicidio.livejournal.com]

I'm a bit late but congratulations!!! That's awesome :)

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Never mind, thanks very much!