A Guide to Preparing for Your Dissertation Defense
Oh wow, all these years have passed and you’re 1 year or a couple months from defending. You’re excited but also a bit anxious. There’s so much to do - write a 100+ page document, prepare a 40+ slide presentation, finish up your experiments, make your dissertation committee happy, and most importantly, FIND A JOB. The wheels mights be spinning but trust me when I say you will be fine :)
So what can you do to prepare in advance? Although I don’t have all the answers, here are a few steps you can take to prepare.
1 year - 6 months in advance
1) Ensure you’re aligned with your research advisor(s): As silly as this sounds, you want to make sure you’re on the same page with your research advisor(s) regarding the semester or month you plan to defend. You do not want any surprises leading up to the day and you also want to make sure you are well supported. I would recommend having what I call an “alignment meeting”. A friend encouraged me to have one and I’m glad I did. I presented a few slides to my advisors highlighting my timeline, the date I plan to defend, and what I hope to achieve and complete each month. I even had a plan A and plan B. I left the meeting having clarity and it also encouraged my research advisors in helping me walk towards achieving those timelines.
2) Schedule individual 1:1 meetings with your dissertation committee: You’re probably wondering why this is important if you already have a group meeting planned or scheduled with your committee. However, it is important to make sure all your committee members are on the same page with you. This is the time where you need to figure out what questions or reservations they might have about your work. Whether they need you to complete any extra experiments, write any abstracts/papers, analyze your data a different way etc. Doing this gives you peace of mind and gives you enough time to satisfy their requests, especially if it is being done 1 year in advance. This might also be a good time to discuss your timeline (i.e., the month/semester you plan to defend). Oh yes, also go into that meeting with a few slides outlining your aims, aims completed + their results, papers you have published for those aims, and the aims you have left to complete.
3) Walk towards completing your experiments: Create a detailed plan for completing your experiments, also remembering people and resources you might need to leverage. If you need support, ask your lab mates or colleagues. To increase their motivation in helping you and if the amount of work they are putting in warrants it, you can offer to include them as an author on your paper (again depending on the amount of work they are helping you with - make the right judgment).
4) Walk towards completing all pending papers: Well, this goes hand-in-hand with the point above (i.e., 3). Again, don’t forget to ask for help if you need it.
5) Meet with your research advisor(s) weekly or biweekly: Please have weekly or biweekly meetings already locked down with your research advisor(s). You want to make sure you are carrying them along with all you’re doing. Don’t forget to remind them every once in a while about the date you had agreed for your defense (some of them tend to forget).
6) PLEASE START APPLYING TO/LOOKING FOR A JOB: Lastly, if you already haven’t gotten a job, now is the best time to start looking for one. Network, search online, look into postdoctoral positions, company related PhD fellowships, PhD rotational programs, leadership development programs, and advanced degree programs (consulting firms). Please do not wait to start looking 6 months or 2 months before you graduate. You will already feel overwhelmed if you’re waiting that late, so please start now.
6 months - 1 month in advance
1) Start writing your dissertation: You want to start working on your document as early as possible. Even if that just means building your template, clarifying all template related questions, writing your acknowledgment section etc. The papers you have already published can go in as separate chapters in your dissertation. Consider this, rather than writing chapters from scratch.
2) Start creating your defense slides: Yes, you also want to start working on your slides. Make sure you leverage slides from conferences you may have presented at or any presentations you have done during the course of your PhD.
3) Find time to interview with companies: If you already haven’t gone through the process, make sure you are taking interviewing very seriously. Yes, completing your PhD to-dos are important, but having a job after graduation is actually what is most important. If you need 1 - 2 days to prepare for an interview, do it without feeling guilty. Even if your research advisor(s) are not supporting you during this process, find support somehow, or do it alone. Practice interviewing with people who have already gone through the process. It’s always good to have coffee chats with people who work at these companies so you can really understand what the companies look for in candidates.
4) Schedule your defense: Send out scheduling meeting polls to all your committee members and your research advisor(s) at least 3 - 4 months before your defense and lock in a date at least 3 months before your actual defense.
5) Find a room and create a Zoom link: Don’t wait too late before reserving a room. Do it immediately you have locked down a date with your committee members (at least 3 months in advance). Don't overlook the importance of reserving a good room for your defense, it makes things convenient for you and every one else attending.
6) Practice presenting to your lab mates and research advisor(s): About 3 months before your defense, present the slides you have created to your advisor(s) and lab mates (even if you have not finished creating all your slides). It is important to start getting feedback as early as possible so you do not feel overwhelmed. Practice with them or other PhD students 2 - 5 times before your actual defense.
7) Send a first draft of your dissertation for review: Make sure you send a draft of your dissertation to your research advisor(s) for review as early as possible (like 3 months in advance, even if you are not done working on it). Plan to send them the updated draft 1 or 2 more times before your defense. Some may even want to see it multiple times, so just make sure you have conversations with them.
8) Understand and be aware of all expectations: At this point, you should already understand and know all department and university requirements relating to your defense and dissertation. Know when you’re expected to submit any document, know when and how you need to send invites out through the university system, know when you have to sign any forms, know when you have to send your committee members your dissertation, know if there are time or template related rules concerning your defense, know everything! You could probably find a document outlining all the requirements online. If you can’t find it, ask someone in your department or the graduate thesis office.
9) Know everything about your research and create a list of questions: Make sure you actually understand every word in your dissertation and every slide in your defense presentation. Now is a good time to learn concepts you do not know and also prepare a list of questions that you might get asked during your defense. Work with your lab mates and research advisor(s) in creating the list and drafting the answers.
10) Invite your family and friends: It is always nice to have people support you during your defense. Please invite all your loved ones, colleagues, and acquaintances to cheer for you.
11) Take breaks and have fun: Remember to take breaks and prioritize your health and wellness. You got this!