Academic Level Up
On Friday, I made yet another step towards finally getting that elusive doctoral degree. After weeks of stressing out, I presented my dissertation proposal in front of my lab members and my dissertation committee. In the end, my committee decided that I should be allowed to advance into candidacy.
What does it mean to be a PhD candidate? Well, on paper it means that I'm no longer "just a grad student". A PhD candidate is someone who has satisfied the doctoral requirements except for the final dissertation. What does it really mean? Not much other than the fact that UT now officially recognizes that I'm on track to receive a diploma sometime in the near future. It also means that perhaps I'm not a slacker? Hard to say.
It was really challenging in the last couple of weeks having to prepare for this proposal defense while also taking care of a newborn. But Carolyn was too kind on more than one occasion to let me sleep through the night so that I could be well rested the next day to continue work on my proposal document and presentation. Either way, it is a relief to be finally done with this step in my doctorate.
