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A friend of mine asked me for some advice about what to do in the lead up to the PhD submission. While I\u2019m sure every experience is different, I think it\u2019s reasonably safe to say that the following points would be useful for a majority of PhD candidates.<\/p>\n
Know the administrative requirements for submitting<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m putting this right at the beginning because it REALLY IS the most important of these tips.\u00a0 Have a look at your University\u2019s submission process and get some idea of how long each step is supposed to take and how far in advance they might need particular pieces of information. For instance, while it might be tempting to deal with all the paperwork once your thesis has been written you don\u2019t want to get to submission day and find out that you needed to nominate your examiners at least two weeks prior to submission!\u00a0 Become aware of the administrative requirements at the university, faculty and school level (if applicable).\u00a0 Oh, and make sure that you don\u2019t have any outstanding debts with the university.\u00a0 The Guild fees that you were avoiding could become quite important when you can\u2019t submit until they\u2019ve been paid.<\/p>\n As a part of this, know what you have to do on your submission day.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be so tired and confused by this point it pays to have a list of instructions written out, even if they say: (1) turn thesis into a PDF; (2) put thesis on USB; (3) get signatures for submission form; (4) take purse (and relevant forms) with you to printers.\u00a0 After all, if you end up getting to the printers and realise you don\u2019t have your thesis on a USB and your purse is in your supervisors office (who has just gone home for the weekend) you may cry.\u00a0 (Side note: accept that it\u2019s ok to cry).<\/p>\n Present your research<\/strong><\/p>\n Presenting your research isn\u2019t (yet) a formal requirement for submitting a thesis at most Australian universities.\u00a0 However, presenting your research to a general audience is a great opportunity to get some idea of the salient points you might put in your abstract and receive feedback from people on issues or strengths of the research.\u00a0 Book your presentation well in advance of your thesis submission date \u2013 this will give you an opportunity to make changes based on the comments provided and also give you a sense of accomplishment (TICK! That\u2019s done!) in the miserable period leading up to your submission.<\/p>\n Have a submission plan<\/strong><\/p>\n While it might not be necessary for everyone to have a specific date that they intend on handing heir thesis in by, it will be necessary to map out the process for completing chapters\/papers, submitting them to supervisors and dates for expecting feedback.\u00a0 Even if you don\u2019t like deadlines it\u2019s useful to be able to have some idea about how complete each part of your thesis is and who is responsible for the next stage in its completion.\u00a0 As part of your submission plan decide whether you\u2019ll be submitting a bunch of papers with a brief intro\/conclusion, a formal thesis with all traditional chapters, or something in between. Have a think about how each of the chapters fits together, so that you can finish chapter Y after you\u2019ve written chapter X without having to rrevise section A.<\/p>\n Leave a lot of time for those things you think won\u2019t take any time at all<\/strong><\/p>\n That includes getting signatures from supervisors, checking the formatting of your referencing and doing the layout for the thesis.\u00a0 Let\u2019s face it, when the past 4-8 years of your life are hanging in the balance there\u2019s a good chance that your supervisor will suddenly go on sick leave, your EndNote library will disappear and your copy of Word will decide it\u2019s incompatible with Excel.\u00a0 Set up a Dropbox folder for your thesis and give everyone who is important access to it in advance of your \u2018special day\u2019. You don\u2019t want to be trying to email a 43MB thesis through the university\u2019s 5MB-limited email the day before it\u2019s due.\u00a0 Be aware that printing of your thesis will take some time.\u00a0 Know how many copies are needed, the quality of the binding, who has to receive copies via USB.\u00a0 Find out whether your university has a preferred printer. And use them. I know my university printer is a little bit more expensive, but when I went in the woman knew EXACTLY how a thesis should look and so rejigged my PDF to have wider margins at the bottom and smaller ones at the top.\u00a0 And while we\u2019re on the subject of cost, find out in advance if your School pays for printing and how this will work. There may be some planning involved.<\/p>\n Have a sanity plan<\/strong><\/p>\n You\u2019ve probably heard this from almost everyone who has ever submitted a PhD thesis, but the final stages of writing are like a turbo-charged exaggeration of the entire PhD process \u2013 you\u2019ll feel stressed, over-worked, confused, lacking in direction and have a serious case of the imposter syndrome.\u00a0 Make sure you tell people around you what you\u2019re about to go through and what your approach is. If you have serious FOMO tell your friends you\u2019re unplugging for a bit and ask them to give you some space. If you are someone who gets overly stressed and physically fatigued try to make time for exercise in your day. And be reasonable with yourself if your sanity plan falls through. Don\u2019t worry if a small drink turns into a massive night out or if those well-intentioned gym sessions turn into more hours at the computer. My sanity plan included socialising at least once each weekend, however about a month out from submission I was a crying mess on the couch so I just watched Gilmore Girls instead. And that\u2019s ok too.<\/p>\n Have food hidden everywhere (and accept the consequences)<\/strong><\/p>\n The final weeks of your PhD are a time for deep reflection (panic) and contemplation (stress).\u00a0 The final weeks of your PhD are not a time to be worried about whether or not you are going to be able to fit into a bikini.\u00a0 Comfort food is not only acceptable, it may save your life.<\/p>\n Get used to weird dreams<\/strong><\/p>\n You wouldn\u2019t believe the number of people who told me about their weird dreams and\/or insomnia prior to submitting.\u00a0 It was a lot. I normally suffer from weird dreams and\/or insomnia, but this was a whole new level. And, consistent with what other people had told me, they didn\u2019t stop after I had submitted my PhD. This is why it\u2019s so important to\u2026<\/p>\n Plan something nice for once you\u2019ve submitted<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s a party, a holiday or a solid week of crafternoons it\u2019s advisable to take some time off after you\u2019ve submitted.\u00a0 I had planned to take a three day weekend after submitting (which included a pretty sensational party) and come back to work to finish submitting my papers. I made it back on the Tuesday and then collapsed into a heap on the couch for two days after that, incapable of doing anything besides pressing \u2018Enter\u2019 when Netflix came up with the judey-wudgey \u2018Are you\u00a0STILL<\/em>watching Gilmore Girls\u2019 screen.\u00a0 Give yourself a break, you\u2019ll need it.<\/p>\n