Ph.D.'s

Options
1…567911

Replies

  • JonathonMars
    JonathonMars Posts: 358 Member
    Options
    I'm working towards a Ph.D. in English, concentration in Composition & Rhetoric. I just finished my first year of coursework and I'm absolutely loving it! I have a BA in English literature that I finished when I was 28 and I finished my MA in English when I was 30. I began my Ph.D. last year. Took me a while to get going, but once I buckled down to finish my BA, I decided to just keep going as far as I could go. Don't stop til you get enough ;)

    You inspire me!
  • gentsevetzak
    gentsevetzak Posts: 147 Member
    Options
    Ph. D. in Art history.
  • bio_fit
    bio_fit Posts: 307 Member
    Options
    I'm just finishing my 3rd year of a PhD in evolutionary biology - just one year left to go! Argh! Am hoping there will be some sort of post-doc available at the end...
  • _HeathBar_
    _HeathBar_ Posts: 902 Member
    Options
    I'm about to start Pharmacy school in August. When I'm done, I'll have my Pharm.D which is basically the equivalent of a Ph.D.
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
    Options
    Me! Currently doing field research for the diss ... and trying to lose the weight I gained from the first 5 years ...
  • hayley0181
    hayley0181 Posts: 59 Member
    Options
    I'm in my first year of a 4 year PhD in disease transmission :)
  • Sweet13_Princess
    Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
    Options
    I know a few of you mentioned how difficult it is to go back to earn your doctorate. I agree, but there are definitely ways to do it!

    I'm a newlywed, a high school English teacher, who is moving to a new house while simultaneously trying to start a family. I'm still going to do this! Luckily, Indiana University of Pennsylvania offers a summers-only option for the PhD, so I can keep my job and still earn my degree (plus the school district will at least reimburse me for tuition.... unless budget cuts in the state eventually cut me off!:-P). I just have to take a full summer session each year, which means I live on-campus for five weeks each year... away from my hubby.

    I took a few prerequisite classes last summer. I literally left within a week of returning from our honeymoon! My husband is supportive and a good sport about it all, though. He knows earning my doctorate is one of my dreams.

    Shannon
    I just started my Literature and Criticism PhD at Indiana University of Pennsylvania this summer. I'm currently a high school English teacher with an English BA and a MA in Curriculum and Instruction. I want my doctorate because education has always been important to me and it's something I want to achieve for myself. If it leads to future job opportunities, that's just an additional bonus!

    Shannon
  • misanthropist319
    misanthropist319 Posts: 151
    Options
    I earned my Masters and my husband is finishing up his PHD. Our degrees are opposites from each other, I'm Social Sciences (Criminal Justice & History) and he's Applied Sciences (Ecology & Conservation Biology). I would continue school but it's so expensive and I can't justify spending the money. Perhaps once my husband is a professor somewhere or we have an exorbant amount of money, I'll return.
  • AnnaMaus
    AnnaMaus Posts: 167 Member
    Options
    Currently ABD in philosophy.

    This summer is dedicated to the dissertation proposal. So what if a couple of chapters are already drafted?
    So ready. :angry:
  • k8lyn_235
    k8lyn_235 Posts: 507 Member
    Options
    I'm about to start Pharmacy school in August. When I'm done, I'll have my Pharm.D which is basically the equivalent of a Ph.D.

    i graduated pharmacy school last year.. it was pretty rough and hard to find a job after graduating (which is the opposite of what we were told..) - hopefully by the time you finish, pharmacists will actually be retiring and stores will be hiring again :) good luck to you!
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Options
    I'm Social Sciences (Criminal Justice & History) and he's Applied Sciences (Ecology & Conservation Biology).

    Nurture and Nature.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Options
    I would continue school but it's so expensive and I can't justify spending the money. Perhaps once my husband is a professor somewhere or we have an exorbant amount of money, I'll return.

    I'm well aware of the horrendous expenses related to education and the terrible job market, but if you want your Ph.D.., don't put it off. I'm sure your husband's great, but you and he are not one person. Things change. I assume that in a competitive job market, they'll want Ph.D.s, not M.A.s. It won't get easier.

    (You opened the door.)
  • toomanycurves
    toomanycurves Posts: 110 Member
    Options
    bump
  • alias1001
    alias1001 Posts: 634 Member
    Options
    I'm really happy to see so many people are as dedicated/crazy to take on their PhD's.

    I'm currently ABD for my PhD in Political Science. Been stuck for a while...need help.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    Options
    I just want to say that I really like the replies here. It's nice to not feel like you're the only person crazy enough to spend 12 years in college.
  • PittShkr
    PittShkr Posts: 1,000 Member
    Options
    PhD nuclear engineering / BS in Chemical Eng.
  • Jessamine
    Jessamine Posts: 226 Member
    Options
    I'm not getting a PhD, but I'm supporting my husband through his doctorate program. He did 4 years for his BS, 2 for his MS, and he's on his 4th year for his PhD. He got his BS and MS at one university and transferred to another for his PhD. He has at least 2 more years of research left and he JUST advanced to candidacy last Friday. woot!

    I'm very proud of him!
  • iturtlewax
    iturtlewax Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    To make you feel better, I am sharing :) I am 41 years old and currently ABD in Nursing. I received my BSN in 1994 and worked for 7 years before coming back to school. So, I have been in school for 11 years (Masters-PhD) and still counting.

    I always was a chubby kid but I did gain 20 pounds from school. Lost 10 pounds but still 40 more pounds to go to be at my ideal weight!
  • LiddyBit
    LiddyBit Posts: 447 Member
    Options
    I'm working towards a Ph.D. in English, concentration in Composition & Rhetoric. I just finished my first year of coursework and I'm absolutely loving it! I have a BA in English literature that I finished when I was 28 and I finished my MA in English when I was 30. I began my Ph.D. last year. Took me a while to get going, but once I buckled down to finish my BA, I decided to just keep going as far as I could go. Don't stop til you get enough ;)

    I did the exact same timeline! It took me until I was 28 to finish my BA because I felt like I had to choose between dance and academics and I figured, you can only dance when you're young.

    However, I would say that over half of the grad students in my department are around my age so I don't feel at all out of place in that sense.

    So, are there any PhDs who absolutely HATE being a student? I feel like everyone in academia is all "I love learning" and I really just see the degree as a means to an end (the end being an actual adult career). Coursework has been absolute torture for me because I can barely muster any interest in things unrelated to my research. Also, I really cannot stand what I perceive as constant infantilizing that graduate students seem to face. (Maybe it's just my program?)
  • bio_fit
    bio_fit Posts: 307 Member
    Options
    I just want to say that I really like the replies here. It's nice to not feel like you're the only person crazy enough to spend 12 years in college.

    Well, I'm in the UK so luckily it isn't quite 12 years! That is an amazing amount of time - full respect for you all who go in knowing it will take so long. For me it will be 7 years (maximum) - 3 yrs for the BSc, 4 yrs for the PhD. Though some friends still think I'm crazy...

Categories