Strategies for Finishing
Kathleen Fisher
Computer Science
Tufts University
2011 Graduate Cohort
http://www.eecs.tufts.edu/~kfisher/
A bit about me…
1990 Married Steve
1991 Graduated with BS in Math & Comp Sci. from Stanford
1992 Daughter Elaine was born
1996 Received Ph.D. from Stanford in Theoretical PL
1996 Joined AT&T Research as “Senior Member of the Technical Staff”
1997 Started research projects in PL design
2000 Divorced Steve
2002 Married Bob
2003 Promoted to “Principal Member of the Technical Staff”
2003 Started the PADS project on ad hoc data management
2005 Moved to California, work remotely for AT&T
2008 Appointed consulting professor at Stanford
2010 Started Forest project on typing filestores
2011 Joined faculty of Tufts University as full professor
Outline
• What is finishing up about?
• Ten Tips for finishing up
• Discussion:
– Ask and answer questions
– Share anecdotes
What is finishing up?
• From: proposal preparation and
defense (Ming Lin’s talk)
• ………
• ……….
• ……….
• To: successful thesis defense
What does a thesis look like?
• Chapter 1: Introduction
– What is the problem? Why is it important? What has
been done? What is/are central idea(s) of my approach?
How is thesis organized?
• Chapter 2: Preliminaries
– Define the problem.
Introduce terminology and definitions.
Discuss basic properties, related research, etc.
•
•
•
•
Chapter 3: Big idea 1
...
Chapter K+2: Big idea K
Chapter K+3: Conclusion
– Summarize accomplishments. Discuss future work.
Ten Tips for Finishing up
Tip 1. Take Charge
• It is really about you and your thesis.
• Examine your motivation:
– Good: Value the research and want to
move on to next stage
– Bad: John finished in 4 years and so must I
• Build up your motivation so it will carry
you through ups and downs:
– Envision positive changes after you finish,
things you can do and enjoy doing
– Be “active”:
• Good: I will finish my thesis by ...
• Bad: My thesis will be finished by …
7
Tip 2. Balance Life and Work
• Many demands on your time:
–
–
–
–
Commitments to family, friends, pets, ...
Sleep and exercise
Working effectively and creatively
Having fun
• Choose how to budget your time!
– On balance: On most days, you are happy about
your personal and work life, engaged and
productive at work, have good energy levels, ….
– Out of balance: On most days, you wake up tired
and low, don’t enjoy your personal relationships,
cannot focus at work, ….
• Seek help!
– Mentors, family, friends, counseling service,….
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Tip 3. Leverage your Proposal
• Incorporate feedback from proposal defense
• Is the plan of work viable?
• Does the main problem/theme excite and
challenge you?
• Identify sub-tasks from proposal:
– How many have you solved?
– How many need to be completed?
– Consider order to tackle tasks:
• Dependencies, difficulty,
likelihood of failure, range of skills
– What if one of them does not work out?
Do you have alternatives?
10
Tip 4. Leverage Committee
• Why?
– Members can help you finish
– Some will be references in your job search
• Do members have relevant expertise?
– If not, talk to your advisor and consider
adding someone (add early, not late)
– Is there a serious misfit with a committee
member?
• If you advisor were to leave could
someone on your committee co-chair or
take over?
11
Tip 5. Build a work plan
• Set a target graduation date: (eg, 6/2012)
• Working backwards, create master plan
of milestones and target dates (1 page).
– Thesis submission date and defense date
(must meet graduate school deadlines)
– Research and chapter completion dates
• 1 key result = 1 major publication = 1 chapter
– Allow time for committee review, job
search, delays and setbacks.
• Discuss with advisor, mentor, recent
graduates …
12
Tip 6. Manage Your Time
• Each term, make a plan for the term.
– Base term plan on master plan
– Factor in conference deadlines, etc.
– Build on strengths: eg., reward writing with
coding, etc.
• Assess progress bi-weekly & at term end.
– If straying from plan, analyze why
– Adapt schedule if necessary
– Discuss with advisor
• Re-assess and adjust master plan
– Don’t panic: change is inevitable here!
13
Tip 7. Start Writing!
• Good writing is slow
– Budget time and don’t procrastinate!!
• Leverage conference papers
– Use consistent notation and definitions.
– Adapt
• paper intro → thesis intro & chapter preamble
• paper conclusion → chapter & thesis conclusion
– Rewrite for thesis audience: different from
paper addressing experts in field
• Major revision is common
– Incorporate feedback from thesis advisor
and committee members.
14
Tip 8. Engage in your Job Search
• Which career path is for you?
– Academia: research vs teaching emphasis
– Industry: development or research lab
• Prepare your application
– Key: Research and teaching statements;
make them succinct and accessible
• Prepare for your interviews
– Practice your talk (also good for defense)
– Show breadth & focus of key contributions
– Discuss future work in “context”
• Keep working on your thesis: Be
“interrupt driven;” do not “busy wait.”
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Tip 9. Prepare for the “Next”
• Take on research leadership roles
– Find a junior student to work with
– Mentor her/him in research project
– Could lead to co-authorship on new papers
• Travel to conferences
– Seek opportunities to present your work
– Prepare and give top quality presentations
– Network with conference attendees
– Prepare and ask smart questions
• Seek out and use resources
– Practice talks, mock interviews, etc
– Technical writing workshops
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Tip 10. Prepare for Defense
• Attend related defenses (area, advisor)
– Study question styles
• Practice defense presentation
– Ask audience to pose tough questions
• Prepare your committee
– Ensure they understand your contributions
– Get feedback before the defense
– Address serious concerns before defense
with the help of your advisor
• Defend but do not go on the offensive
• Go to your defense rested and refreshed
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Everyone gets a little stressed, it’s OK!
Expect & Manage Ups & Downs
Another result, another chapter!
Proposal defense
Job interview
invitations
Thesis is complete &
You are on your way!
Starting to write Too much to do stress
Summary:
• Develop yourself
• Manage time
• Manage mechanics
• Communicate with advisor & committee
• Don’t hesitate to seek help
Summary of Tips
1. Take charge
2. Balance life and work
3. Leverage your proposal
4. Leverage your committee
5. Build a work plan
6. Manage your time
7. Start writing!
8. Engage in your job search
9. Prepare for the “Next”
10.Prepare for defense
Questions and Discussion
• Things not discussed
– Interdisciplinary research, pitfalls and
payoffs
– Advisor experience or lack thereof
– Job search pressures
– Unexpected emergencies
• The finishing process has many
recovery points!!
Thanks to PhDComics, Carla
Ellis, and Padma Raghavan.