My Committee

I sent this comic to Andrew today. It tends to wrap up a lot about what we have both been talking about regarding our dissertation processes. The committee is what makes the writing of the dissertation so tough. 

Lately, Andrew has been telling me about his own struggles with his major professor. Everything he tells me is what I felt last year about my own!

Our committees are a bit different than others. Other programs have a “first reader” and “second reader” and so on. Our’s has a “major professor” and “committee member” and “methodologist” etc. So, there were times when I hated my major professor. UGH! It was killer having to work with him. 

Was it him?

Of course not. It was the process. Truth? I might have hated it, but that’s a part of the process. Everything he told me was correct. I look over my writing, and I see his suggestions, and I realize that he was right about many things. There are a couple of places sure that I would still argue that my idea was better, but all in all, he’s the boss. 

When I write my novels, my editors are people I find online, or friends and family. Working with a major professor is like working with an editor I would imagine. They read it and make suggestions. Could they write it better? I don’t know. Maybe? Maybe not. But instead they suggest. UGH! So infuriating. 

I also had to drop one committee member halfway through. That wasn’t fun. My major professor felt I needed a different methodologist. So, boom! In comes a newbie at the last minute. Thankfully, she was awesome. 

My other two committee members are TOUGH. During my oral comps they are the ones who grill me the hardest. But they’re also some of the biggest supporters I have as well!

Overall, it’s a tough process, made tougher because of the committee. But that’s the process. Trust the process.