D-O

Give me a D-D-you got your D-you got your D
Give me an O-O-you got your O-you got your O

On December 13, 2011, I received my O (toward DOCTOR).  As a reminder, each letter represents a significant accomplishment (i.e. requirement or hurdle) in this PhD process.

D-publishable paper prospectus defense (check! April 8, 2011)
O-publishable paper defense (check! December 13, 2011)
C-prelims (May 2011)
T-oral defense
O-dissertation prospectus defense
R-dissertation defense

So let me give you a little run down of what this defense looks (or is suppose to look) like.

After having done the prospectus defense, your committee gives you permission to actually do your research.  Then, when you've finished the research and written it up, you go back to your committee to defend your findings.  Normally, when you enter the room, the committee asks you to leave to discuss their initial thoughts.  You then return and defend your findings, and then leave again so that the committee can again discuss...and determine if you 'pass' (e.g. your study is solid enough to pass the requirement).  They then invite you back in and (hopefully) say, congrats, you passed.  Mine, however, went a little differently.  After we all got in the room, they just asked that I start (no leaving the room).  Then after I was finished and we had a discussion about my paper and ways to improve it (mainly for publication purposes), Dr. Cooper (my advisor) said to my committee, 'so are you all okay with Shannon and I continuing to work on this'.  They said yes, and then it was over.  No leaving the room, no official congrats...I was confused.  You see, there are three levels of responses you can get...pass, pass with revisions, and fail.  I was certain I had not failed, but not certain I had passed without revisions.  Obviously, I knew I needed some revisions for publication purposes...but for the program requirement, I wasn't sure.  Needless to say, when I saw Dr. Cooper later, I asked her about my confusion.  She affirmed for me that I had indeed passed!

Woohoo, I got my O!

This publishable paper process has been a learning experience.  Hopefully, I will take many of those lessons learned into the dissertation process.  So what's next?!  Prelims will happen in May, and I am beginning my first few chapters of my dissertation.