Notes from a burnt out student!  :)

        A doctoral journey is a systematic process that requires a student to master certain skills through all phases.  For most students, the key to success is to stay realistic, ask questions, and seek help when in doubt.  The difficulty level of a doctoral process can be viewed as a bell curve, where the middle stages (proposal writing, and proposal approval) can be most daunting if not planned out properly. The good news is that since a doctoral process is typically a longitudinal process, spanning between four to eight years, there is always time for a student to take a step back, learn from mistakes, create a new strategy and get things done. 
        An appropriate level of coaching in the early stage of a doctoral program can potentially save a lot of time and money by facilitating the students to focus on developing the required skills and by getting a head start on next steps.  Coaching can also be acquired at any phase of the program to help students keep moving forward through the process.
​        Another good news is that coaching doesn’t have to cost anything if acquired within the student’s institution. A mentor, program chair, cohorts, and senior students can be the best source of coaching available to a doctoral student. In certain rare situations where a student is faced with lack of responsiveness external sources of coaching maybe considered just to put the student back on the fast track.
Hope you find this map helpful
Cheers!
​Dr. K

       Those of us who pay for their doctoral degree out of pocket, or rely on student loans, know that the initial estimate for the cost of the program is typically between $53 K to $115 K over the normal course of the program. The normal course of the program is 5 years on the average (in the United States) where fee schedule varies by the program and the institution. This initial cost estimate typically includes the cost of books, labs, library facilities, and the cost of the fee for the number of courses required to graduate from the program. Embarking on a doctoral journey is a serious undertaking and requires a major financial commitment. All of us have heard horror stories where this undertaking did not go as expected and ended up costing students their health, home, job, and even their marriage. The good news is that if proper assessment and planning are done prior to embarking upon the program most of the risk associated with the program can be mitigated. I would like to share my thoughts on various risk factors over the next few blogs.

Financial Risk Planning
       The first rule of thumb is to realize that your student loan is a loan, and you do end up paying it back with interest. Over the years I have seen way too many students using their student loan as free money. When planning your doctoral journey, it is a clever idea to plan around the financial flow that could successfully get you out of this debt in a reasonably defined time frame. Be realistic! Even if you are promised a job promotion upon completing your doctorate, know that graduating from your program is not always accompanied with a green windfall.
       Those who choose the path of paying out of pocket as they go, have two key advantages over students who rely solely on student loans. First, paying out of pocket every semester painfully keeps you motivated to get the best bang for your buck. Secondly, your financial planning may allow you to pace yourself realistically through the program as guided by other factors in your personal life.
In cases where academically you are going strong, but are running low on personal finances, a mix of pocket funds and student loans can be an effective plan. In this format, you only rely on student loans just to avoid exhausting your pocket without sacrificing the momentum of your academic progress.