#18: “Explain it simply. There’s nothing nicer for an examiner than when the candidate takes a complex idea and gives their own viewpoint on it, in a simple way, using new material. It shows that they can articulate complex ideas in a simple way.”

Seriously, this is an awesome listing of tips. I highly recommend it. Are You Interested in learning how we can work with you to finish your dissertation? We’ve compiled a few video testimonials of doctoral students that FINISHED their dissertation with our coaching. Check out their journey! Then click here to schedule a free consultation with one of our coaches. We are looking forward to talking with you!

What is a Lit Review?

A literature review usually begins with an indication of the topic(s) to be covered and the purposes of the review. 

The methods of the review should be briefly described. Indicate the indices and other methods used to search for applicable literature, the terms searched with each, and the years searched (usually the last ten or twenty years, plus key literature from earlier years). A review should address each topic highly applicable to the problem.

For problems that are not well researched, the literature review may also address other topics that are tangentially related and might help inform the study.

If the literature on a topic is voluminous—it is not uncommon to find more than 100 studies—you should be selective, covering the literature most applicable to the focus of your proposed research, as indicated by the research questions, hypotheses, foreshadowed problems, or conjectures.

We’ve coached numerous students through Chapters 1, 2, and 3, but we are especially good at helping you get through your literature. 

If this is the area you are stuck in, go ahead and fill out a quick application to schedule a call and also express your interest in our scholarship offer.

Last week we had a great response to our offer for scholarships.

In case you missed it, we are offering $500 scholarships to qualified students who join our 8-week boot camp and $1000 scholarships to qualified students who join our 12-week boot camp.

Be sure to take advantage of the scholarship offer while we still have the available funds!

Did you know that over 50% of doctoral students quit each year?

I was reading the recent Ph.D. Completion Report that outlines statistics for doctoral programs. Over 50,000 students drop out of their doctorate program each year.

According to the Ph.D. Completion Project, the latest completion rates for doctoral students entering a program and finishing within 7 years are between 55% and 64%, depending on the fields.

Why do PhD Students drop out?

When surveyed and asked why do PhD students drop out, the top reasons reported were:

1. Lack of proper mentoring and support
2. Feelings of aimlessness and exhaustion
3. Lack of community
4. Poor relationships with supervisors

You already know that the rewards for finishing your doctorate degree are monumental. U.S. News & World Report noted that people with doctoral degrees will earn over their lifetime $2 million+ more than those holding bachelor’s degrees! In fact, holding a doctoral degree still remains one of the most prestigious academic distinctions in the world.

Yet, only about half of Ph.D. students actually obtain it, so the total number of terminally degreed individuals in the United States sits at less than 1%.

That’s why we developed the Dissertation Success Boot Camp to help propel you forward and position you for the best chance of success in earning your doctorate!

We have an 8-week session beginning every Monday.

I’m offering you a FREE Strategy Call directly with us. During your strategy call, we will identify your current situation, unique goals and objectives, and discuss the next date of the boot camp along with other details.

If you are serious about moving your dissertation progress to the next level, this is the program for you.

We look forward to speaking with you.

You already know that most students will not finish in the so-called “5 dissertation courses” that a university designates for this in the curriculum.

Most will take a lot more and end up paying extended or rolling tuition.

Let’s look at the breakdown of your “dissertation courses,” what they cost, how this compares to coaching tuition, and how you can trim THOUSANDS of dollars off your total investment into your doctorate. So let’s get into it! How much does a dissertation cost?

What Happens in an Ideal World?

You can probably expect to invest into our program about the same amount of funds you would for the average DOCTORAL LEVEL 3 CREDIT HOUR COURSE.

Consider this scenario. I took a university that is a well-known online university and looked at its tuition and curriculum.

Here is the breakdown of the investment at this school

• Requires five doctoral thesis/dissertation courses at a minimum
• Each dissertation course is eight weeks long. That’s 40 weeks to work on the doctoral thesis/dissertation.
• Each eight-week session costs $2,000. That’s $10,000.
• So, at a minimum, you are committing about 9-10 months and $10,000 towards your doctoral thesis/dissertation.

If you finish your dissertation within those five courses – you are golden!

You can now begin to reap the future earning potential of having a doctorate (which will more than pay for the $10,000 in dissertation courses).

What Really Happens

We know that MOST people do not finish during the allotted time. The universities already know this. It typically takes 12-18 months.

Let’s say you need five additional eight-week dissertation sessions. And let’s say your university charges a “rolling tuition” of $1500. So that’s another 9-10 months, plus another $7500.

So how much does a dissertation cost? So now, you are around as little as $17,500 for your dissertation courses.

Do you want the lowest cost option?

Many students ask about the price of the Dissertation Bootcamp as their first question to us. While we appreciate that each person must use their financial resources efficiently, this program probably isn’t for you if you are looking for a “quick, cheap fix” to your doctoral thesis/dissertation problems.

While our program costs MUCH less than many other programs out there, we are definitely not the “cheapest” program. Besides, is that what you want anyway? As you may have read, we are a premier coaching program with a full-service attitude that provides you with a team of resources available to you.

Is There a Better Option?

Students in our Dissertation Boot Camp typically finish sooner than they would have continued to work independently. So really, all you need to do is finish eight weeks sooner to break even on your coaching investment. Anything sooner than that is pure money in your pocket.

Of course, some have been working on their dissertation for 3, 4, or even five years – so enrolling in our boot camp is an absolute no-brainer as far as funds are concerned.

Go Ahead and Make This Investment in Yourself.

Give yourself the best chance by surrounding yourself with a team of experts who work for you to help you finish your doctoral thesis/dissertation. And give yourself the best opportunity to finish early (or finish in general) and begin reaping the potential earning capabilities that will make these small investments into your education seem very trivial in the long run.

Also, you can tell from the testimonials that students who work with us GET RESULTS. We guarantee it. As you consider applying to our program, just keep in mind that you WILL need funds to invest in mentoring, coaching, guidance, and a proven blueprint to help you finish your doctoral thesis/dissertation.

If you are looking to just spend a couple of hundred dollars, you may approach our program with the wrong mindset. Instead, you need to be ready to work hard and actually implement what you learn from us.

This is not a “write for me” or “do my dissertation” opportunity. You’ll need to be coachable, or we won’t work well together. But, if you follow our instructions and get help, you can succeed beyond your wildest dreams. This program is for serious and dedicated doctoral students looking to hire a dedicated coach that works with them.

Finally, keep in mind that when you join our program, you will get our 100% money-back, risk-free guarantee. So you have no risk with this investment.

Most importantly, if we feel you are a good fit for the program (and vice versa), we will work with you to get you in so you can get the help you need.

Make the decision to save thousands of dollars on tuition at your school.

Schedule your FREE Strategy Call Here

We look forward to speaking with you! Do you have any thoughts about this article “How much does a dissertation cost?” Let us know in the comments how many semesters you have been enrolled in dissertation courses.

I caught a headline recently that led me to a New York Times article about Fred Rogers. The show began in 1968. Yet in 1979 – after he had already achieved worldwide recognition and was a daily fixture for many American children – he typed the memo to himself on yellow legal paper as shown below (courtesy of The Fred Rogers Company).

Yes – Fred Rogers actually wrote, “Am I kidding myself that I’m able to write a script again? … I wonder? … Why don’t I trust myself?” It’s hard to imagine that Fred Rogers doubted his ability to write a script!

If Fred Rogers doubted himself — despite his legendary positivity — then should you be surprised that you doubt yourself?

Yet embedded in this memo to himself is some typical Mister Rogers wisdom: “If I don’t get down to it, I’ll never really know… I wonder if every creative artist goes through the tortures of the damned trying to create?”

Then he urges himself, “GET TO IT, FRED. GET TO IT. But don’t let anybody ever tell anybody else that it was easy.”

As a doctoral scholar, you know that writing a dissertation isn’t easy. I’d purport that it’s a few orders of magnitude more challenging than writing a script for a children’s TV show (no offense intended to Mister Rogers).

If it were easy, then everybody would do it. You are NOT everybody. You are not just anybody. You are a scholar. You’ve made it this far. In the words of Mister Rogers, “GET TO IT!”

If you are reading this, then I presume that you want to be in the 50% of doctoral students that finish their dissertation and earn their doctoral degree. So invest a few minutes in yourself and read the article. All four of her points are very pertinent to every doctoral student.

For her second step, she writes, “Surround yourself with wise and supportive people.” Finally, she talks about how to get those around you to support you in this challenging journey.

Yet some scholars find that they need another voice – a mentor and advocate who can help them overcome roadblocks. Our dissertation coaches are experts in helping scholars FINISH their dissertation and earn their doctorate.

Schedule a free strategy call to talk with one of our coaches, who even used our coaching and earned their doctoral degree – someone who understands the emotions and challenges you are dealing with right now.

“You’ve been in graduate school for many years now, and you’ve come a long way. You’ve completed all of your coursework, formed your Ph.D. thesis committee, passed your preliminary/oral/qualifying examinations, and have done an awful lot of research along the way. So there’s a glimmer of hope in your heart that maybe — just maybe — this will be your last year in graduate school.”

That is the opening paragraph in The Secret to Writing Your Dissertation by Ethan Siegel, who earned his Ph.D. in theoretical astrophysics. Silly me, but I never knew there was such a science.

Invest a few minutes in yourself by reading his article. He mentions 4 things that your dissertation is NOT. Maybe these will lighten the burden that you feel in writing your dissertation.

Then he mentions 4 things that you demonstrate with your dissertation. Of these, #3 is vitally important for all doctoral students: “That the body of work you submit in your dissertation is comprehensive enough to merit a Ph.D.”

If you’re still stuck in writing your dissertation, we can help. Our coaches are experts in helping scholars FINISH their dissertations and earn their doctorates.

Recently, one of our clients emailed me after her FIRST CALL with her dissertation coach:

“This went very well. In less than an hour I had someone listening to my babble and helping me to make sense out of things – judgment free. I have the resources I need, more confidence, and I now have a sounding board to help sort everything out. I had a real mental block on moving forward, and I feel like the logjam is breaking up. Thank you for what you do. Bless your people for having such patience.”

Click here to schedule a free call with one of our coaches today.