GREY SKIES AND COOL TEMPERATURES

Palmerston North is not a very sunny place. Rain has preoccupied the weather on most days this week. Last weekend was sunny, warm, and inviting, but the days thereafter have been disrupted by intermittent rains that are heavy at times and at other times are only light drizzles.

I’m beginning to understand the research focus of the New Zealand PhD model. Unlike the U.S., where doctorate students take two years of courses before embarking on the research topic, in New Zealand incoming doctorates begin their dissertation research at the start of the program. The initial proposal submitted with the application allows potential students to give professors a rough idea of their topic of interest. But, almost immediately after these students arrive on campus, they must begin refining their research topic. They also develop a program of study, called the “statement of expectations’, which functions like a contract within two weeks of commencing. Hence, there’s a lot of pressure in the early stages of the doctorate program.

Luckily, I anticipated the speed of progress and had begun developing my research topic early, even before I applied. There are also numerous forms to sign, which help to document our progress. Although supervisors give a lot of guidance (as I’m learning), the progress is determined entirely by the student. We have to coordinate the benchmarks that measure our progress and are signified by defined assignments that lead up to the full proposal at the end of the year. Thus, in the first six months, the methodology chapter draft has to be written, finalisaton of my research proposal (which tends to be the formulation of my introductory chapters), the draft outline of my chapters with a description of the chapters content, and then the confirmation seminar almost at the end of the first year. I also have to define my ethics framework for my fieldwork, which I anticipate beginning around the first week of October 2013, with an expected departure date of 1 October, 2013.

While all this is going on in our lives, we are strongly advised to attend workshops given by professors. The format of the doctorate is a little like the format of Goddard College in that all Goddard students attend workshops during their one week residency. But, all work is done independently and all communication is done by e-mail. Here at Massey, almost all communication is done by e-mail during the period preparing for and writing the dissertation.

The research workshops over the weekend were a tremendous help in this crucial stage of the research proposal, but needless to say, the pressure is definitely on and while I feel energized by the refinement of my research focus, at the same time, the seriousness of grey skies reflect how earnestly I am approaching my studies. With the same earnestness as a moose butting his antlers against a tree in the attempt to knock it down. Although I won't be knocking any trees down, i am determined to pass and even more determined to earn that final qualification to enter academic life - the doctorate.