What is life like while you're getting your P.H.D.?

I got my masters in educational psychology, Kicky, but I did it in the summer and that way never lost any money nor had to borrow any. I loved it at UVA. One may also get a PhD without dissertation. A PhD enables you to instruct on a college level.

Re: What is life like while you're getting your P.H.D.?

My history teacher at highschool did it, while doing a very good job being a teacher and raising two sons. I have no idea how she managed this -- I simply didn't have a life during my Ph.D work, and if I had had one, I couldn't have seen it through. I couldn't have done my Ph.D work part time because my machinery took about 5 hours every day just to start up. (I'm an experimental physicist.) So my direct answer to your question is "yes, depending on what you want a Ph.D in."


Depends on the alternatives. I can't say, really.


All I can say here is that the rule of proportion only gives you a lower limit. For example, if you work on your Ph.D half time, and the full-time Ph.D graduates after three years, you will need more than six years because you can't concentrate as well. But it would depend on the field how much longer it takes.

I have no good answers to your other questions, so this will have to do for now.

mediation, historical reconciliation between ethnic groups, training - is what i do

what i want to do is more of the same, plus my pipe dream is starting an ngo with a friend who's a journalist (i have a poli sci and international relations background) that would assist journalists working on ethnic conflict, civil war, genocide stories to do a good in-depth reporting (a database and services for them, of sorts), plus reporting as well. i am steering towards journalism, poli sci is starting to bore me to tears plus i hate the limited audience. bunch of constipated pricks talking to each other in language no sane person understand. what's it good for? so there.

My daughter graduated this past June and is now fully immersed in a
doctoral program. A combination of grants, teaching assistantships and
lab work will get her through the program on her own in about five
years. She will not, however, lead a lavish lifestyle. That's OK, because
the program is so demanding that she will have no life to style.

God bless her, I wouldn't last a week.

from what friends have told me it's kind of like....how do i describe this......have you ever had a booger stuck in the back of your throat?

...on the bright side, I should add that she has found her True Love
in the course of this pursuit...

Wow! THAT'S interesting. The ngo idea.

Also that you might move to journalism.

Kicky, I checked to see if there was anything in your area that was equivalent to UCLA's Extension certificates, and they do have something similar at NYU.

I've known many people who've changed fields via ucla extension, the majority of them being pleased with the change. UCLA's (and the rest of the uc schools', I suppose - extension catalog is elaborate, with lots of advanced courses for people in various areas that don't have a certificated set of courses. Their catalog is thick and makes your brain buzz with possibilities, in my opinion.
I don't know if NYU's course choices are as interesting, but here's a link to their certificate programs.


http://www.sce.nyu.edu/degcert/cert_info.jsp;jsessionid=MSLCUL4VLJLH1AD0SM5SFEQ?stDegType=PC

On a closer look, their certificate programs seem to be between 4 to 6 courses, whereas the landscape architecture one at ucla extension is about 26 courses and takes four years.