When Dr. Harrell was a graduate student, he was impressed and gratified that his dissertation committee took the time and effort to provide clear and timely feedback and guidance. A plan was in place for meeting milestones in conducting the dissertation research and writing dissertation chapters on a weekly basis. The plan was so successful that Dr. Harrell completed his dissertation--from start to finish--in nine months! Dr. Harrell quickly learned that this structured approach to dissertation writing was the exception, not the rule. Very few graduate supervisors or dissertation committees are as motivated. One galvanizing experience in his first week of graduate school was meeting a very talented fellow student who had begun his dissertation 20 years earlier. Long after Dr. Harrell left graduate school, this same student plugged away, working literally everyday on the dissertation until he died at age 87--after investing 55 years!
Dr. Harrell has been concerned about the neglect of graduate students who have all the aptitude and skills to ordinarily complete a dissertation. Too many talented graduate students fail to finish and are stuck with the ABD status.
In response Dr. Harrell devised his unique coaching approach. As a new client, there will be an initial orientation session either on the internet or telephone. This allows us to assess your current need for our services. We will look at the progress that you have made and what remains to be done. We want to be sure that we have the expertise to work successfully with you. We don't want you to fail, nor do we want to fail you.
We look for the barriers that have held you back, and we address those in your unique plan. We develop a plan that is realistic in terms of accommodating competing demands on your time, such as a job or family. It is important that the plan is tailored to you and achieves your goals of completing the dissertation/thesis or publication.
Each plan is composed of a series of daily "baby steps" that represent manageable and tangible daily goals. Our job is to ensure that you take these daily steps. You will see cumulative progress that provides its own motivation, sustaining you. This plan will also serve as the foundation for progress reports to your department or committee.
The initial session will be exhaustive, and typically takes 2-3 hours. Daily checks of no more than 15 minutes will help you stay the course and allow us to tweak the plan, if necessary.
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Features of Each Plan:
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A unique daily plan for researching and writing each dissertation chapter or article for publication.
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The client receives brief, daily sessions and check-ins by telephone and e-mail.
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Each plan has "baby steps," or manageable, attainable goals.
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Each plan is tied to your unique circumstances.
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