I’m studying, and have been studying, for about eight months just to prepare to apply for a PhD. It’s going to be a long road to travel. I know this because I’ve not only been studying Urban Fantasy, and leaders in the field, but I’ve also been researching the doctoral experience itself.

For me, the more I read, the more excited I am about beginning. I understand the pressure I am walking into because after a problem arising during my masters, I experienced the imposter syndrome, and know how devastating it can feel.

There are many other reason why people do not complete their PhD, and Tibees is one:

It’s a hard decision to make, and is something I’ve thought a lot about during my prep. I enjoyed Tibees video because she touches on the problem of the lag, as I call it. There’s the excitement to begin with, as Tibees says, she was on a straight trajectory from master to Professor, but I have to wonder if she had been studying since she was four years old, maybe Tibees needed a break. She needed to do somethings that made her happy and there’s in nothing wrong with that at all.

I could’ve gone straight on to a PhD this year, but made myself take a year off. It was supposed to be two years, but after reading Donna Lee Brien’s The Doctoral experience, my excitement grew and as I said, I can’t wait to start. I do have to get accepted of course and that in itself is a stressful time. My submission may not be accepted as I submitted it and will have to re-draft many times before I am accepted into the doctoral program.

That’s just the application.

I’m not in my twenty’s anymore. I know what I enjoy, and am able to study and create at the same time.

I’ve taken a year off and I’ve only been studying non-stop for twelve-years. Reading about, or listen to, others who’ve attempted, or who are struggling to stay, on the doctoral path, is a very important aspect of the preparation process. It’s people like Tibees who thankfully provide that type of insight.