Doctoral Defense

If you have received your doctorate or been present at a defense, can you please post your experience and advice? I know the basics of what will happen but I'd like some first hand accounts from those who have been through it.

TIA :)

Re: Doctoral Defense

I remember being very nervous, that's for sure. There weren't many people there which I was glad about since that would have made me more nervous. All in all though, it wasn't bad. I did a brief presentation and then welcomed questions. I felt I addressed the questions well and was open to people's suggestions. It was only about an hour. The relief I felt afterwards was incredible! My advice would just be to approach it with confidence and knowing that your Chair and the people on your committee want you to graduate. They aren't there to bring you down. Be open to any questions and be prepared to answer them. Be accepting of suggestions and be open to their ideas even if you don't really care. If you are at all standoff-ish, I would imagine a challenging person could make things difficult. Good Luck!

Doctoral Defense

I gave my presentation it was about an hour. I had practiced several times with lab mates and my advisor so I felt I had it down pretty well. Our setup was that all questions were held until the end. Then the general audience got to ask questions. When they were done they were asked to leave and my dissertation committee (4 people including my advisor) asked questions. When they were done I was asked to leave the room and they discussed for about 20 minutes. Called me back in and congratulated me.
I had handed in my written dissertation 3 weeks before the presentation so they had all seen that. I really feel your advisor shouldn't be letting you defend if they don't know 100% that you will pass. I felt like it was a formality at that point.

Doctoral Defense

Thank you ladies! I am very open to suggestions and I know that my advisor would not send me forward if I were not ready. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Did you have any colleagues or family members sit in on your defense? Was there a little reception after or did you just go home (a colleague who has been through it said there was a little reception with her committee to follow, but I'm not sure if that was just a personal experience for her).

Thanks again :)

Doctoral Defense

I went to my DH's dissertation defense and so did his parents and sister. Although I asked if there was anything I could do, his lab set up a reception right outside of his lab afterwards.
From what I remember, his defense was about 1.5 hrs - approx 1hr lecture, followed by questions from the general public who attended (he probably had 20-25 people there, which I know made him nervous), then the general public had to leave and his committee "grilled" him for a bit, I don't remember how long it was. Like a PP said, he handed in his dissertation weeks prior to the presentation, so his committee knew what to expect from him.

Doctoral Defense

My parents, fiancé (now DH), future inlaws and my uncle came. A few of my friends from other departments came and then all my lab mates were there. My lab mates and advisor setup a little reception with cake downstairs for afterward.
From a prep standpoint if you think there are questions that you will get where having additional slides will be helpful, put them at the very end of your presentation for reference. Never know when you might need them.

Doctoral Defense

My presentation was about 45 minutes long. I practiced my talk several times the day of my defense. By the time I was ready to actually give my presentation I was comfortable and was only nervous for the first couple of minutes. I was not prepared for the heartfelt introduction my generally grumpy advisor gave at the beginning of my talk and it took me off guard which may have accounted for my lack of anxiety. I asked at the beginning of my talk that all questions be held until the end. I had a short question and answer session and my committee and I had more of a discussion about the work--they actually started signing the final paperwork and the chair was like oh obviously, you passed. My lab threw me a party after my defense. My parents, my sister, my husband and two of my friends I started graduate school with who had already graduated attended my defense.

Re: Doctoral Defense

My actual presentation was just under an hour, but it took about 1.5-2hrs to get through because I was continually stopped for questions. I had given them a copy of my thesis two weeks prior, but they brought their edits/comments with them and we basically went through that during my talk. I have seen both, where the committee waits until the end, and others where they just ask during the presentation. It has always depended on the committee chair. My DH and my father came and it was both comforting and nerve-wracking to have them there. In my group it is a tradition for the person who is defending to bring champagne and snacks for everyone attending, so we had a small little reception afterwards with fruit and champagne.

I'm just glad it is over :)