Retreat…retreat

I have a theory: when you go into something you know is going to be difficult, you can find the difficulty in it, or you can learn from it. I needed this motto as I traveled to Minnesota this past week. As I stated in my last blog, I knew that going to Minnesota was going to be tough—emotionally and scholarly. I was prepared. I knew it would be long hours, sleepless nights, frustrations, etc. To my surprise, the trip was not emotionally draining as I imagined it would be. This may be because I have no attachment to Minnesota, only memories. For me, it was a familiarity I used to help other people at the retreat navigate their way around the city. A few fun things did happen on the trip, and if you would like to know more details, we can talk about them. I did accomplish all the things on the list, except Que Viet. I never found the one downtown. My dad’s cousin, Amy, gave me a recipe for cheese curds, so I can make them any time.

Scholarly, the trip was a different experience. I did struggle. Part of that struggle was not my doing. As you know, my Proposal went to the third review (known as the URR) for approval, after going through the first two people. After a couple snafus with technology, the paper was in the right hands. At the beginning of the retreat, I had sent my Chair an email that my URR had told me she had submitted the commentary. I needed that commentary to work on during the retreat. He didn’t send it to me the first day. Day 2, I sent another email. Still, no edits. Every day, same story. I didn’t get her notes until after the retreat ended. The good news is, there are not a lot of edits from her, and most of the things she suggested I correct, I had realized I had done improperly as a result of the retreat’s meetings, so I had worked on correcting them during the course of the retreat. There are still some minor edits I need to make. My goal is to have them done before the end of the week, so I can resubmit my Proposal by the beginning of next week.

In other (good) news, I was able to begin the application for IRB (Institutional Review Board), which is the group of people that allow you to begin collecting the data of your final study. I made a mistake filling out the original form, so I had to resubmit it last night, but I plan on also having the necessary paperwork completed for that application by the end of next week. Before I left on the retreat, my goal was to have a Proposal ready to be approved, so I could begin the IRB application. I am aiming to have IRB approval by the end of July, so I can send out my questionnaires in mid-August. After the retreat, it looks like I am on the right path to make that happen.

I have a friend, in the same program as me, who is slightly ahead of me, and her Chair told her she probably won’t be done for another year. I sent in my timeframe to be completed in November, and my Chair didn’t say anything to me. I will sacrifice to be done in November. During the retreat, I learned I am a rare breed. It seems most of the other participants don’t make sacrifices in their lives to complete their schoolwork. I understand people have children, etc., but honestly, a little sacrifice now is a lot less money, and I will meet my goal sooner. I heard people who were in their 8^th year in the program, and I just can’t comprehend. My topic wouldn’t be relevant in the same way 8 years from now. I need to get done, and I don’t think being done in a reasonable timeframe is such a crazy idea. I will have to sacrifice a lot in the next few months, but the payoff will be totally worth it.

Dad informed me that I talk about things regarding my Dissertation, and people don’t understand what I am talking about, so I am going to give some background behind what I am talking about so y’all are aware.

STEPS:

• Write Chapters 1-3 (done)
• Chapters 1-3 approved my Chair and Second Committee Member (done)
• Chapters 1-3 approved by University Research Reviewer (In Process)—there may be several rounds of edits during this stage
• Oral Defense of Proposal (Chapters 1-3)
• IRB approval–steps 4-5 can happen simultaneously
• Collect and Analyze data from study participants
• Write Chapters 4-5
• Chapters 4-5 approved by Chair and Second Committee Member
• Chapters 4-5 approved by URR
• Oral Defense of final project
• Form & Style review (this is the final editors look at the paper)
• Edits of Form & Style
• Chief Academic Officer approval
•  Dr. Lehman
  1. Printed copy of dissertation
  2. Diploma
  3. Graduation

Laying it out looks like a lot of steps, and it is, but I am ready to do it. I am ready to finish. As I said before, it will be a lot of sacrifice, but I have already sacrificed a lot to get this far. I know I can do it. I know I can be Dr. Lehman by the end of this year. I love you all and thank you for all the support you have given me.

I learned a lot on my trip and had some cool experiences:

• I need to give myself more credit for where I am in the process. Several of the leaders of the retreat told me this.
• I learned a lot of medical terminology. Two of the leaders were nurses, so I learned a lot of information from them about nursing practices.
• The US Bank Stadium is stupidly large and awkwardly shaped.
• I am so grateful that I can write and edit on my own because it makes this process a lot less work for me.
• Sometimes, the original is not as good as the homemade version.
• Minnesota Nice is the same as the Southern “Bless your heart,” and service is just as bad in the North as it is in the South.
• I am glad I live in a small town with access to the big city. I could never live in the big city. Home is where the heart is. I love that I can go to the bar, and the same people are there each week, and my bartender texts me when I am missing.
• I got to talk with my best friend Rachael’s dad, and he told me that he was proud of me. I haven’t seen him in years, but there are some connections that don’t go away. It meant a lot to me that he is proud of me.

Here are I go to make the edits. I am planning on being MIA a lot this week, so I can get these edits finished and the form filled out. I can be positive. I can do this. Oh, and by the way, if you’ve made a difference in this process, you will be named in some way or the other. I am giving my printed/bound copy of my dissertation to my parents, and when it gets closer to the date, I will post a link to the live feed of graduation that way you can watch if you want. If you don’t want to, my feelings won’t be hurt. Honestly, I can’t say I’d want to go.  The ceremony might take a long time. I am planning on having a Graduation party 2/15, so stay tuned for the details as the date gets closer.