Ode to Barbara's Dissertation

Gary Reading Megillah Part 2

In this video, Gary is reading the part of the megillah that you read super fast! This is when ppl clapped! Yeah Gary! Purim Sameach everyone! xoxo

posted by Barbara's Blog @ 9:43 PM 0 comments

Gary Reading Megillah Part 1

posted by Barbara's Blog @ 9:24 PM 0 comments

Mazel Tov Ashira!

MAZEL TOV RABBI ASHIRA!

posted by Barbara's Blog @ 10:43 AM 0 comments

Mazel Tov Tim!

MAZEL TOV RABBI TIM!

posted by Barbara's Blog @ 10:12 AM 0 comments

Gary reading chapter 9 of the Purim Megillah! Enjoy!

posted by Barbara's Blog @ 7:02 PM 0 comments

I'm an audiologist!

Well...after 4 long years in my doctoral program - I graduated! I am now working as a full time audiologist in a busy ENT practice. It is nice to be able to go home at night and NOT have any homework to do. Although it definitely takes time to get used to this....I always think that I have to go and do homework (esp on Sundays). And I am always doing everything so fast so that I will make more time for the homework I have to do....which I now have none! It is also very nice to not have to explain to patients that I am still in school/doing my residency/etc. I can just introduce myself as Dr. and move on!
Anyone who is reading this - you can do it - just stick with it and you'll be able to finish that dissertation. It just takes perseverance (a lot of it).
The funny thing is that now that I am done with school and "in the field" I feel like there is so much that I need to/want to learn. Grad school was just a stepping off point for this amazing field of audiology. While my grad school more than prepared for me a career in audiology, I look forward to learning as more research is published and we start to even better understand the auditory system and produce more sophisicated hearing aids.

posted by Barbara's Blog @ 1:00 PM 0 comments

Almost There!

Today I met with my dissertation advisor. I am almost done with my data analysis and will start writing the results and discussion sections! I am SO excited to be this far along. I am aiming to defend in the winter (February?). My husband noted that since I defended my proposal on 11-1, I should defend my dissertation on 2-22. :)

I took such a long break from the dissertation work due to the comprehensive doctoral exams...which was to be expected, but it is hard getting back into the swing of things. I just want to start working on it again and get it DONE! ....I am already starting to daydream about "life after dissertation!" I think that G-D willing I will graduate ON TIME!! I am so excited to be a "real" audiologist and not have to explain to patients for 10 minutes how I am in my last year of school when they ask me if I am the audiologist.....

Good luck to everyone on their dissertations - it is a LONG haul - but you can do it!
xo

posted by Barbara's Blog @ 5:22 PM 1 comments

I am on my way!

Well - I know that I have not blogged for a long time! A lot has happened....I passed my dissertation proposal! YEAH!! Wow I was so nervous during that meeting! But my committee liked what they saw (and they were super supportive during the meeting - it is not as scary as people say it is!) and now I just have some corrections to make in those first few chapters. I also must finish up the data analysis and write the last chapters (results and discussion). I hope to defend the final document in early 2008.
And also since I blogged last, I studied for 5 LONG months for my doctoral comprehensive exams....day and night....didn't see friends, family, husband.....just me and my books....BUT it was all worth it when I found out that I passed my doctoral exams!!! That was my biggest accomplishment in all of grad school. I still can't believe that I studied so hard and that I passed my exams on the first try! (And I have some extra pounds to show for all the sitting and eating and studying!)
Now I just started my fourth year internship. I love my new job - it is so interesting. I learn so much everyday (although I will admit it is hard to become a full time working girl from my graduate school mentality.....).
I just need to finish these last two classes (one more month of them) and then I will be done with all my grad school classes!! (Hard to believe!) Then I need to finish up my dissertation writing and then come May, 2008...I will be DONE!!
I just joined Weight Watchers (again) today! I need to lose all those extra "grad school" pounds!
Good luck to everyone reading this - you can do it! Just set your goals and keep your eye on them! And don't let ANYONE tell you that you can't do it!
xoxoxo

posted by Barbara's Blog @ 8:29 PM 0 comments

The next step!

I handed out my dissertation proposal yesterday to all the members of my committee!! I am very excited and crossing my fingers and hoping they'll like it!

posted by Barbara's Blog @ 1:40 PM 2 comments

Wow - I haven't posted in a long time!

I am sorry that I have not been posting - this dissertation stuff is so overwhelming. I have been eating, sleeping and breathing my dissertation for months now.

I have now written the intro, lit search, methods, experimental questions and how I will analyze the data. I will give this proposal to my committee members tomorrow (hopefully!). I just need to make a few more changes, then I want to have it bound and then give it to them (don't really want to hand then 45 loose pages, and I already broke the stapler in the office trying to staple it!).

I will have my proposal defense on 11-1-06.....wish me luck! You are only supposed to have collected two subjects before your proposal meeting, but I will have 11 experimental and 2 control subjects done (at least)! So they better like my methodology so I don't have to throw away my data.... the reason that I have so much data collected is because I am under time constraints - I am studying the marching band and their season ends mid-November...so I have to have all 20 experimental subjects done by then! (BTW - a proposal defense is held so that when you get to the dissertation defense, there will be no surprises!)

That is all for now - I will post more soon!!! For everyone out there writing a dissertation - I understand your pain - I totally can sympathize with you - this is insane!!! But we will get through it!!!!

posted by Barbara's Blog @ 6:40 PM 1 comments