Expert Advice On How To Successfully Pass Your Dissertation Defense

It is perhaps the biggest day of your academic life thus far. You will be going in front of your committee to defend your dissertation. All of the hours of sacrifice and research are going to be evaluated in your defense of the dissertation. There is no question this is a major day but it does not have to be a horrible nightmare. You can do extremely well if you keep a few things in mind as you enter that room.

• This Is Not a Competition. Your committee is not there to deliberately put you on the spot. They already have seen the draft of your dissertation, they have read the final copy, and given comments to you. They want you to succeed and that you should never forget.
• Silence Is Golden and Brevity Is the Soul of Wit. It doesn’t take volumes of words to answer the question. Many times a short answer is the best for the given situation. Try not to ramble on with your answer. You can end up forgetting the original question if you do that.
• Be Open And Resist Efforts To Manipulate. Always answer questions based on what you know, and not what you think committee wants to hear. These people do want you to succeed, but they are experts who know when somebody is trying to twist answers. It is always better to be honest and sincere. If you appear to be showing devious behavior it will work against you.
• Relax. You’ve done a lot of work on your dissertation and by the time you reach the process you know the subject matter completely. You are dealing with a committee that has worked with you, and they are not trying to destroy you. It is amazing what a smile can do for a tense situation. Don’t hesitate to have a friendly voice, and take each question as it comes.
• You Do Not Have To Know Every Single Thing. It may that you are not familiar with certain areas is not an admission of failure. It is better to admit you are not fully aware than to try to fabricate an answer.

Still, defense is important and you may need some assistance in preparing for this big day. There are other services that you may want to take advantage to better prepare yourself for the questions. We can offer you some ideas and some practical ways of dealing with those questions. The better prepared you are ahead of time, the easier this session is going to be. Please do take a look at what we have to offer you.