The life of a Ph.D. student can be be isolating, especially when one's coursework is completed and one's only job is writing the dissertation. Many students find that staring at a blank sheet of paper or a blank computer screen can tempt them to procrastination or distractions.
So, many I School Ph.D. students jumped at the opportunity to pursue their solitary vocation side-by-side with other doctoral students this summer during the I School's two-week Ph.D. Writing Boot Camp.
For two weeks, the students are leaving behind their distractions and showing up at South Hall from 9:00 to 1:00 to do nothing but write. The School provides coffee, breakfast, desks, power outlets, and four hours of uninterrupted quiet, and the students provide each other mutual accountability and support. Many of the students are writing their dissertations, but some are also writing other research articles or papers.
The I School doctoral students are joined by three dozen Ph.D. students from other Berkeley departments, who were invited to join in. In fact, over two dozen interested students had to be turned away due to space limitations. Meg St. John, the I School’s director of admissions and student affairs, says that the response was “a little overwhelming. Clearly, this is something the students really feel the need for.” Students reported that a similar, two week boot camp earlier in the summer “really focused them on the task.” Some participants, St. John said, “mentioned how great it was to feel like they weren’t alone in this — having a group around them working, even in silence, made them feel less isolated in their pursuit of the degree.”
For I School Ph.D. student Ryan Shaw, who, like some of the other participants, has small children, the schedule-pledge was the most helpful aspect. “Being committed to being at the boot camp helped reserve time,” he said, while the coffee and bagels “helped lure me there every day and were much appreciated.”
