A Quick Review
Reviewing a book like Being Bright Is Not Enough when one has never gone down the path of doctoral studies is very difficult. There seems to be little doubt that the author, Dr. Peggy Hawley, has thought and wrestled through this, but evaluating the book’s worth in one’s pursuit of a doctorate is difficult for the neophyte. No doubt there was plenty of information that seems priceless, but at times it was hard to discern how much of it was applicable to this reviewer’s present pursuit.
The premise of the book is that doctoral work is not only difficult, but there are many issues within this undertaking that the student will face that will come as a surprise. These issues include: the journey from student to scholar, the temptation to think that the dissertation is a lifetime achievement, the dynamics of the committee one chooses (or is given), and the enormous weight placed upon the family of the student. These in turn …show more content…
She admits that some of the information may not apply to the reader’s doctoral emphasis, and for this reviewer, some aspects of her advice will be irrelevant. She spends ample time working through data collection and statistical analysis. She has discussions about the politics of committee and pilot studies. This may not apply to every doctoral student.
Second, while it is assumed that there will be struggles within the committee, much of her discussion seems to apply to those outside of Christ. She gave very good and pragmatic advice for working through these struggles, but it would be interesting to see this from a Christian worldview. How would politics be addressed? How would a student respond to the idea of a committee member using them for their information? While the reader would never expect the author who is an unbeliever to address this, this was something this reviewer exited his reading
Reviewing a book like Being Bright Is Not Enough when one has never gone down the path of doctoral studies is very difficult. There seems to be little doubt that the author, Dr. Peggy Hawley, has thought and wrestled through this, but evaluating the book’s worth in one’s pursuit of a doctorate is difficult for the neophyte. No doubt there was plenty of information that seems priceless, but at times it was hard to discern how much of it was applicable to this reviewer’s present pursuit.
The premise of the book is that doctoral work is not only difficult, but there are many issues within this undertaking that the student will face that will come as a surprise. These issues include: the journey from student to scholar, the temptation to think that the dissertation is a lifetime achievement, the dynamics of the committee one chooses (or is given), and the enormous weight placed upon the family of the student. These in turn …show more content…
She admits that some of the information may not apply to the reader’s doctoral emphasis, and for this reviewer, some aspects of her advice will be irrelevant. She spends ample time working through data collection and statistical analysis. She has discussions about the politics of committee and pilot studies. This may not apply to every doctoral student.
Second, while it is assumed that there will be struggles within the committee, much of her discussion seems to apply to those outside of Christ. She gave very good and pragmatic advice for working through these struggles, but it would be interesting to see this from a Christian worldview. How would politics be addressed? How would a student respond to the idea of a committee member using them for their information? While the reader would never expect the author who is an unbeliever to address this, this was something this reviewer exited his reading