UNC Writing Center Handout | Writing Your Dissertation The dissertation marks the transition from student to scholar and is stressful as a result.

When you embark on this large, independent project, you may begin to ask yourself questions about your future in academia. After all, the dissertation is the beginning of the end of a graduate career. When you finish your dissertation, you have to change your life pretty dramatically —you may go on the job market, begin work as an independent scholar, develop classes, move out of a community that you have grown to love, and so on. You may also feel like your dissertation will begin to define your professional identity. You may feel like your research interests, your theoretical influences, and your skill as a writer may all be evaluated by this first piece of serious scholarship. Whether any of these points are true or not, you may find yourself questioning your commitment to your chosen profession or topic and unable to begin the dissertation.



You may start to feel like your head will explode like a bowl of hot lasagna in a microwave if you don't turn in your @#$@#$ prospectus sooooon.