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thesis defense tomorrow
- Thread starter HrsNJ
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No advice or experience, but GOOD LUCK! 👍
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just take it easy with the laser pointer! one of my committee members said i nearly gave him a nervous breakdown, going all over the place with it...
otherwise, just keep things simple but remember to explain everything clearly and thoroughly (including things like axes on graphs, even). if certain people want more elaboration, they'll ask you that during the question portion. when i presented mine, i was so nervous, mainly about going over the time limit. but, i realized that everyone else went over the time limit. so, don't let that intimidate you either. that's all i've got. best of luck. it'll be over so quickly and you'll feel like a million bucks.
otherwise, just keep things simple but remember to explain everything clearly and thoroughly (including things like axes on graphs, even). if certain people want more elaboration, they'll ask you that during the question portion. when i presented mine, i was so nervous, mainly about going over the time limit. but, i realized that everyone else went over the time limit. so, don't let that intimidate you either. that's all i've got. best of luck. it'll be over so quickly and you'll feel like a million bucks.
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I defended my honors thesis last year and I remember I was very nervous, too. Just keep reminding yourself that you have worked hard for this, that you are prepared, and that you'll be fine.
Don't freak out when your committee members start asking you weird questions. And, don't worry if you feel like they are trying to detroy your argument... They are supposed to act like that and question everything. Just remind yourself that it does NOT mean you did a poor job, etc. They simply want to force you to explain everything to make sure you understand it.
Try to go to the room early and set up your stuff well in advance. That way, if something isn't working, you'll have plenty of time to fix it. I remember my projector wasn't working!
Wear something nice, smile, and be (at least "look") confident. Best of luck!
🙂
Don't freak out when your committee members start asking you weird questions. And, don't worry if you feel like they are trying to detroy your argument... They are supposed to act like that and question everything. Just remind yourself that it does NOT mean you did a poor job, etc. They simply want to force you to explain everything to make sure you understand it.
Try to go to the room early and set up your stuff well in advance. That way, if something isn't working, you'll have plenty of time to fix it. I remember my projector wasn't working!
Wear something nice, smile, and be (at least "look") confident. Best of luck!
🙂
I have gifts to give to my advisors--is it terribly tacky to give them out after my defense? I don't want it to look like I'm begging for a good grade--although that's actually not a bad idea. 🙂
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HrsNJ said:
What school do you go to? Is this a doctorate defence?
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wear something comfortable, although formal- no suit. damn tie will cut off the circulation to your brain. take a shower before the presentation.
Try to go slow and make eye-contact. The point of a defense is to question your thesis from each point of view as much as possible so don't expect the expected. If you don't understand the question posed, ask them to repeat it or reword it. And be honest if you don't know (I spent twenty minutes rambling on when a "I don't know and didn't think of that" would've sufficed).
Have something for the others to read, to hopefully keep them busy from staring you down intently. Give them like a power point presentation print out. Or your thesis paper.
Good luck- you've gotten this far. let me guess- like a couple months of paper writing, editing, endless all nighters and now the culimination of your work. Keep this thought in mind- your reviewers don't know the material as well as you do. You've done the research, so just relax and you'll rock their socks off. And go drinking afterwards- you deserve it.
Try to go slow and make eye-contact. The point of a defense is to question your thesis from each point of view as much as possible so don't expect the expected. If you don't understand the question posed, ask them to repeat it or reword it. And be honest if you don't know (I spent twenty minutes rambling on when a "I don't know and didn't think of that" would've sufficed).
Have something for the others to read, to hopefully keep them busy from staring you down intently. Give them like a power point presentation print out. Or your thesis paper.
Good luck- you've gotten this far. let me guess- like a couple months of paper writing, editing, endless all nighters and now the culimination of your work. Keep this thought in mind- your reviewers don't know the material as well as you do. You've done the research, so just relax and you'll rock their socks off. And go drinking afterwards- you deserve it.
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I defended my Master's thesis last fall, born and raised in Massachusetts so I've got what you call a little problem with speaking fast, particularly when nervous. Tried to talk slow enough that it was almost painful for me, and it came out at the perfect pace. Again with the timing issue, let your slides talk for you...you already know exactly what is up there, but everybody else needs more time to absorb the information. By slowing down, even to the point where it feels awkward for you, the audience can get the full impact of what you are trying to get across with each slide. Finally...good luck! The feeling of completion after you thank the audience for coming to your presentation is amazing!
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Good Luck!!!
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Relax and good luck!
Thanks for all the encouragement! It's finally over and I think it went okay.
My advisor is a complete tool, however. After all was said and done, I gave him his gift (just to save myself the agony of having to go see him again), which was a barnes and nobles gift card and a box of chocolate. He didn't open the card to see the giftcard, but looked at the chocolate and said, "Oh, this is funny. I was just at the doctor and he told me that my acid reflux is getting worse and I shouldn't eat chocolate."
...Of course.
My advisor is a complete tool, however. After all was said and done, I gave him his gift (just to save myself the agony of having to go see him again), which was a barnes and nobles gift card and a box of chocolate. He didn't open the card to see the giftcard, but looked at the chocolate and said, "Oh, this is funny. I was just at the doctor and he told me that my acid reflux is getting worse and I shouldn't eat chocolate."
...Of course.
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I defend my master's thesis in 1.5 weeks. Ug. Good luck!
