Release from thesis

Postgraduate studies in the field of the Sciences are divided into “by research” and “by coursework only”. My PhD is by research and coursework, which means that I have to do a research project and take several courses to fulfill credits. I’m now in the 4.5th year of my PhD studies and have recently completed my thesis writing. The thesis is pretty much a book reporting the findings of the research project, from the introduction of why the project was done, come background literature, the methods of doing it, results, discussion and conclusion. Writing the thesis is no mean feat, as all the years of research has to be compressed into a book not more than 300 pages thick. And your panel of academic supervisors will have a bunch of corrections and suggestions to improve the thesis.
Once the thesis has been submitted to the school of graduate studies, a panel of examiners will judge and mark the thesis. Then a viva voce, or live interview, will be arranged where you will need to present your thesis in a powerpoint presentation format in front of the judges. They will then question you on your research and deliver their final verdict on whether you pass with distinction (the best), no, major or minor corrections, re-submission or fail.
So now I’m at the “waiting for viva” stage, and am also really busy writing a bunch of papers (or manuscripts) for publication in peer-reviewed journals. After all, what is the use of sweating it out for years if nobody’s going to know your work or reap the benefits of the findings, right? To all postgraduate students out there, “ganbatte”!
I know some of you have it easy, where all your projects are smooth with no trouble at all, while some of you are always plagued with hurdles and problems. To the former: you are so lucky….. To the latter: hang in there. You’ll pull through. Be stubborn but know when to let go and start another project afresh. Know your limits. And think out of the box. With help from your colleagues, supervisors, the internet and God (or luck, for some people), you’ll one day successfully declare that you’ve submitted your thesis.
And then comes the waiting…with bated breath…. =p