PSYCHOLOGY
Dr. Clarissa T. Harris
Walden Graduate, 2024
The Ph.D. Professionals’ Group is a phenomenal research support group for students who are working towards completing their doctorate degree. This group has provided invaluable and remarkable support to students who are at the beginning stage of their prospectus, in the middle of writing their proposal, or at the final stage of their research dissertation.
When I first joined this group at the end of 2021, I was overwhelmed and felt depressed about my doctoral journey. While visiting a particular Methodology office hours along with other students who were calling in to discuss their data collection and data analysis, I began to chat with a student on the call who gave me information about a doctoral research support group that meets regularly on Sunday afternoons. The student mentioned that the research team members were doctoral graduates from W. University and they all were intellectual professionals that I could work with regarding my research study. I reached out to the group leader, and immediately she replied back and started to send me their Zoom call-in meeting details. I did not know what to expect during the first couple of weeks while attending the Sunday calls, but after several weeks I began to collaborate with the other students on the call and share my progress regarding where I was with my proposal. I was also able to receive effective feedback from and the rest of the team as well. This, in fact, encouraged me to continue logging into the Zoom call-in meetings every Sunday afternoon. At this point, I was beginning to fully understand the comments and suggestions from my W. committee after attending several meetings.
Throughout the remainder of my doctoral program, I continued to call into the Sunday afternoon Zoom calls and work with the Ph.D. Professionals’ Group on my proposal, and within several months, I received an approval from W.’s IRB department that I could start data collection and data analysis.
I continued to receive support and guidance from Graduate Student Research and her team while working on chapters 4 and 5. Graduate Student Research would work with me one-on-one for many hours, she worked effortlessly with me to answer the IRB questionnaire regarding my research study. She also worked with me to make edits to my final chapters which was overwhelming, frustrating, and very challenging. Graduate Student Research motivated, encouraged, and even prayed for me during a few of our one-on-one calls. I can honestly say that Graduate Student Research and her research team provided countless hours of support and assistance when I needed it most.
Furthermore, this Professionals’ Research Group provided me with one-on-one support and expertise, and each one of them has been vital to my overall experience and success while being an online student at W. University. By sharing their own research experiences, books, peer-reviewed articles, PowerPoint presentations, and statistical software applications this team definitely empowered and motivated me to continue working hard throughout the dissertation process.
Overall, I would like to acknowledge that Graduate Student Research and the Ph.D. Professionals’ Group has supported and mentored many students to the very end of their doctorate journey. I have heard countless stories from many of the doctoral students on how this professional research team helped to guide their dissertation journey. And, after working effortlessly with this professional research team for over two years, I received an official approval from W.’s CAO on December 19, 2023, that my dissertation could be submitted to ProQuest for publishing. This was definitely a day that I will never forget!
As a recent doctoral graduate, I highly recommend that online universities around the globe should look into seeking scholarly expertise from professional academic researchers such as Graduate Student Research and the team. Therefore, it is my recommendation to other doctoral students whose goals and dreams are to complete this enormous milestone, to communicate as often as possible with their academic advisor and research chair/committee on a regular basis. Although staying committed to writing a dissertation can be challenging, but with the right strategies and mindset, the doctoral candidate must maintain consistency, focus, and determination. Here are a few tips that I recommend in the beginning stages of the proposal stage. Always remember to set clear expectations and goals for yourself, find a support system, prioritize tasks, manage stress levels, and establish effective coping tactics are key fundamental practices during this process. Implementing these strategies encourages the doctoral candidate to stay committed to writing their dissertation and ultimately achieve their goal of completing their doctoral program.
Finally, without a doubt, this lifelong journey for me represents not just an academic goal, but a personal aspiration to contribute meaningfully to the field of Mental Health for Minorities as well as push the boundaries of higher education and knowledge throughout the generations to come.
Humbly,
Dr. Harris