ABSTRACT
The last stage of my doctoral studies was quite eventful; however, I will start my narrative on one significant incident that kicked off this stage, my pregnancy. I have to admit, my husband and I were quite naïve and very optimistic when we decided to start a family before I finished my degree. In the perfect plan, I thought I would have my baby soon after I completed the degree. In reality, that perfect scenario didn’t happen. Owing to the unexpected low return rate of my dissertation survey, I had to send out a second round of surveys to makeup the insufficient data for my research. Consequently, the amount of time it took for data collection was much longer than I had planned. While I waited again for the surveys to be returned, I had to take a break to have my baby. The pregnancy
and a delay in collecting dissertation data resulted in almost a whole year delay in my graduation timeline. By this time, almost all my cohorts had finished their degrees and left either for home or for a job. I had to spend the last few months writing by myself, which was quite lonely without the peer support that I had often relied on during my doctoral studies. According to Protivnak & Foss (2009), peer support has been identified as one of the significant support systems for doctoral students. Ali & Kohun (2007) also assert that doctoral students who decided not to complete their degree often stated that the reason for non-completion was due to feelings of social isolation. I found myself often reaching out to my dissertation advisor whom I trusted and depended on not only for academic support but for moral and psychological support. We worked closely during that time, brainstorming ways to increase the survey return rate or suggestions on how I should write the last few chapters.
