Be All In

Abstract

Doctoral programs can be intimidating, and despite the rumors and expectations, potential candidates will never know what the process is until he/she begins his/her journey because the journey is different for each individual. This chapter addresses the lived experiences of how one can finish a doctoral program by combining the correct amount of focus, attitude, and grit. Existing research about completing doctoral programs tend to focus on finding out how completing a program is based on theoretical frameworks, conceptual frameworks, literature reviews, discipline-specific methodological designs, and data analyses. However, there may be limited evidence that researchers who have been recent graduates are currently persisting candidates have approached the issue of starting and completing a program. Consequently, this chapter purports through the lived experiences of a recent completer to problematize the intent of building a cohesive understanding of the four quarters of the relationships that can exist between players make up the team needed to “be all in” the doctoral process.