Submitted

Stayed up more or less all night Wednesday night to finish the penultimate draft of the dissertation. Turning individual documents into one big document -- without messing up spacing, fonts, margins, bolding, or other features -- was the largest consumer of my time. Nevertheless, I submitted copies to all four committee members and turned in the form to officially schedule my defense with the graduate school. April 18 10 am.

I also scheduled an appointment with the thesis office for final deposit (the copy that ends up in the library and the copy that goes to Bell and Howell, formerly university microfilms). That office can be scary. If they don't accept your thesis, then they can delay your graduation.

In the meantime, I need to prepare for the oral defense of the dissertation. This is the last exam of my career as a student. Defenses are, in my opinion, a combination of celebration and the last critical evaluation of the candidate. I meet with Tony, my advisor, on Tuesday to clarify his expectations.