And so it ends …

• • 22 Comments

I started this PhD not far off four years ago. Yesterday I received my examiners' reports, and they both recommended that I 'be awarded the PhD degree without further examination or amendment' (though not without criticism, I must add). So now all that remains for me to do is submit two permanent bound copies to the university, and then I get to wear the much-coveted silly hat!

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22 thoughts on “And so it ends …”

  7. Erik Lund

    Congratulations! I had to make changes. So I hate you now. But my regalia didn't have stupid hats, so we're even.

  13. Ian Evans

    Nice one!
    In Edinburgh the Vice Chancellor hits you over the head with his silly hat. Any Oz equivalent?

  14.

    Well done!

    I see that Ian Evans has already mentioned how it's done in Edinburgh. For completeness, I'd add that the hat in question is reputedly made from John Knox's breeches, and features an embroidered University coat of arms that was flown on the space shuttle. Because we're like that at Edinburgh.

  16. JDK

    All hail!

    So that's all the universe, rather than nothingness (academically speaking, of course). So what next, Passworthy?

    I'm delighted to hear it, and as one of the so far privileged few readers (now to be joined by a Jackie Collins sized readership, no doubt, all fighting over those two bound copies) I think it thoroughly deserves the funny-hat award. If the funny hat they fire at you from the Melb Uni Cannon is made from the underpants of the intergalactic explorer Ned of Kelly, well so much the better.

  17.

    Excellent news, Dr Holman! Many congratulations.

    (Perhaps visualizing The Funny Hat just beyond the finishing line will inspire me to get through the wall...)

  19.  Post author

    Wow, thanks everyone -- I'm touched! I'm worried about the gown, Liam: I have a nasty feeling that somebody else will turn up wearing the same one, which would be so embarrassing. I don't think we have any silly traditions to go with the silly hat (and silly gown); perhaps we should look to JDK to invent one. (Or not!)

    What happens now? I'll keep blogging, and trying to get some papers out (one day ...) There are no academic jobs around here so at least I won't be distracted by job hunting in the near future! As for the book, as I said the examiners made some criticisms of the thesis, in places quite strongly. But they are constructive criticisms, and I think it would be a good idea to address them before turning the thesis into a book. Unfortunately, that would require (in part) a bout of archival research in the UK, at least 3 months' worth -- which I would love to do, but who is going to fund somebody who is no longer a student and not yet an academic to do that? Probably not realistic in the near future. On the plus side, if the book is going to be substantially different from the thesis then that allays some of my concerns about an open access electronic version of the latter.

  20. Chris Williams

    Well done, mate. The thing with the gown is that it's OK if two of you are wearing the same one, so long as you don't try to do it at the same time.

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