Seven Useful Tips On Preparing For Your Geography Dissertation Defense

After spending weeks researching, writing, and editing your geography dissertation the next challenging step that is in front of you is defending it. You put in so much time already into your project you may feel overwhelmed or even intimidated. There are seven useful tips to getting ready for this nerve wrecking step:

1. Do not complicate it. Stand up there and simply state what you did, how you did it, and why you wanted to do it. Answer the questions as they come.
2. Be honest in all your answers. They have all been over your paper, and they are experts at going over papers, so trying to bluff your way through will not work. If you do not have the answer then just tell them that.
3. Know when you should stop talking. You do not need to go on and on. You also do not want to repeat what you are saying in a million different ways. Sometimes the best thing to do is embrace the silence and wait for the next question.
4. The committee is not expecting you to fail. They are not trying to pick on you. Keeping this is in the mind will help you not be so uneasy. They are familiar with your paper and probably already know that you will succeed.
5. Be well rested. A sleepy, groggy mind will not help you to relate your information in a clear way so try to go to bed early the night before. Going out the night before with your friends is a very bad idea.
6. Prepare the night before. Get your notes together and reread them the night before so that you are comfortable with what you are going to say. Be certain of any large or hard to pronounce words.
7. Dress professionally. This is a big day, and you are the expert on your project, look like it. Going in looking prepared and ready for success will make you feel more confident.

There is no real reason to be nervous, but you will be. You have done all your research, you know your information, and now you get to prove that you have truly worked your hardest to create a quality paper. Embrace that knowledge and let it give you the confidence you need to make an impression on everyone in the room.