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Five Challenges That Every Master's Degree Or Doctoral Degree Candidate Will Face Without A Mentor

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Like many Masters and Doctoral students, you may feel overwhelmed by the challenge. You probably have a lot of questions about how to go about completing your research, preparing for defense, and writing a dissertation. It is not easy to know what to do or where to turn for help.

"I have no idea what to do with my life."

"I can't sleep at night because I'm terrified of failing."

Every student pursuing a Master's degree or a Ph.D. will eventually find themselves in this predicament. For some people, the realization of this fact comes at the beginning of their program, while for others, it comes closer to the time when they are going to graduate. As is the case with many students pursuing master's degrees and doctoral degrees, you could experience feelings of being overpowered by the difficulty. It's likely that you have a lot of questions regarding how to go about finishing your research, getting ready for your defence, and writing your dissertation. Having the knowledge of what to do or where to go for assistance is not a simple task. 

You are not travelling through this adventure by yourself, which is the good news. During the course of their Master's or Ph.D. program, every student will, at some point, encounter identical obstacles. Having a mentor can be of tremendous assistance to you, particularly in circumstances related to this. Not only will a good mentor make sure that you are moving in the right direction, but they will also provide comments on the quality of your work and act as an advisor in the event that you require it. 

However, what are the potential outcomes if you do not hire a coach with a Master's or Ph.D. degree? In the event that a student does not have a mentor along their journey toward obtaining a PhD degree, the following are the five challenges that they may encounter:

The first issue is that you are now unsure on how to manage your dissertation.

Learning how to write a dissertation is not something that can be accomplished in a single day. When it comes to writing a dissertation without the assistance of a coach, there are a number of challenges that any candidate for a Master's or Ph.D. will encounter, despite the fact that it may appear to be a straightforward assignment.

"My research isn't going anywhere, and I'm running out of time," "I'm struggling with my literature review or methodology," "I can't get my thoughts down on paper," and "I feel overwhelmed by everything I have to do for" are all examples of phrases that people express when they are concerned about their academic performance. Every once in a while, these are some of the kinds of ideas that are frequently experienced by Ph.D. scholars. 

According to research conducted by Tsai, J. and Muindi, F. in March 2016, graduate students and postdocs are subjected to a multitude of demands, all of which have the potential to negatively impact their mental health. A poll conducted in 2016 indicated that forty-one percent of PhDs and postdocs were nervous, and thirty-nine percent were depressive.

Scholars need to have one-on-one coaching and mentorship sessions with experienced mentors and clinicians in order to mitigate the psychological impacts of the PhD program. These sessions should not only include support for writing the dissertation, but they should also include mindful sessions to reduce the scholars' anxiety and stress levels.

The second issue is that your dissertation is too large for a single person to handle (or perhaps it isn't).

In the event that you are currently enrolled in a Master's or PhD program, you are probably acutely aware of the quantity of knowledge that will be presented to you throughout the course of your doctoral studies. Not only will there be articles to study on every topic, but there will also be textbooks for graduate students that can be far longer than one thousand pages. The knowledge that you require for your own research, which is frequently highly thorough, specialized, and detailed, is not even taken into consideration by this.

When you are finished with the readings, the next step is to begin writing, which is followed by an infinite cycle of revision. If your supervisor does not provide you with the appropriate assistance or guidance, there is a possibility that you will become entangled in a whirlwind of work that never seems to end. In order to avoid this dilemma, you will need to find a mentor who holds a Master's or Ph.D. degree and can assist you in developing a conceptual or theoretical framework for your dissertation study.

Through the use of a survey, Gamage, K. A. A., Perera, D. A. S., and Wijewardena, M. A. D. N. (2021) investigated the influence that coaching and mentoring have on the level of student participation in the field of higher education. In all, 43 percent of those who participated in the survey expressed a strong agreement with the statement that they would be willing to recommend their coworkers to accept the assistance of a mentor in order to assist them in reaching their full potential.

Concern No. 3: It's Possible That You Have a Lack of Confidence in Your Oral Defence

When you are enrolled in a Master's or PhD program, there will be times when you will be required to present or defend your dissertation in front of the members of your committee. The oral defence is the name given to this. The degree of self-assurance and familiarity with the material that you have studied throughout the defence will determine whether or not you are successful in passing the test.

It is essential to adequately prepare for a successful defence and to make a favourable impression on the members of the committee. This can be accomplished by being able to express your research plan in a way that is both clear and confident. During the preparation for your defence, however, you run the risk of missing some extremely important issues if you do not have a mentor. 

It is vital for you to do a mock-up presentation in front of your mentor on multiple occasions. This will assist you in delivering an effective presentation and successfully defending your Master's or Ph.D. degree. During the defence, this will assist you in maintaining your concentration, self-assurance, and freedom from stress and anxiety.

As for the fourth problem, you do not have an efficient strategy to compete. 

The amount of scholarly work that is being produced by students pursuing their doctoral degrees is astounding. Not only does this result in a rise in the publication of papers on an annual basis, but it also results in an increase in the amount of competition for academic jobs.

Dean's work from 2009 Both mentoring and coaching are forms of professional relationship building that facilitate the acquisition of skills that are necessary for individuals to acquire in order to remain relevant and competitive in the academic environment of higher education.

The amount of experience you have in writing articles in reputable journals is a crucial aspect that plays a role in determining whether or not you will be hired for a popular post. Every year, the rivalry for publication in these journals is getting more intense as a result of the vast number of articles that are being submitted by students pursuing master's degrees and doctoral degrees. Making a submission of a paper that has been published under the guidance of an experienced mentor and includes a structured literature analysis and explanation of research results is one method to differentiate yourself from the remainder of the applicants.

You are at a loss for what to do with all of those grant applications, which would be the fifth problem.

The application for a Master's or Ph.D. grant should be submitted with the primary objective of securing the necessary financing for your research. To be successful in this endeavour, you will need to persuade the panel that you are the most qualified individual to fill the position now available. Not only do you need to demonstrate that you possess the technical abilities and expertise necessary to carry out the research, but you also need to demonstrate that you possess the passion, motivation, and dedication necessary to see it through to completion.

When it comes to submitting an application for a Ph.D. grant, one of the most significant considerations is being aware of the amount of space you have available to work with. Applications for grants are typically limited to a fixed word limit, which means that there is no place for rambling on about things that are not relevant to the requirements of the grant. 

If you do not have the assistance of a mentor, it is very likely that you will make mistakes in your grant applications, which may ultimately result in them being denied. As a result, it is essential to choose a mentor who has prior experience working with a Master's or Ph.D. degree, and is willing to accompany you on your academic journey. For the application process to go as smoothly as possible, you should also look for someone who is easy to get in touch with and can be reached via phone or email.

It is good news for students and candidates for master's and doctoral degrees who want to complete their studies sooner rather than later.

The Master's and doctoral candidate or student is the target audience for the structured premium dissertation coaching program that HAMNIC Solutions has designed. This program is specialized and tailored expressly with the student in mind. Our one-on-one coaching is provided by the real specialists who understand and crystallize the process of doing a research review. These experts are perfectly able to provide you with help as they guide you step-by-step through the process of achieving your stated dissertation goals and bringing them to a successful conclusion.


Please visit our website here to access a wide range of free resources, research templates, and guidelines. If you ever Comprehensive research guidance and project support in writing your research project, review journal, article, or dissertation, our team of professionals is always ready to guide you through your research journey.

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