Steve Tippins Ph.D.Helping doctoral students get their dissertation accepted, succeed in their careers, & change the world | Academic Career Advisor | Dissertation Chair & Founder, Beyond PhD Coaching | 35 + years of experience.

What Actually Happen After You Pass Your Comps

26 Aug 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:00

In this short advisory video, Steve Tippins, Ph.D., outlines the immediate steps a doctoral student should take after successfully completing their comprehensive exams. He emphasizes the need for a brief mental and physical recovery period before diving back into work, then advises reviewing university-specific dissertation requirements, selecting a chair and committee, and refining dissertation ideas or proposals based on any feedback received. He also promotes joining a dissertation help group for additional support. The overall message balances self‑care with proactive planning to transition smoothly from exams to dissertation work.

Chapters

Once you've completed the exam, what comes next? Well, first, collapse, breathe, relax. And that doesn't happen in a day. You know, you might need 3 days or 4 days, but take a little bit of time. Don't just jump right back into something because your brain just needs some space. And your family might need to see you a little bit too. Then look at your university requirements. Hey, did I take the traditional exam, comprehensive exam? Now I've got to go and start preparing for my dissertation. Same thing with the, hey, you get 4 take-home questions. Now I've got to start preparing for my dissertation. So it's, what are my university guidelines? Is there a template? Who's going to be my chair? Who's going to be my committee? What are my ideas? And start off that way. If it's the 3rd approach we talked about where you're working on your proposal, then hallelujah! Just keep working more on it. You might get feedback from your committee at this point. Start with that feedback and start moving forward. I've also worked with a number of people to prepare for their comprehensive exams. If you're interested, become a member of our dissertation help group.