Steve Tippins explains why PhD graduates often feel lost after defending their dissertation. The sudden absence of structure and deadlines can feel like falling off a cliff, but it's a normal grief response to finishing something that defined your life for years.
Finishing your dissertation should feel like a victory lap. Instead, for many students, it feels like they're falling off a cliff. The day after your defense, the intact structure holding your life together completely falls apart. No more deadlines or committee check-ins, just sudden silence. This sudden disorientation is not a sign of weakness, it's just a shift. It's grief. You're entering a massive life transition that no one actually prepares you for. Comment scholar and we will send you the link to my free Scholar Career Network. You've got this!
