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.

You Weren't Supposed to Know This Already

4 Aug 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:09

In this YouTube monologue, Steve Tippins, Ph.D., argues that doctoral programs mistakenly assume incoming students already know how to write a dissertation and navigate academic politics. He critiques advisors who treat students as junior faculty, demanding independent research and vague targets without clear guidance. Tippins asserts that most PhD dropouts stem from a lack of mentorship rather than ability, emphasizing that dissertation writing is a skill to be taught, not an intelligence test. He identifies a systemic mentorship gap—many supervisors were never trained to mentor—and offers a concrete help resource, inviting viewers to comment "help" to receive a link to a free dissertation support community.

Chapters

You aren't supposed to enter a Ph.D. program already knowing how to write a dissertation. That's what the program is for. Yet somewhere along the way academia seems to have forgotten that. Far too often advisors treat their students like junior faculty members. They expect students to independently navigate vague instructions, execute complex research, and hit highly specific targets that were never clearly laid out. And then the system acts surprised when half of Ph.D. students drop out. The truth is that most dropouts are not due to lack of capability. They happen because students are being judged on work that they never learned how to do. A dissertation is not an intelligence test. It's a reflection of clear guidance and good mentorship. When mentorship is missing, students inevitably internalize that struggle, thinking that they should know how to do this by now. But you shouldn't. No one begins a doctorate already equipped to manage academic politics, conduct totally independent research, or write a 150-page manuscript. Those are the skills you are there to learn. The root of the problem is a systemic gap. Many supervisors just weren't taught how to mentor. If you are feeling lost in the process, comment "help" and we will send you the link to our free dissertation help community. You've got this!