How I helped one student move from disqualified to successful defense in just three months using the power of connection

The moral of the story you are about to read: Having a support team matters for success.

One summer, a student booked a “Back-on-Track” call with me because I was her last hope before she gave up on her degree all together and dropped out. For the sake of confidentiality, let’s call her Brooke.

Brooke was a media studies student, completing an MA dissertation on the prevalence of racial conflict on social media. She was enrolled in an online program for an institution based in another country. She had a fantastic research topic but with only three months to go before her hard submission deadline, she was at an all-time low with her degree.

When she came to me, Brooke felt that there was no way she could successfully graduate. Despite being both dedicated and talented, she was struggling with ADHD and found it very hard to sit down and work on her project consistently. In fact, although she had pages of notes on her topic, she had not written a single word of her manuscript nor collected a single piece of data.

To make matters worse, our conversation revealed that Brooke’s institution was at best neglectful and at worst actively obstructive. Brooke had struggled for months with arbitrarily shifting deadlines, accidental unenrollments, miscommunications, and supervisory changes. She also shared her private conviction that she was experiencing low-key systemic racism for both herself and her chosen topic. These had culminated in an unreasonable ultimatum from her program: if she did not have an approved project outline within one week, she would be disqualified from her program.

With so many external challenges on top of her new ADHD diagnosis, it was almost impossible for Brooke to focus on her actual project. Her day-to-day moments of clarity were eaten up by her struggle to stay enrolled in her program and put out fires. She felt alone, under attack, and pretty hopeless. She had even started doubting whether her project was good enough to keep fighting for. She came to me asking – without much hope- if I could give her some tips on how to improve her focus so she could meet her one-week deadline.

From that first call, what was clear to me that although Brooke absolutely did need help with focus, her real need was much deeper: she was struggling because she was fundamentally alone.

Brooke needed a mentor who could guide her in her project development. She needed someone to feel accountable to, to keep her working on the project consistently. She needed a partner and ally who would validate her struggles and advocate for her. And she needed proof that her project mattered in the world.

Moreover, she needed these things fast, because unless she could demonstrate progress on her project within the next few days, her program was going to disqualify her.

Over the next few weeks, we worked on a three-pronged solution to Brooke’s problems directly. First, we wrote her outline together and hit the “submit” button. This was the crucial first step that prevented her program from disqualifying her. Within a few hours, Brooke had confirmation that her work had been approved and she was free to complete her semester. Now she could focus on getting on with the project.

For the second part of the plan, we created a detailed writing timeline that adhered to Brooke’s personal schedule and what we knew about her ADHD. With me beside her to remind, cajole, encourage, and push her, Brooke knew exactly what she should be doing hour-by-hour and felt motivated to actually do it.

Third, and most importantly, we set up a support framework that incorporated regular meetings and check-ins with me, as well as a circle of friends, peers, and family members that Brooke had not thought to lean on. Now, Brooke knew exactly who to reach out to if she felt overwhelmed or anxious. She knew who to call if she needed a mental health break or help cooking dinner. She had people telling her that her work was good, her topic was important, and her happiness mattered.

The change that these three easy steps made in Brooke’s progress was phenomenal. After one month, she had completed the introduction and literature review and had them approved, and she was deeply immersed in (and loving every minute of) her primary data collection.

Then, something magical happened. I connected Brooke to another of my students, Kaliyah. Kaliyah had just successfully defended her dissertation and was working on a similar topic to Brooke—institutionalized racism. Kaliyah had faced similar struggles to Brooke and overcome them—she had a lot of important insight to offer. Here was the mentor Brooke had needed all along! These two awesome scholars connected in person during a workshop I held that fall and became instant friends.

The simple act of putting a network of connections in place for Brooke empowered her on all the fronts that mattered:

• She was able to focus, because she felt accountable to someone who cared
• She made progress with the project, because she had help when she got stuck or distracted
• She was motivated, because there were people around her giving encouragement and positive feedback
• She was able to navigate her institutional challenges, because she felt validated and supported
• She was able to persevere, because empathetic people were there for her to lean on
• She was able to see her own expertise, because others in her network benefited from her in return

Brooke’s story ends happily. Within two months, she had completed the first draft of her dissertation and submitted it. A month later, her revisions had been approved and she had successfully defended her dissertation. She and Kaliyah have stayed in touch, and both are now supporting each other in turning their research into popular books for publication.

Students don’t just need my expertise. They need connections to others – as many and as varied as possible. I learned from this story too, and in the months since Brooke graduated, I’ve been revising my services to support this need for connection. Watch out in the weeks to come for more information on what I came up with…

“She was so kind, understanding, and helpful. She was exactly what I needed to get through the dissertation writing process. She made what’s usually a super complicated, and difficult process, very clear, and so understandable, that I was never confused about what to do next in the process. She also made me feel like I was never alone in the process, and that I had a teammate that would see me through the finish line. That in and of itself, the not feeling alone, is truly priceless, and how dreams get accomplished. You’re the best Dr. Harrison. Your work matters!” ?Brooke, 2023.