Our newest seminar
“The 5 Most Frustrating Mistakes that Keep Students Stuck in Graduate School for An Extra 2 Years”
We have been training graduate students since 2009, and we see really smart students make the same mistakes over and over again. In this workshop you will discover:
- How to stay confident that you can finish, no matter how behind you feel,
- Why cutting down on your work hours can help you finish sooner,
- How to map out a plan to finish even if you feel hopeless or drained,
- The root cause of procrastination and burnouts, and
- What professors really look for when they evaluate your thesis and papers.
Please contact Dora at dora@finishyourthesis.com to get more information about this seminar or related topics.
Other seminars
“Boost Your Productivity Without Working Longer Hours”
Working 60-80 hours weeks seem to be norm in many research environments, yet few people are satisfied with their progress. This seminar will cover essential productivity tips so that you can turn your work hours into tangible results. In this workshop you will discover:
- What are the main factors that prevent you from being productive
- How you get into the cycle of procrastination and burnout, and
- Why making small shifts your daily structure and work habits can double your productivity
Please contact Dora at dora@finishyourthesis.com to get more information about this seminar or related topics.
“Simple Strategies To Resolve Conflicts With Difficult Supervisors And Coworkers”
Research is based on teamwork, and you have to work with many different types of people during your career. Resolving conflicts and developing mutually beneficial solutions are essential to progress in your work. In this workshop you will discover:
- A very simple three step process that resolves 90% of conflicts,
- The most common communication mistakes that can keep you stick in grad school,
- Practical strategies to cope with really difficult people at the workplace.
Please contact Dora at dora@finishyourthesis.com to get more information about this seminar or related topics.
“Overcome Writer’s Block And Finish Writing Your Thesis And Manuscripts”
It is common for graduate students and postdoctoral fellow to struggle with writing up their theses and drafting manuscripts for publication. This workshop will teach you the strategies necessary to stay focused and write a high-quality thesis and publications. In this workshop you will discover:
- Why you get writer’s block regardless of how much writing experience you have,
- What areas of your manuscript to focus on during the different stages of writing,
- How to motivate yourself to write daily so you can finish your thesis and publications.
Please contact Dora at dora@finishyourthesis.com to get more information about this seminar or related topics.
“Strategies to Put Your Thesis and Industry Career on Fast Track at the Same Time”
It is a mistake to wait until you finish your thesis or your postdoctoral research to start exploring career options. Networking and career workshops will not only help you to learn about different career paths, but they can also give inspiration and ideas to complete your research. In this workshop you will discover:
- How to create an effective job searching strategy while working on your thesis,
- Why networking is the most powerful job searching tool even if you are shy, and
- How employers decide which candidates to interview during the hiring process.
Please contact Dora at dora@finishyourthesis.com to get more information about this seminar or related topics.
About Dr. Dora Farkas
Dr. Dora Farkas received her Ph.D. from MIT in the Department of Biological Engineering, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Tufts Medical School, and worked for several years in the pharmaceutical industry as a Senior Scientist. Dora is a thesis and career coach and the creator of the “Finish Your Thesis” online course.If you would like to discuss any seminar topics please contact Dora at dora@finishyourthesis.com.
Testimonials
I recently organized a very well-received presentation by Dr. Dora Farkas entitled “Simple Strategies to Resolve Conflicts with Difficult Supervisors and Coworkers.” Postdoctoral scholars and graduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were very attentive and engaged. Dr. Farkas has a clear and lively presentation style. She excels at relating new information to her audience in ways that make it accessible and relevant. She keeps her audience with her the whole time, giving illustrative scenarios, seeking examples and feedback, and answering specific questions. She also used a number of interactive exercises as a group and in pairs, in a low-key and comfortable way and without losing momentum. There were clearly “aha” moments for the postdocs and students when she described different kinds of “difficult people” and provided corresponding strategies for constructively moving forward with conversations and projects. The accompanying slide presentation and handout were clear, well-organized, skillfully interwoven, and very informative. By the end of the session, participants seemed more confident about applying basic principles of assertive communication in ways that would be both appropriate and effective. I recommend this workshop for those who want to improve communications and work more effectively with supervisors, coworkers, and collaborators in an academic or industry environment, and also for those who wish to mentor and supervise others effectively. Dana Bresee Keeth, Director of Postdoctoral Services, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dr. Dora Farkas recently presented her webinar on “Simple Strategies to Double your Productivity and Overcome Writer’s Block” to our graduate students at the University of Calgary. The feedback that we received from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Several graduate students have commented on how Dora’s recommendations on making small shifts in their daily habits have genuinely improved their motivation to write. As a Ph.D. candidate in my final year, I have attended numerous workshops on procrastination, productivity, writers block, etc. and nothing seemed to stick. Dora’s strategies are simple and they truly work. I have written more since participating in her webinar than I had in the past six months before it! I highly recommend taking one of Dora’s workshops, you will not regret it! Adrianne Offenbecker, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Calgary, Canada
Informative, to-the-point, and inspiring – that is how I can describe Dr. Dora Farkas’ presentation at MIT of “Marketing Yourself Effectively for Non-Academic Career Opportunities.” I was very fortunate that Dr. Farkas accepted my invitation to speak at this seminar that I co-organized. In a simple and clear way she presented strategies helping PhD-level researchers to set themselves apart from the other candidates and secure attractive job outside of academia. She gave many examples from her own career path and emphasized the importance of getting the right mindset for a job in industry. As an organizer, I was very glad to hear the excellent feedback of the audience after the seminar. Dr. Farkas shared a lot of useful tips regarding networking, structuring a job search, and acing a job interview, which I am certainly going to implement in my future search for a non-academic job position.Milena Lazova, Ph.D., Postdoctoral researcher, MIT Department of Biology
Dr. Dora Farkas’ presented a workshop: “Be Productive without Working Longer Hours” at Boston University School of Medicine, Division of Graduate Medical Sciences. I was very happy that Dr. Farkas accepted my invitation to speak at this workshop that I organized. She presented strategies helping PhD-level researchers to become more productive on the job and in life without spending more time. She provided specific strategies to help trainees break the habits which make life unnecessarily difficult. She gave examples about the productivity myths which were eye opening and very effective. Dr. Farkas shared a lot of useful tips regarding, being productive and using time wisely. I am inviting Dr. Farkas to give future talks and workshops to the trainees, as a matter of fact, she and I are developing a series of workshops to help and enrich Ph.D. training while in academia. Yolanta Kovalko, Administrative Manager, Office of Professional Development and Postdoctoral Affairs, Boston University School of Medicine
I attended Dora’s workshop to learn leadership skills to improve my research and career and it was an excellent decision! In very narrow time frame she delivered a very clear and well-structured presentation with practical strategies to help us achieve the best in almost every scientific environment. Dora’s interactive approach as well as her hands-on group exercises gave me great tools to deal with challenging and demanding situations within different research teams. Her experience in both academia and industry gave me opportunity to delineate differences in various working environments. I was also very satisfied with the part of her workshop dedicated to more efficient meeting strategies and mentoring young scientist. I truly believe that every research institution or lab could highly benefit from Dora’s workshops.Darko Stevanovic, MD/Ph.D., Research Fellow, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Dora Farkas’s workshop on how to resolve conflicts with difficult supervisors and coworkers is highly useful for academic researchers. The handout provided by Dora was spot-on with its tips, descriptions of different personalities, and questions guiding one through difficult situations. The workshop actually helped me not only to characterize the personalities of my colleagues, but mine too. I really liked Dora’s assertive yet laid-back approach, which encouraged the attendees to share their views and stories. Her PhD and post-doc experiences definitely help her to relate to our problems, and guide us effectively and efficiently in any matter related to life in academia. I would definitely recommend her to any graduate student or post-doctoral associate who might need guidance with their career development.Sila Toksoz Ataca, PhD Student, Boston University Medical School
Dr. Dora Farkas’ presentation of “Simple Strategies to Revolve Conflicts with Difficult Supervisors” at the Broad Institute was one of the best seminars I have ever attended. Her presentation was informative, well-organized, easy to understand, inspirational and fun. As an organizer of the event, I was very pleased that the audience was very engaged. Dr. Farkas did an outstanding job in creating a supportive environment so people felt comfortable sharing their experience of working with difficult supervisors. In the seminar, she presented examples of several types of difficult supervisors as well as case studies and provided us simple but effective strategies for dealing with difficult people.I highly recommend Dr. Farkas. She not only has an expertise in this area but also is a friendly, approachable, and energetic person. I would definitely invite her again if I organize similar events in the future.Kinrin Yamaka, Ph.D., Postdoctoral researcher, MIT Department of Biology
The past weekend, I attended Dr. Farkas’ “Overcome Writer’s Block” seminar at the University of Connecticut. I was fortunate enough to meet with Dr. Farkas for lunch to discuss additional details about her background and her experience in graduate school. I was surprised to find out that the problems she remedied in her presentation directly related to me. The presentation was well organized and engaging. Multiple times we broke off into partners with our fellow colleagues to discuss our own struggles. This was the most helpful part for me; by understanding my fellow colleagues concerns and roadblocks, I was able to identify my own issues using Dr. Farkas’ techniques. I have already implemented a healthier study pattern by addressing what projects were causing me to ‘burn out’. I recommend this presentation to all graduate students looking for a productivity boost, especially those actively looking to remedy their time management issues. The presentation is full of great techniques that can improve your efficiency as a writer. Eric Simning, PhD Student, University of Connecticut
A couple days ago I attended Dr. Farkas’ seminar “Overcome Writer’s Block and Finish Writing Your Thesis and Manuscripts” at Boston University. Her presentation was very informative, well organized, to the point. Dr. Farkas provided us with practical steps by steps guidelines during every stages of the PhD thesis writing process.After the presentation I felt very motivated and less overwhelmed. I have already started applying these techniques and I am becoming so much more productive! Attending her presentation made my writing process so much easier. I would definitely recommend this presentation to anyone experiencing writer’s block. Her techniques will be applicable even beyond graduation.Maripierre Surpis, PhD Student, Boston University Medical School
Dr. Dora Farkas’ talk titled “Overcome Writer’s Block and Finish Writing Your Dissertation and Manuscripts” was informative, engaging, and very helpful. Her presentation was well-organized-she outlined her main objectives and extended these ideas clearly. I have implemented some tips she provided such as setting a realistic goal or staying away from email until the end of your day and my writing has progressed steadily since then. Additionally, I enjoyed the fact that she encouraged attendees to interact with one another and relay their experiences so that they could benefit from strategies that might help them overcome their writer’s block. Overall, Dr. Farkas’ presentation was insightful and interactive; I would highly recommend this workshop to anyone who is struggling with writing. Delia Lopez, PhD Student, Boston University Medical School
I recently attended a workshop by Dr. Dora Farkas on “Simple Strategies to Boost Your Productivity” and “Overcome Writer’s Block” at the University of Connecticut. The workshop was very informative, engaging and well-organized. I was immediately able to relate my graduate life experiences with the examples she used during her presentation.The group exercises made me realize how we all go through the similar achievements or roadblocks, irrespective of our majors, during our graduate life. After the presentation I felt really confident that I could use Dr. Farkas’ techniques to overcome my own issues. The best thing I learned from the workshop is how we can start our day with the most difficult task at hand and stay focused throughout the day from the satisfaction of getting it done. I have already implemented this strategy in my daily routine and I am now able to get more things done without putting more hours of work. I highly recommend this presentation to graduate students who are struggling with their time management issues and trying to stay productive without working long hours. Anwesha Chakrabarti, PhD student, University of Connecticut