The “And Then There Were None” technique of graduating with a Ph.D. is to be deployed when you have the ultimate advisor problem. 

You need to graduate and your advisor is not letting you. Talking to your advisor is like banging your head against a wall, so don’t waste energy doing that.

In fact, that could be your downfall, and we need to avoid that at all costs. Avoid becoming isolated and as a Ph.D. student, you have to work hard to make sure of that.

This is YOUR business and you have to take matters into your own hands. As I have emphasized in past posts, there are others you must focus on first: the rest of your committee members, the department administration, and members of your collaboration if your research group is part of a larger collaboration.

You need to approach these people, show them your work, get their feedback, and in doing so, get their support for you to graduate.

It needs to be normalized that you are graduating and on your way out. Your biggest ammunition when approaching these people is your thesis. This is why it is so incredibly important to get your thesis written.

How to Make a Case For Graduation With a PhD

You need to have a good-looking draft of your thesis ready to show everyone. It should look like a full thesis and have enough bulk to it. It doesn’t have to be your full thesis – you are still working on that.

The point is to have a draft that people will take seriously. It will greatly help if you also have an impressive job lined up.

I am going to write a book on how to find a job before you graduate. Of course, it will be available to you for free here on the blog. 

Armed with your thesis draft and job offer, you must approach your committee, the administration, or whomever it takes, and present your case.

Note that the above does not involve continuing to argue with your advisor. If your advisor is demoralizing you, it is better to minimize interactions with them. A strategy is far more important in this case and that strategy entails gaining support for graduation from other individuals who are not your advisor but have influence over the situation. Recognize who those individuals are and take action to get them on board.

This is why I call this the “And Then There Were None” strategy because your advisor will be the last person to get on board. In the meantime, work on everyone else. Also, this will mean that you continue working on your research and writing everything up rather than wasting time engaging with your advisor who is not budging.

A situation where you feel very desperate to graduate is not one suitable for high-quality work anyway, so focusing on something positive and achievable will also let you finish the work that you need to get done in order to graduate.

Have faith; if you have come this far, you will graduate, regardless of whether your advisor is supportive or not. It might take time and I know how stressful it can feel while you are hanging in there.

They might delay you for a semester or two, but they will come around once you have everyone else on your side. And then there will be none left to convince, and you can actually graduate! Good luck and let me know your questions below.