In 2017, I completed my Doctor of Education at Johns Hopkins University through their online doctorate program through the JHU School of Education. This marked the conclusion of several years of doctoral research on South Asian American students’ experiences in K-12 schools.

A quick aside about my work: My research examined how teacher cultural competence, perceptions shaped by the model minority myth, and everyday classroom practices influence the academic and social experiences of South Asian American students. My findings suggest that low cultural proficiency among educators can contribute to reduced support for these students. I’ve written about the research itself elsewhere on this site

(→ You can explore some of my research and published writing on the “research” page)

…but here, I want to discuss how I actually survived the program. Doing an online doctorate (isolated; away from peers), while working, and then while pregnant, and then with a baby, can be difficult, so its useful to seek out advice on it. But while there’s a lot of advice out there about surviving your doctorate, I thought I’d share how to survive your online doctorate specifically.

(→ You can read about how I studied for my doctoral comprehensive exams with a baby here)

So I talked to classmates and colleagues and compiled a list of some recommendations and strategies that actually work. I’m republishing that advice now, updated, with some retrospective notes from a decade on the other side of it, for anyone currently in an online doctoral program, or thinking about starting one. If you’re in an online doctoral program (or thinking about one) I hope this post proves useful.

How to survive your online doctorate (and thrive!)

First, it must be said that the online nature of online doctorate programs is both a blessing and a curse. Most days you’re grateful you can attend a top-tier program from your own kitchen island. Other days the isolation, the asynchronous-everything, and the lack of physical structure will threaten to make your brain explode. Now you have to remember that this was pre-Covid, before the whole world became experienced with all kinds of WFH. Me and my cohort-mates felt like pioneers in doing real work and learning from home. 🙂

1. Caffeinate yourself

“Invest in a reliable coffee maker.”

— Nick Sproull

I literally ordered a Nespresso after hearing this advice (it’s been replaced with the same model twice in the last decade, but it’s still a part of my daily routine). Caffeine was a critical part of surviving through long readings and longer papers.

Looking back: With hindsight, I’d say protecting sleep matters more than caffeine but also this is a do as I say and not as I did reflection… having a baby in the middle of the program was a funny choice. Caffeine deserved a thank you in my dissertation.

2. Build relationships with your cohort

Research is inherently an individual, and therefore somewhat lonely, task. And on top of that, unless you’re surrounded by others immersed in similar work, nobody around you really grasps what you’re doing. And if you’re in an online program (many EdD / doctor of education programs are), you’re not in a physical classroom, and even if you have a great support system, nobody around you will really get what you’re experiencing. That’s why you should:

“Build relationships with your cohort (and others). No one — even doc students from other schools — can relate to what it’s like to do an Ed.D. online in three years.”

— Nick Sproull

“Develop a method of communication between your cohort and maybe even your specialization so you can connect with your classmates for general chatter and discussion. For us, we opted to use a Facebook group but also use the forums online at JHU.

The Facebook group to us is like the student lounge where you’d normally see classmates and catch up. Since we’re spread all out, it helps us get together and talk. You can discuss assignments and ask questions, and you’ll often find that where you think you are alone on a topic most of your classmates felt the same way or had the same questions!”

— Kelly Galanis

Working through doctoral-level coursework is a deeply independent and sometimes isolating experience. You’re not in a physical classroom, and even if you have great support at home, nobody around you actually gets what you’re going through, so connecting with others in your program is survival.

Looking back: Me and three other classmates formed a study group for comps—and our study sessions (where we got together in person) are still some of the most memorable parts of my doctorate experience nearly a decade later. I could not have gotten through comps without those three.

3. Accept that an online doctorate (or any doctorate) is hard

“Enjoy it. It’s hard work, but you opted into this… so you might as well embrace the challenges and the joys.”

— Nick Sproull

It’s doctoral-level coursework. It helps to accept that it’s supposed to be hard. The initial shock of how challenging it is — especially compared to your master’s program — is one of the biggest hurdles you’ll face. But you adjust. As my grandfather puts it:

“Kam karan ton koi marda nahin.” (No one dies from hard work).

Looking back: It was hard—harder, even, than I expected it to be—but I also got better at studying (and thinking). And so the me-that-I-became no longer found it to be unmanageably hard as time went on. I learned not to complain. I learned to stop doubting myself. I got better at handling more. I dealt with some challenges that made me stronger. I felt myself getting better at reasoning and thinking as time went on. And I kept reminding myself that I chose to be here, and there would be real value at the end of this path.

And so, some bonus tips here:

• As is true about most hard things, complaining just makes it harder. Don’t complain.
• The self-doubt you will inevitably feel will pass.
• Your stamina for the work will increase, and it won’t continue to seem so hard throughout the program
• The challenges you face in your online doctorate will make you stronger (as a scholar, and possibly as a person)
• You’ll quite literally feel yourself getting smarter and more capable as time goes on
• And if you really get stuck in a mountain of readings while your day job gets busier, you can remind yourself: You chose this.
• Remember what you’re working toward.

At the end of the road, you’ll have achieved something significant. Like, yes, you’ll also get to put “Dr.” in front of your name, but you’ll also contribute something of actual value to the literature in your field.

OK, those first 3 tips were how to survive. Now the remainng tips are on how to actually thrive.

4. Master APA early

“Become excellent at APA citations. If you can nail them down early on, you will have less to manage later. Tools like EndNote and RefWorks are helpful for managing these citations over the long term.”

— Kelly Galanis

Looking back: I cannot believe how intensely APA style writing became ingrained in my brain. I also understand that right now, a decade later, there are probably a number of tools that make the process even easier. Since I’m not working in that world, I don’t know (a) what’s best out there or (b) what’s allowed. I do know that it’s insane that there are people pursuing doctorates right now in the age of AI and I can’t begin to imagine the ways it’s impacting research (or ethics in research, or academic integrity, etc).

5. Figure out what works for you early in your online doctorate program

“You’ll quickly learn about yourself and your habits in a program like this. Don’t try to change your style — learn to develop habits that work with your style. I’m a natural procrastinator, and I tried to adapt different styles and get things done early, but it never worked and led me to be more stressed out. So I just plan to work on assignments closer to due dates and the work gets done. Know your strengths and weaknesses and you’ll succeed.”

— Kelly Galanis

6. Find your rhythm

“Find a rhythm and routine as quickly in the semester as possible — not only the time and place you want to study, but how you want to organize yourself.”

— Nick Sproull

I’d add: once you make a plan, be disciplined either with your schedule or with the priorities on your to-do list. Self-discipline and time management aren’t optional skills in this kind of program!!!!

7. Develop a good note-taking strategy

Consider making an individual capture document for each session or each class (depending on how your program is structured).

For example, in my program, each semester was broken into approximately week-long sessions. So I created a document for every single session (e.g. “Disciplinary Approaches to Education — SESSION 1”). And I’d copy all my documents, readings, presentations, and even copy-pasted relevant forum discussions from that session into that document, so I had a searchable hub for all of my notes.

Everyone works differently, but my system involved: (1) identifying my weekly tasks, (2) having a system for managing and annotating my readings, and (3) having a system for managing my discussion posts. My assignments and dissertation work were in their own separate mental category. 

I used Google Drive throughout my program (mostly because I wanted to be able to access my notes from different devices, and so I could back it up to both my hard drive and cloud). In 2026 and beyond I’m sure there are other and maybe better platforms you could use (Notion, Obsidian, etc).

8. Develop a good system for tracking readings

“I printed out all the readings we were ever assigned in the program. After a while, I realized I wanted to keep a record of my annotations, so I put them into an Excel doc with keywords attached. This made it easier to keep track of ideas.”

— Natalie Duvall

Some people prefer physical documents and I assumed I was one of these people, so my first semester I printed out nearly 1,000 pages of readings. And then I realized I actually prefer reading on my computer. Cool. I need readings, notes, and ideas to be searchable. So in the end I switched to an entirely digital system (see tip #7 above).

Moving to a fully digital system ended up being perfect for me (even if I prefer pen and paper to brain dump or make to-do lists). So when I was ready to begin studying for comps (and even while writing my dissertation), having all my readings, notes, and even my discussion posts about the readings all in one digital, searchable space, was incredible.

9. Become close with your advisers

“Work with your adviser and professors, and don’t be afraid to ask questions — that’s what they’re there for. My adviser actually passed away during my program, and I had to choose a new one.
Luckily, I’d been working with another committee member I felt comfortable asking to take me on, thanks to conversations we’d had earlier. So it’s okay — important, even — to get connected to these individuals.”

— Kelly Galanis

10. Try not to think too far ahead

For a doctorate in education (Ed.D.), generally our research is applied — so we start with our problem of practice, and don’t begin thinking through potential solutions or interventions until much later. This approach also allows us to fully and deeply understand the problem, so we don’t come at it with stupid interventions early on. Hence, this great advice to help you survive your online doctorate:

“Focus on your problem, not your solution. The sooner you beat that into your head, the easier your first year will be.”

— Nick Sproull

And outside the research topic, too, it helps to remember you’re not going to finish your whole doctorate in a day. Take the coursework one semester, one session, one reading at a time.

“Focus on the coursework you’re currently taking and look at things one day at a time. It’s nice to think big picture… but breaking it down makes it manageable.”

— Kelly Galanis

Looking back: While I was living very one-reading-at-a-time in the beginning of the program, throughout the work I absolutely overestimated how much the “Dr.” part would matter… since I ended up leaving my teaching career.

But I also underestimated just how much my research would continue to matter and continue to be relevant.

And I also couldn’t have predicted that the research I was doing in my doctorate would lead me to write a book, have it published, then fight for rights reversion (more on that story here: → why EdD candidates should write (and self-publish) a book based on their dissertations). Indirectly, this has also led to my work as an author, and my passion for self-publishing.

11. Bonus: Don’t forget to celebrate the victories

I had never studied and prepared for any exam the way I studied for my comprehensive exams. And then I did really well on them, and it was one of the proudest moments of my life.

I was also a new mom during this time, so taking the time (even like literally an afternoon) to mark the momentous occasion was a rare treat in this era of life.

If you’re working through an Ed.D. yourself, hang in there. You will cross the finish line, you will contribute valuable research to the field of education, and you will sleep again.

If you’re an Ed.D. candidate (or recent finisher) and you’re wondering what to do with your research now that the program is done, I’ve written about that over at Bookwell Studio — including a guide to whether your dissertation should become a book and what to do about it if it should (the answer is probably yes).

For more general resources on surviving doctoral work, The Thesis Whisperer remains an excellent resource on the PhD side of things.

A note on the contributors and on this post

This post is valuable thanks to the advice of a few classmates from an earlier cohort at Johns Hopkins. Thanks to Natalie Duvall, Kelly Galanis, and Nick Sproull for letting me republish your wisdom! Note that the bones of this post were originally written back in 2017; the post has been rewritten and republished here in 2026.