By james art It’s rare to find a PhD student who hasn’t struggled with writing their dissertation, right? We know this firsthand from our own experience, which is why we’ve thought about ways to help students advance their degrees. A few months ago, we saw the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the beauty of the Lake Tahoe campus as an environment to increase student writing productivity. So we—coming from the University Libraries and the Center for Writing and Speaking—partnered with the Graduate Student and Undergraduate Association to host a three-day dissertation writing workshop on the campus of Lake Tahoe University.
The retreat took place in mid-August and welcomed 21 PhD students from a wide range of disciplines, including physiology and cell biology, finance, education, mathematics and statistics, anthropology and public health. Our goal was to create a focused, supportive environment in which participants could make significant progress on their dissertation chapters, papers, and other writing projects—addressing the common challenges of finding time to write and overcoming writer’s block.
We kicked off the weekend with a workshop on outlining dissertation chapters, followed by sessions where participants set personal writing goals and immersed themselves in a number of special writing times.
One participant shared, “I was able to finish the rough draft of my dissertation proposal and finish the presentation for my dissertation proposal!” Structured writing periods proved valuable to participants: “Having blocked writing hours really helped me stay motivated to I write specifically during these periods.’
We also offer a variety of short workshops, including sessions on data visualization and academic writing strategies. Interspersed with writing time, these workshops allowed participants to regroup, step away from their work, and return with refreshed perspectives. A participant noted, “The writing time went well, but I also appreciated the (workshop) sessions. They gave me a much-needed mental break while keeping me engaged with the (writing) tasks.”
The sense of community that developed over the weekend was another highlight. Participants appreciated the shared writing with peers from other departments, as one student mentioned, “I enjoyed the conversations we had and the shared experiences we could talk about.” Another appreciated “The time spent writing with peers. An atmosphere that helped us focus.”
What really made this retreat special was its location. The unique, natural atmosphere of the Lake Tahoe campus, free from the distractions of daily life on the main campus, allowed participants to immerse themselves in their work: “I was focused on writing this retreat. No code, no data, and no mathematical models, just pure writing is new to me, and the retreat allowed me (or in a good way) to do that. Another participant complimented: “I loved that we were on a beautiful campus and were able to stay overnight.”
By the end of the retreat, participants left with significant progress on their dissertations and a renewed focus on their writing. Many completed drafts of key dissertation sections, reorganized literature reviews, or outlined future chapters. One student shared, “I rewrote my first page draft of a grant, finished my poster, revised a few figures, and outlined my first paper/dissertation.”
It was also an enjoyable experience for us as instructors, and we encourage more groups to take advantage of the unique setting of Lake Tahoe, where a change of scenery can greatly increase performance. We want to replicate this experience for other students, so stay tuned for announcements about the 2025 Summer Dissertation Writing Workshop to be shared in the spring semester. In the meantime, if you’re having trouble writing, don’t hesitate to contact the Writing Center, and for data-related support, contact the Libraries’ Research Data Services team.