We’ve Been in the Room Hundreds of Times

One of the biggest benefits of working with a professor is that we are dissertation chairs and committee members — all the time. We’ve been in those rooms, whether physical or virtual, hundreds of times. We know every single question your professors are going to ask you.

And we know something else: there are right and wrong answers to those questions. Our job is to get you ready for each one of them so that you go into your proposal or final defense fully prepared and confident.

We Publish, So We Stay Sharp

Another advantage of working with an actual professor is that we live in the academic world. We have to “publish or perish.” That means writing journal articles, collecting data, conducting our own analyses, and making original contributions to the literature — or we lose our jobs.

Because of that, we stay sharp. Our knowledge of research design and methodology is always up to date. Contrast that with a dissertation coach who may have written their own dissertation once and stopped there.

Every journal article we write is essentially another mini-dissertation. Personally, I’ve published about 50 peer-reviewed articles and a few books — and many of my colleagues at Real Professors have similar track records. No matter your area of study or research design, we have a professor who’s the right fit for your project.

We Help You Navigate Academic Politics

A third advantage is something no one likes to talk about but almost every doctoral student encounters: academic bullying.

Bullying can look like endless loops of revisions, professors moving the goalposts, or even gaslighting you into believing something is “not aligned” when it actually is. We know how to spot these situations, and we help you respond in a way that gets the bullying to stop — while still maintaining a professional relationship with your committee.

We’ll even help you draft those tricky emails or prep you for face-to-face conversations so you can move forward efficiently, whether that means getting to your proposal defense or final defense.

We Actually Mentor You

And finally, let’s come full circle. The biggest difference between Real Professors and a dissertation coach is that we mentor you. We don’t just give you a checklist of tasks or deadlines — we do some of the heavy lifting for you and explain why we’re doing it along the way.

Most people are surprised when they work with us. They think they’re taking a shortcut, but in reality, they end up learning more. Through direct, face-to-face mentoring, we show you why you’re using Theory A instead of Theory B, why phenomenology is a better fit than qualitative description, or why regression is the right choice over correlation analysis for your quantitative study.

By the time you finish working with us, you’ll often know more about your topic and methods than your own dissertation chair.

Ready to work with a professor from Real Professors who can mentor you through every step of the process? Click here to schedule your free session and let’s get you moving toward graduation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can Real Professors help me prepare for my dissertation defense?
We’ve been dissertation chairs and committee members countless times, so we know the exact questions you’ll be asked. We walk you through those questions, prepare your responses, and ensure you feel confident heading into your proposal or defense.

Why does it matter that Real Professors still publish research?
Because we are active researchers, our knowledge of design, methodology, and literature is fresh and current — meaning you get advice based on the latest standards in your field, not outdated practices.

What if my professors keep giving me endless revisions?
This is where we step in. We recognize when you’re stuck in an unfair revision loop or being gaslit. We coach you on exactly what to say in emails and meetings to stop the academic bullying and move your project forward.

Will I actually learn more by working with Real Professors?
Yes! Our mentoring approach means you gain a deeper understanding of your research decisions. Instead of just checking boxes, you’ll be able to explain — with confidence — why you chose your methods and theories, often better than your own committee members