Most good phd programs ensure that you won’t defend unless you will pass. That’s the purpose of the proposal. PhDs can be great— they mostly aren’t. But having

Most good phd programs ensure that you won’t defend unless you will pass. That’s the purpose of the proposal. PhDs can be great— they mostly aren’t. But having a PhD is awesome. You can be an expert in anything the rest of your life. I say that sort of tongue in cheek. But really, your dissertation doesn’t matter.