My doctoral prelims start on Thursday and I can't study one more damned

[democrat in Tallahassee]

minute. I'm exhausted.What is the friggin point of this anyway?

[Sabriel]

1. Think that's bad?

Wait until you loathe your dissertation. And THEN...wait until you have to defend it. Only two more weeks, wheeeee.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

4. you're defending your diss in 2 weeks? Good luck. you should know a

lot more about it than they do at this point. I have a lot of research done on mine and 1 chapter written. Not sick of it YET

[Jackpine Radical]

6. No--prelims are before you start the dissertation.

They culminate all the coursework & are intended to demonstrate that you know your field well enough to move on to the dissertation stage.

[Ellen Forradalom]

2. To exhaust you to the point where you wonder

what the friggin' point of this is, anyway. It's a hazing ritual.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

3. it's working if that's the point

[Ellen Forradalom]

5. When it's over, you can say

"That's DOCTOR D.I. Tallahassee to you, asshole!"

[Sabriel]

9. If you plan them carefully...

...you can use large chunks in your diss and subsequent articles. Or, so I've heard.... It didn't work that way for me, unfortunately. Good luck! Jump that hoop.

[democrank]

7. Hang in there.

I know it`s tough but the end is near. Don`t give up. Chin up, deep breath.....get going!

[Jackpine Radical]

8. Jeez-it's been more than 30 years since I took prelims.

I still remember the trauma.

Near as I can figger, the whole point of them is to prove that you're a docile little academic & willing to jump through hoops, no matter how high they are or whether they're on fire. I think they assume that if you'll do that, you're good for a few more decades of plodding away on the academic treadmill.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

11. this is my second time; since it was more than 5 years since I took them

they are making me retake them.I went back to school last year so I have to redo.
Hoops. hoops. hoops. some little. some big. some flaming.

[kodi]

10. study? close your eyes, let it flow from you & tell the story of your work

explain it in your mind as if you were teaching one with no knowledge of the field expecting even the most rudimentary question from a novice, and as well as explaining subtley as one teaching the subject to the most sophisticated of colleagues.

at each step of the way, ask yourself the most 3 most logical questions one would ask and know the answers like your own name.

for several hours during your orals you will be the world's expert on a subject, no one knows what you know. have confidence. life is good.

if you can, schedule your orals for right after lunch. the brains of faculty work slower on a full stomach.

and if you dont know, admit it and ask if you could address the question at the end of the Q & A session. it will give you time to think about it.

the orals are for the faculty to humble you. when i sat thru orals as a faculty member, it was a like a feeding frenzy if the candidate attempted to BS us.

relax.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

13. thanks. that;s good advice. my committee is made up of all democrats

maybe we can talk about the election at the orals!

[Dudley_DUright]

12. I flunked my written prelims twice at one school, got a consolation

MS and transfered to another school and passed them there right away, only to flunk my preliminary orals (but finally passed them a second time). Perseverance counts!

[democrat in Tallahassee]

14. way to go dudley, keep on truckin'

[Dudley_DUright]

15. I forgot to mention that all of this happened long ago

and that I have been teaching college physics for about 20 years now (has it really been that long????).