Without question, this has been the most challenging semester I have had to date, and I LOVE it! I have been challenged beyond my expectations and don't feel like I have "failed". There also haven't been too many "frivolous" distractions. Grad school often becomes complicated by riff-raff and nonsense, which seem to have kept their distance this semester.
Moreover, I have finally begun to see the results of my labors from the last few years. Patience is a skill that is essential in grad school. Nearly everything is a waiting game and takes time to come to fruition. Manuscripts take months in the review process, then time to edit. From submitting a manuscript until publication could be years. This semester has been a nice reminder, though, that eventually, all that hard work pays off.
I couldn't have asked for a better time to be receiving so much good news and learning so many new skills. This semester also marks the end of an era - the era of me just being a student. I know that sounds silly since my anticipated graduation date is May 2015; however, it's true! My focus since I was 5-years-old has been on working hard in classes and trying to impress the powers at be of my credibility and aptitude. This semester, I have had to start focusing more on my OWN research. Not the research of others. Projects that I developed on my own or helped develop. That's a nice feeling. From here on out, that will be the main focus of everything I do.
A major milestone was passed a few weeks ago as I scheduled my Preliminary Exams! :) Why they are called "Preliminary Exams" when you take them at the end of course work is a mystery to me. Every department and major in grad school does these a little bit differently and calls them a different name. Once you are in your last semester of official coursework, you take these exams. In my department, this means you schedule a date for the oral portion, with all of your committee members. Then, you back track three weeks which becomes the starting date for the written portion. Basically, there are no rules beyond that. Committee members can send you a question with guidelines for formatting and how to answer that question along with a deadline within that 3-week period. OR, the committee member can ask you to meet in person for a written exam. After you complete the 3-week period for the written portion, you meet with your committee for the oral portion. Here, the committee can ask you any question they want or ask follow-up questions to the written portion. The goal of these exams are to see if you know your stuff and can hold your ground under pressure. Afterwards, the committee decides if you pass. If you fail, bad things happen and we won't talk about that.
After preliminary exams are complete, you have passed a MAJOR milestone. And, you really need sleep. I've warned my family and friends that the month of January is off-limits. I will suck. I will be sleep-deprived. I will need food and water. That's life. Once that hellish month is over, you get to start working on the next big milestone - the Proposal Defense. Before you can begin working on your dissertation, you have to "propose" what you want to do. The goal of this step is to ensure that you have thought logically through the research process and to anticipate any issues that might arise. It's also to get feedback and expertise from the 4 Ph.D.'s on your committee. You prepare a written proposal then present it in a formal manner, get feedback, make edits, and then get to go off on your merry way to write the big-D (dissertation).
(This song comes into my head every time I think about this.)
Once you pass your Proposal Defense, it is really time to start celebrating (for a night or two)! It's the big moment when you officially become a Ph.D. Candidate. You also get to show people that you don't know the alphabet by telling them you are "ABD" (All But Dissertation). It's a big freakin' deal. In fact, many people make it all the way to this stage then never finish. Craziness.
Now, the hard work begins - writing the dissertation. This can take anywhere from a few months to a few years depending on the project. For me, it will take me approximately a year to a year and half, depending on how cooperativeness of my data collection.
I am thankful for the successes of this semester that have kept my motivation high and my enthusiasm going. I am thankful for all the support I have at the university and how blessed I feel each day I am there. I am most thankful for my family, friends, and Jack Jack for all the support they have shown me - and how much they don't give up on me when I am super busy.
Life is good! :)
