Preliminary Exams

I just finished my preliminary exams on Friday! Yaaayyy!!! I guess at some level I knew I would pass (most people in my department do) but I was worried nonetheless. We had 4 days of writing in a room all by ourselves with no books or access to anything for 4 hours each day on anything we've learned so far. Some professors guide you to look in a general direction but not all. The oral exams were all 4 professors in a room grilling you about your answers - poking holes in what you've written and making you feel a bit stupid! It is just such a nerve-wracking experience to go through. As someone called it on a message on Facebook it is "the last legal hazing" and i'm so thankful it is over. Now I can concentrate on creating the pièce de résistance - my dissertation research

The first words

September 1 I started writing the first words of my dissertation. I am scared and nervous and excited. It is so difficult imagining this as the crowning achievement of my academic career. So many years to get to this point.

To Dissertate

Definition: To talk at length and formally about a topic To create, make a dissertation