tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post8124409877294571775..comments2023-03-19T07:22:05.437-06:00Comments on The Geology P.A.G.E.: Survival of the Fittest - My PhD Exam ExperienceJim L.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-57809089275885669462011-06-10T08:52:39.514-06:002011-06-10T08:52:39.514-06:00Thanks Andy, I hate that rock but I felt like the ...Thanks Andy, I hate that rock but I felt like the only one who should have it. :-)Jim L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-6949794692865294982011-06-09T22:27:45.088-06:002011-06-09T22:27:45.088-06:00Thanks for sharing your experience. I love the fac...Thanks for sharing your experience. I love the fact you bought the rock at the auction! :) And you should be very proud of yourself and not let a rough exam deminish all you have accomplished.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17190801129140794289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-43702874512546549592011-06-09T13:51:16.792-06:002011-06-09T13:51:16.792-06:00I wasn't sure how typical it was. I have talke...I wasn't sure how typical it was. I have talked with people in PhD programs in other fields and it seems they can be completely different but most of the people I know in the geosciences it has been fairly consistent. <br /><br />I also wanted to get this out there so people can be aware of what they would have to go through. I haven't seen much online about what to expect from the exam, just what I heard from those before me. I left out a lot of the little details due to personal reasons (I didn't want to get in trouble for one reason or another) but figured I got enough of the gist across for those interested.Jim L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-25309884671696083012011-06-09T13:11:02.831-06:002011-06-09T13:11:02.831-06:00Your story is fairly typical, all part of runnin&#...Your story is fairly typical, all part of runnin' the gauntlet. If it were easy then everyone would do it! Congrats and good luck w/ the next steps.Brian Romanshttp://www.wired.com/wiredscience/clasticdetritusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-2820075107022253602011-06-07T20:08:58.241-06:002011-06-07T20:08:58.241-06:00Thanks! I thought maybe too much graphic detail (h...Thanks! I thought maybe too much graphic detail (hopefully I won't get in trouble) but I figured I would write it all out for myself as much as others. I have noticed my project has changed pretty much everytime I rewrite the proposal, which has happened about 3 times now.<br /><br />And nice eraser story, that made me laugh.Jim L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08680478888594299616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-64414405293014635992011-06-07T20:00:41.544-06:002011-06-07T20:00:41.544-06:00Congratulations on getting through it, by the way!...Congratulations on getting through it, by the way!Jessica Ballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13117925212295349320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16289469.post-25481710582373687692011-06-07T19:59:45.961-06:002011-06-07T19:59:45.961-06:00Oh, graphic detail! Bits of it sound much like my ...Oh, graphic detail! Bits of it sound much like my own qualifying exam experience - I also passed with edits (including one committee member who insisted that I put in a traditional hypothesis rather than a goals statement). My department doesn't do the comprehensive exam thing (although I did that for an undergrad honors thesis), so I know how draining it can be. (My grad department actually makes you write <i>two</i> proposals - PhD and MS-level - to prove that you can think independently.) By the end of my qualifying exam I was a nervous wreck and pretty much blanked on the last few questions. <br /><br />I think the important thing to remember is that, if you had really been a failure, you would have been discouraged from ever getting to the point of taking quals - and your proposal isn't the be-all and end-all of your research. (Mine has certainly changed since I took quals!)<br /><br />Something I find amusing in hindsight: When I was in the questions part of my first proposal, I was asked to draw a few diagrams on the markerboard - and instead of erasing them with an eraser, I used my hand. And promptly got black marker residue <i>everywhere</i>.Jessica Ballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13117925212295349320noreply@blogger.com