Comps are done!

I'm back! For now. I still have final papers/presentations, exams to grade, a final exam to give, oral interviews to do, etc. But for this weekend, or tonight anyway, it's time to relax. :) AND I am down 2 more lbs! Thank you, stress. ;) 

So for those who asked or were curious, what I just took were my comprehensive Master's exams. This is what is involved: I have a committee of four professors, and for each professor, I have one topic according to her/his specialty. For eacg topic, I have to create a bibliography of literature of at least 12 sources, both books and journal articles. I had over 65 total pieces of literatrure. I am a linguist, so these are experimental and theoretical pieces, not like, novels. I had to basically memorize all the literarture, and was presented a question under each topic. I got two questions yesterday, and had 4 hours to answer them. I got the other two today, and had four more hours to write those answers. Yesterday was very bad--I was thrown for a bit of a loop by the two questions I got on Thursday. I kind of ran out of time and don't feel very good about my answers. Today was very different, however, and I feel relatively confident about those. So, I won't hear about how I did until May 6th, when I have my oral defense, where my committee will discuss with me my exams as well as the journal-ready paper I had to write and submit with this exams. After we discuss them, I will leave the room, and the committee will discuss whether or not I fail, pass, or pass and get recommended to go on to Ph.D. I would like to go on to Ph.D., but I guess I have to wait and see what they say about my answers. Lots of pressure, lots of nerves.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to my normal-ish levels of stress at the end of the semester, because now I will at least get to get some exercise in! I have basically been shut off from the world, except my students and my office mates! 

I'll be sporadic still, but know I am reading, and when critters need to be swung, I swing, and I celebrate all your milestones! 

Abby :) 

Wow - that sounds SO complicated!  My Masters was writing a paper, the professor reading it and gave me an A 10 minutes later... I really don't know what I'd have done if I had to go through what you did.

Swinging critters for you to come out with the recommendation of going on for your PhD.  What is your field?

Thanks, Jody!! Yeah, my program is pretty rigorous. People's jaws continually drop when I tell them what I have to do, even other graduate students from other departments! :) My field is Hispanic Linguistics, with a focus on second language acquisition and possibly ideology and language (discourse analysis).

Abby

I just got stressed reading your post.  How does one acquire a second language?  "Hi I'd like a skinny caramel latte with two shots of portuguese language please?"  Or is it "Dear Sir, please accept my application to acquire a second language.  I prefer one of the Romance languages, but Asian would also be acceptable." 

you GO girl, and I'm swinging geckos and labradoodles that you get your heart's desire, whatever that may be.

Go kick some TKD butt or swing some kettlebells to get rid of that stress.....


tracey

It's more about studying the methodologies, what students do in classes and how what they do and what teachers do affects learning. There's no one answer, really, or not anything you can say succinctly on OH. :) 

You go, girl! Sounds like an extremely rigorous Masters program. We just had to sit and write for 6 hours. Literally, write. One prof told us to get one of those rock climbers exercise eggs to help our hand muscles make it through the entire period. Still have it...makes a nice paper weight. lol  Good luck the rest of the way through your program. I hope you get approved to move on to your PhD. Swinging lizards for you, babeee!

--gina
  

Thanks, Gina!! :D

I have 2 Masters and it sounds like a beefed up version of one of my comps.  The other was in art and it was a project.  Also sounds a lot like my DD's PHD comps in philosophy.  Her programs when straight from BA to PhD in one giant step.
Anyway, glad it is over and I bet you did great and will be able to continue on.  We certainly need bi-lingual folks teaching and helping with our shrinking world.

Thanks, Price! Yeah, our Ph.D. prelims are very similar, except the exams are done over two weekends, two questions at a time, and you get all your notes and annotations and whatnot with you when you answer questions, so in a way, it's harder but easier, because you have all your resources but are expected to write more and format it more like a paper. Mine were like essay questions on an exam.

Congrats! Sounds like a tough program, glad you felt better about friday.

Swinging for you here! May 6 will be here befor you know it!