Life news for those of you who haven’t been listening to me complain for the last several months: I just took my PhD comprehensive exam last Saturday. In my program, that means a six-hour essay exam on passages chosen at random from a massive reading list of the Greek and Latin canon. It was an exhausting process, but what better way to work through the emotions and fatigue than with Parks and Rec? Behold, my comps process:
Beginning of the Fall semester, knowing I have MONTHS to prepare:
Beginning of the Spring semester, realizing just how long the reading list actually is, and that three months is not enough time to read everything:
Wondering why I decided a PhD was a good idea in the first place:
Denial:
What encouragement from my family and friends is like:
When professors expect me to do classwork in addition to preparing for the comps:
Procrastinating:
When prospective graduate students visit and ask if I like what I’m doing:
Acknowledging the possibility of failure and being kicked out of graduate school:
Trying to work on a Plan B if kicked out of graduate school:
Deciding that having to leave graduate school might not be so bad after all:
Trying to learn all the things while still being a decent human, having friends, getting enough sleep, keep up with classwork…:
Whenever someone tries to get me to care about anything other than comps:
This exam justifies eating and drinking whatever I want, right?
Inevitable emotional breakdown:
Pep talk with my cohort:
Spending Spring Break cramming for the exam:
One last moment of total despair:
Psyching myself up on the morning of the exam:
When your cohort members show up with Girl Scout Cookies and candy to get you through:
Finding a question on a topic I reviewed just two days ago:
In the homestretch of the exam, no longer in possession of enough brain power to write the last essay:
Finally turning in the exam:
Time to celebrate! Nunc est bibendum!
Second guessing everything I wrote the day after the exam:
Waiting for pass/fail results:
It suddenly dawns on me that if I pass, I will have to write a dissertation:
Medea Palatina 