Advanced to candidacy!

I passed the written and the next step was to present my research proposal and pass the oral examination in order to advance to candidacy. When it comes to presentations, I usually think are pretty easy to present..but the content can always be a little tricky. Think about the audience and what they need to know, what questions they will ask and most importantly: what is the main purpose of the presentation. In some cases, the oral exam is an extension of the written exam where the PhD students can be asked anything about anything in the subject area. Or we may be asked to elaborate on some of the answers we prepared for the written exam. I didn't have any new questions but I was asked to elaborate on one of the questions. basically, one of the committee members was looking for a different perspective, not the typical answer which is pretty much what i came up with. I worked through that answer and it was no problem.

But that question was after the real questions came -- those based on the proposal presentation. I wrote the proposal about 2 months ago and my committee provided feedback. One of the critical questions I was asked is "What is the central question?" Apparently, i was not clear enough in illustrating what the real question was that i wanted to answer, and i didn't have any data. So I collected some data to present and tried to refine the central question.

Friday June 19th, I put on my shirt and tie, shoes and looked sharp. We started late, but i was confident and felt prepared. While waiting for a committee member to return from lunch, i sat and reviewed my notes (If you are preparing to do your orals, be sure to remind your committee so they don't forget). I began about 15 minutes late. During the presentation, the committee asked questions throughout, or even blurted out comments. Not terribly disruptive but I have to admit, it made me pretty nervous. After a committee member came in late, i pretty much had to start over from the beginning. I presented my research proposal, and then we spent alot of time talking about the data and the central question. Finally, after some questions that i did my best to answer, they asked me to leave the room so they could deliberate.

After about 15 mins, they called me back in. The committee felt like i had proposed a project that may not be able to be completed within a year, or ever. So they discussed the idea of changing the focus a bit to make it a doable project. I agreed with the assessment and agreed to come back in three months and meet with the committee to discuss my progress. And after all the discussion, and close to two hours, they all signed the form and checked off _(X)_Pass!! It was unanimous, and just like that, i was finally a PhD Candidate. This has probably been one of the biggest milestones i have had to overcome in my Academic career and i am glad it is now behind me.

Truth is, it wasn't that bad at all, just had to get up the nerve to do it...When it's your turn, just get ready to face the firing squad and be prepared to survive!