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/sci/ - Science & Math

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9966439 No.9966439 [Reply] [Original]

41 days until I take my qualifying exam to become a PhD candidate.

Am I gonna make it /sci/? I can’t imagine getting kicked out and not working on my project anymore

>> No.9967416

usually you can get a retry on the qual

anyhow, my qual was tough but it was no problem, passed the first time with better-than-passing grades on all sections.

i studied quite a bit (physicsfag here), mostly memorizing the longer and harder-to-derive E+M equations and memorizing some statistical mechanics stuff. basically my strategy was "let me memorize the 15 or 20 most useful but hard-to-derive equations that are likely to appear on the test" since my problem-solving chops were fine, but my memorization of obscure shit was what needed honing

i think it paid off because i was able to use a memorized tough equation to solve 2 out of 5 of the problems

>> No.9967824
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9967824

>>9967416
I think the physics and chemistry tests are different...but I get what you’re saying.

I have to give a presentation on an “original proposal” in front of a committee of 5 professors. This means I must choose a topic that differs entirely from my graduate research but is still in my field (inorganic chem).

I must then give a presentation on my research project.

In both of these situations, the 5 profs will grill me (one in particular). Few people fail, but there has been a couple in recent department history. I have a particularly difficult committee as well.

I will post this thread every day until my exam, then update /sci/ with the results. I do this for the following reasons
1) I genuinely enjoy this board and want to share my experience. There are many people here that are going / will eventually go through what I am.
2) I am extremely nervous, procrastinating, and /sci/ is my outlet during my preparation.
3) should I pass or fail, /sci/ will likely be my source of feedback on what to do next. You guys are a solid source of info.
4) In the event I do pass I want to share the news with as many people as possible.

>> No.9967892

>>9967824
>I will post this thread every day
moooods.

Mooooooods...