I'm glad everyone seemed to enjoy sweater week. If I can think of another themed-week theme, I wil produce another themed week.
I had an enlightening meeting with two of the older, wiser Europeanist grad students here the other day. They're both ABD*, trying to scrape together grant money to go to archives in Europe, being teaching assistants in the meantime to make ends meet. They both took their QEs** last year and now they're cast adrift to find their way with neither guidance nor requirements from any class, institution, or professor here. What I got out of the meeting is this: no one is going to give me anything here - not a reading list for my exams, not mentoring, not hints on how to secure grants. These two guys, smart, capable, mature, have no better idea than I do how to get finished with all of this nonsense, and because of that, I finally figured out that I'm going to have to do this all on my own.
To that end, I'm starting today on determining what needs to be on my reading lists and getting the books together. I already know who's going to be on my committee, so I should be able to take care of the exams this summer.
I'm not really bitter about any of this. I just feel kind of resigned. The advantage overall is that I doubt I'll be the least bit stressed out at any point preparing - I know I'll pass, I know I'll get it all done. And if I come out of it with inadequate knowledge about something important, well, I'll be able to throw up the best bullshit smokescreen anyone's ever seen.
SC kids: Poet + Patriot tonight, don't forget!
* ABD: All But Dissertation. An ambiguous state of being in which a graduate student must somehow pay rent and eat food while ostensibly researching and writing his or her dissertation.
** QEs: Qualiyfing Exams. Some programs call them "prelims," others, "comps," but they amount to the same thing: you write up a bunch of crap and then some professors quiz you to see if you know all of the important literature in your field(s). After the QEs, you're ABD.
10.18.2007
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4 comments:
I loved the sweaters! I also noticed you have at least two hats, could we look forward to a hat week? I know Bob is busy putting together his reading lists as well, so I wish you luck. My sister is coming for a visit and we hope to head your way to see the butterflies this weekend. Say hit to B for me.
hmmm...Oregonians converging in Santa Cruz over the next week=homesick.
Vote #2 for hat week!
I think you're wisely learning early on a lesson that I've only just started to learn with some guidance from V: the ABD process is substantially more isolated than the other stuff beforehand. And much more adrift. Kind of like being on an inflatable raft in the middle of the ocean, a raft that you know has tons of holes patched with chewing gum but you're attempting to make appear seaworthy to others.
I too have enjoyed the sweaters! Go Team Rain!
I think a week featuring a different tattoo each day would be quite nice. I'm in the market, but the funds are low.
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