One Day at a Time

I take comfort in the fact that ten years from now I will look back on this time in school and say, “Oh, that went by so quickly.”  Because, today, I am sick about being on track to take exams and begin my dissertation work in a timely manner.  So, when you are working toward a PhD, you first take courses until you are prepared for exams.  Then, you take exams to prove you know enough to write a dissertation and only then can you actually work on your dissertation.  I want to take my exams in the spring and work on my dissertation next year.  I met with my advisor today though and she seemed a bit skeptical about the speed of my progress.  I don’t want to take exams before I am ready, but I really feel that I am ready to start focusing my efforts on these exams.  I’ve taken so many courses and I have accumulated so many readings/concepts/theories/authors, that I feel like it’s time to narrow my focus and hone in on what my areas will be, which is sort of what you do during exams.  I can understand my advisor’s worry, she wants to make sure I pass my exams and that I am truly “ready” for dissertation work.  She also just got me as an advisee, so she doesn’t know me so well yet.  She suggested that I write some more papers for publication and that I present at a few more conferences.  Those things are definitely in the works and I am going to press on, one day at a time, knowing that sooner than I can imagine I’ll be wearing that funny little tam and walking across a stage.