Qualifying Exams

So here I sit at 10:11 pm waiting for my next qualifying exam (comprehensive exam which I must pass in order to become a PhD candidate which means I can defend my thesis and maybe graduate?!) which I was promised to have today.............. I'm tired, cranky, and I had to go get take-out food because I didn't bring lunch and dinner with me. I don't have internet at home which means I will likely be here until some god awful hour in the morning researching answers.

One of my advisers told me that the qualifying exams ("period of PhD hell") are similar to a fraternity hazing........mmmm? Well, I'm sure you all know that fraternity is male orientated and hazing is a ritual of initiation which may be mental and/or physical.



While I realize that the PhD qualifying exams are not as severe as Greek Society Hazings I do question the validity of the process. As a friend of mine in another disciple said, "I passed those classes and I already proved that I gained that knowledge. So what is the point of making me do it all over again?" I think she has a valid point. Take veterinary science for example: vet students spend three years in class, a year in clinical rotation, graduate, and then they have to pass a board exam to be able to practice as a DVM. This makes sense to me. I realize it's not a perfect solution but it is a way to standardize the practice for all PhD students. This may not seem like a good idea to you but I have talked to students from Entomology departments in other schools and frankly the steps to get a PhD are not equivalent across the board. I would say that the school I attend has by far the strictest requirements for passing qualifying exams and becoming a PhD candidate. I wish this meant that I would be more qualified for a job but I suspect that just isn't so.

In case you were wondering what I mean by differences in requirements take a look at a few different schools and their requirements for PhD qualifying exams:

Cornell: scroll down to thesis and examinations

Kansas State University: a minimum of 5 written exams (need to take a test for four of the following areas: morphology and anatomy, systematics, physiology, behavior, genetics, ecology, integrated pest management, biological control, toxicology, host resistance, evolution; an additional exam from an area outside of entomology such as statistics) and then the oral exam

University of California - UC Davis: copied from their student handbook
"The Entomology Examination must be completed by Ph.D. students prior to taking the Qualifying Exam, and is to be completed no later than the end of the first year in the program. (This exam is not required for M.Sc. students.) The Entomology Exam mandates that students develop a general knowledge of entomology and an ability to think critically/conceptually, and it will identify any major weaknesses or deficiencies in their understanding of entomology. General Entomology is a required subject area on all Qualifying Exams: passing the Entomology Exam fulfills that requirement. It is the responsibility of the student to plan, with the advice of his/her Guidance Committee, for the Entomology Exam."

"The Entomology Exam will be oral, last for 1½ hours. and will be offered once each year at the end of the spring quarter. All students of the same annual “cohort” will be tested from the same set of recommended readings. This means that the exam will be given during the same time period to all students.
The Entomology Exam Committee, appointed by the chair of the department, will provide a formal “Reading List, Guide and Sample Questions” during the first (Fall) quarter. Questions will be in four major areas of Entomology, as defined by the departmental peer groups: (1) Systematics and Evolution; (2) Physiology and Molecular Biology; (3) Ecology and Behavior; and (4) Agricultural and Medical Entomology. Preparation for the Entomology Exam also includes registering for 1 unit of ENT 298 (Topics in Entomology) in Winter and Spring quarters, designed to formalize the operation of a study group that will review exam materials. Students will meet once a week during the two quarters, with periodic involvement of the Entomology Exam committee. Other faculty members also may be called upon to provide input on selected topics."

University of Minnesota: scroll down to written preliminary exams

After looking at those different schools I'm sure you can see what I mean- there is no consistency with how the exams are done and what is expected. I just think that it would be better if the expectations were the same across the board.

Thanks Gods for Serenity and regular tai-chi because otherwise I might lose my mind!





Yes, I think I need to learn how to do Taichi Fan! :)

Qualifying Exams

This week I'm finishing up this semester; one final, one presentation, and one "let's talk about your semester project" to end this semester of "fun."well parts of the semester have been fun but others not so much.

I'm also meeting with all of my committee members to talk about what I need to study and the test format of my qualifying exams. For those of you who don't know what that means, comprehensive exams over everything I know! I must pass these exams in order to defend my thesis and then get a Ph.D! There are five exams: insect toxicology, insect ecology, insect behavior, integrated pest management, and sanitation and food quality. After I pass written exams for the five topics then I get to take an oral exam! This fun process starts the last week of January; I will get less than a month to study for all of these tests. Am I worried? NO Should I be worried? Maybe but I have been working with these topics for four years; I should know everything. If I panic it will be all down hill so.........

My new mantra is "I will not go insane, I WILL NOT go insane!" So let's listen to one of my favorite songs!



I guess that makes my point for me?!

Still Here?

I apologize for my complete lack of ability to manage a blog, eight credit hours of PhD coursework, plus research! However, I will be back just hang with me.  I have several blogs I want to do and I haven't given up on blogging but I have had to re-prioritize what was important to me in order to keep afloat with the PhD program.  I have one more year left and I'm NOT giving in now!

This is how I felt when I found out that I won't have to take classes next semester and I get to move my PhD qualifying exams forward!



Of course, I can't dance as well as that young man but I did go home and DANCE and sing; I can't tell you how happy I am that I won't be taking classes and qualifying exams at the same time!!!

Here's the song he was dancing to; the lyrics are "messed up" but the beat is kick ass and I love to dance to this song. I'm sure we can have a philosophical debate about the lyrics but I chose to just listen and dance, dance, dance.



I will be back "soon;" there are only three weeks left in this semester plus Thanksgiving week so I'm finishing up my last few projects and getting ready for the qualifying exams in February. I plan on blogging a few times before the exams start but I need to finish this semester! Have faith!

"Self" Date "Night"

I decided to start a self date night.  This is where I take myself out and do something fun for myself.  I kicked this great idea off with a trip to the Lego Exhibit at the Mulvane Art Museum in Topeka, KS.  I decided to "dress up" and have fun.  I planned on picking up chicken and having a picnic in the park but that didn't work out. I have included my favorite Lego pieces!

All ready to go; you can't tell but I'm wearing a skirt that a friend gave me.

Chello

Disintegration from the front

Disintegration from the side

Can you see the optical illusion in this piece?

How about now?  If not I will let you in on the secret (there is an eyeball in the sculpture).

My personal favorite- the solar system! I had a good time and I'm looking forward to my next "date night!"  I learned that the Mulvane Art Museum is small and takes very little time to tour.  So the next time I go to one of their exhibits, I will pair the trip with some other activities.

Celebrating 37 years of Bastille Day

Yup it's that time of year again; the annual birthday/Bastille Day celebration. This year I had cake for breakfast.

Over my lunch hour I watched some videos of the parade in Paris, fireworks from a city which already celebrated Bastille Day, and revisited the song Bastille Day by Rush.



I treated myself to Thai food for dinner, drove home and opened my gifts from myself and un enexpected surprise from  my dad.

It was a good day and I'm glad I decided to take charge of making my birthday more meaningful and special to me. After I cooked my cake I couldn't help but think that this really isn't all that hard; I did get hot while the cake was cooking but afterward I went outside for a walk and it was better in the kitchen after the walk. I had a blast decorating my first cake and I'm looking forward to my next birthday adventure. Of course no birthday/Bastille Day celebration is complete without some fireworks from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. ENJOY

Stuff I like to do

If you look over to the right of your screen you will see a new space on my blog.   This space is for "stuff I like to do."  As you can see there is already a link to a page which a friend of mine sent to me today.

I looked at it and I  like it so much I thought I would add it to my blog and share with you. 

You can join their e-mail list serve and they will send you an e-mail of nice things you can do for others. This time it's send sugar-free foods to food banks.  They provide a food bank you can send the food to as well as other activities to do.

My personal goal is to try to do at least one nice thing for someone a month.  I have always wanted to do some form of community service but graduate school really takes up a lot of time.  Hopefully having a web-site send me easy ideas will help me perform community service.

While on my lunch break I thought I would work on their On-line Scavenger Hunt:
I accomplished Mission I ( answer the daily quiz question & donate 10 pieces of kibble to an animal shelter) and Mission II (answer questions correctly & donate 10 kernels of rice to hungry people in the world).  I answered 20 questions in a row correctly so I donated 200 kernels of rice. Clicky-clicky on the purple to reach the links!

Maybe tomorrow I can do the same and add a few more.  I challenge you to do one nice thing this week!

Fourth of July Long weekend

I decided to use pictures to capture my long Fourth of July weekend. Sorry the pictures are in no particular order because I'm tired and I still need to get groceries before I go home for the day (sigh).

Of course, I went for a walk and the "orange army" followed me. Funny story the other day the "kids" got distracted and didn't follow me home. They usually make their way back but not this time. I went for a walk the following evening and half way back I heard the boy talkign to me from the field so he followed me back to the driveway. Then we heard the girl but couldn't find her for awhile. She was back up by the stoplight between the dirt and chipped road. She wouldn't head back my way until I walked back up to her, she greeted her brother, and then she would follow me back home. Have I mentioned lately that cats are weird?

On Friday, one of my neighbors was shooting off fireworks so I admired them from my yard (sorry the picture is so dark). I think next year I will try to go to a fireworks display and watch fireworks.

I photographed the first tiger lily to bloom; now I think there are 4 or 5 different ones blooming. They are slow to start but then they stick around for awhile.

I took some pictures of the blooming day-lilies. I think this is one that did not bloom last year. There are a couple blooming this year which I don't think bloomed last year; I could be wrong but I don't think so.

Pandora being cute and well behaved in an attempt to get me to pick her up and pet her. So I took a picture and then petted her. (Please don't look at my bad toe-nail polish, I haven't had time to repaint my nails; hopefully this weekend)

Tzani wanted to go outside and sit on the porch. She hadn't been in physical contact with the outdoor cats since January so she had to re-introduce herself. They get along with her and she with them. I was sort of hoping the neighbors black and white cat would come along so Tzani could let him know how irritated she is with him attacking and chasing our boy kitty. She will sit in the window and if he does this she will start talking to me about it and hissing at him at the same time. Apparently, she thinks the orange kitty's are hers so they should be left alone.