As a doctorate student, we need to pass qualifying exams. It differ across faculty and campus. Some require us to pass specific subject, written/oral exams and/or present our research, within two years or one year. It's all solely department/faculty regulation that we can't questioned or compare it with other department. After we pass the exams, we are no longer a doctorate student, but a doctorate candidate.
In my department, they require us to either pass two subject of written exams or get a paper accepted within two years. As suggested by my advisor, my target in the beginning was, try to get my paper published, she said it's a lot easier. But it takes a lot of time to finish it and to get through the peer-review process.
It was right after I send out the first revise and 6 more months until my two years deadline is ended, that I started to think to take the exams. Since I feel like there will still be some revising, I'm not that confident that my paper will get accepted in the next 6 months, so I took the exams for precautions. The department offer the exams in each semester. If I could not pass the exams, I need to take it again in the next semester. But if my first two years end, I need to take leave until I pass the exams. Sounds complicated, huh?
Wait 'til you hear this. There are many rumors out there that the exams are super-very-hard to pass. One of Taiwanese senior that I knew, she pass all two subjects for 5 years! and one of Indonesian senior didn't pas the exams once, but he got the paper published. I feel so anxious yet curious of this horrifying exams. The exams were in essay and the material were: 16 papers and 16-chapters-book! The questions were something detail about the paper, such as the
inference of their research or the detail of their questionnaire design. And each paper may have 2-7 different studies with different questionnaire design and inference! No wonder it's so hard to pass, then I thought.
Since I only got this one chance and only one month to prepare, I studied and prayed hard. I tossed away any unimportant and unrelated things. I tried to study in every time I've got. I even brought those papers and book to Indonesia during my winter holiday.
The exams were divided into two days. One subject in one day and each subjects have two sections. There were about 3-4 questions in each section. The questions were a bit blur, but I remember, I wrote one full page of A4 for each questions. I remember there were questions about the detail of questionnaire design and inference. And I remember I felt like my brain were drained out at the end of the test of each day.
I waited for quite a long time for the results, without knowing when exactly they will tell us. They just tell me that they will send an email to announce the result. So every time I opened my mail, I feel that tingling in my stomach. I felt more anxious than before the exams.
After that 6 weeks long, I finally got an email to pick up my result in department office. Oh, only God knows how nervous I was walking down the road, hoped on to the bus, up to the office and picked up my result. I was so curious with my result that I couldn't wait to open it, but too afraid that I needed a private place in case it wasn't a good news.
After a long debate with myself, I finally opened it while waiting for a ride home. Alhamdulillah I PASS! Both of it! The threshold was 70 and I got 82 and 89! I didn't expect it to be this high. Even though I was hoping to pass, I predict that maybe I'll get about 71 or 72, something that is slightly above the threshold. It really amaze me that I can't believe it's real. I can't even told anyone other than my family, until I go to the department office and I hear it from my advisor.
The next day, my advisor and my labmates congratulated me. My advisor told me that the department praise the results of my exams. She said that it's very rare that a student can pass two subjects in one time. She even said that maybe this is the first international student that pass two subjects at once. Yeay! Alhamdulillah.
I feel like suddenly I'm free and have
nothing to worried about. Hahaha. Of course this isn't the case. I still
have halfway to go - even more, maybe? I still have one/two paper(s) to get published, one
dissertation and one oral defense. Anyone care to join? Haha
During the waited period, I promised to do three day fasting if I pass the exams. And today I finished the fasting. Out of my expectation, I feel so.. - can't really describe it. It's something a mixture of relax, happy, good mood and worry-less. It feel so good. I think it's even better than when I found out that I pass the exam.
Alhamdulillah.
So here I am,
Anisa Larasati, PhD Candidate :)
