Dr. Joyce!!!

I had my oral this morning and I passed!!! It wasn't bad. My committee and I sat around the round table (some of you know which table that is) and they asked me some questions and I answered them to the best of my ability. I thought I would have to do a calibration problem, but thank goodness, I wasn't asked to do one. My brain tends to freeze up when doing math under pressure. The oral lasted about 2 hours and 20 minutes. The chair (my adviser) of my committee then asked me to step outside of the room for a few minutes while they decided my fate. It felt like the wait was about 30 minutes, but in reality it was only about 6 minutes. My committee congratulated me with hugs and handshakes and called me doctor!!! Wow!!! It doesn't seem real yet.

I Passed!!!

I found out this afternoon that I passed my third and final written exit exam!!! Yay!!! All I have left is the oral which should not be anywhere near as tough as the written exams were. For the oral, my committee and I will sit around the "round table"; they will ask me questions and I will hopefully be able to answer them. Then I will be done! I am so ready to be done.

I'm Still Here

I took my 3rd exit exam last Tuesday and I am waiting to hear the results. All I know so far is that I did very well on the plant disease diagnostics portion. There were 5 other parts to the exam and so there are 5 more professors that have to grade their part. As usual the exam was hard and it lasted for 9 hours. It covered pretty much every area of plant pathology.

My oral is in 2 weeks and I am now studying for that even though I am so sick of studying that I don't want to read anything. I think that is why I am not blogging very much. I don't even feel like reading what I write, so I don't write.

But soon I'll be finished, I hope...

Studying For Finals

I'm sorry that I haven't been posting on my blog very often. But, my 3rd final and oral are coming up very soon and I have been studying. I found out that it's impossible for me to work 32 hours a week while studying as I had planned. So for the last couple of weeks I worked 25 hrs a week and this coming week, I will work only 12 hours. At this point, I hardly care about the lack of money; I just have to pass my remaining finals.

My husband took this picture of me today and I thought I would share it with you. This is what I spent my weekend doing.



I fell asleep while studying yesterday, but I think I'm awake here.

Good News

I did a partial re-take of the disastrous exam and I passed!!! So I now have to take only one more written exam and the oral. I am happy, but mostly feel relieved. I am very grateful that the test coordinator and other professors realized that the testing conditions were unacceptable and therefore allowed me to re-do the part of the final that I tried to do near the end of the day but could not do because of the distracting noise level.

So now I can move forward and prepare for my last semester in this program. I have a lot of studying to do. The written final will be on plant pathology including some history, but mainly diagnosis and management of viral, bacterial and fungal plant diseases. The oral will be on plant pathology, sustainable agriculture, pesticides and herbicides, and integrated pest management.

I've already incorporated yoga and working out at the gym into my life and the studying starts this weekend.

Moving Forward

It sure doesn’t feel like it has been a little over a month since I have posted here. I have been both working and relaxing. The spring semester has started and I am moving forward and preparing to have a successful outcome this time.

A few days after I got the test results, I met with the exam coordinator of the disastrous exam. I requested and was allowed to re-take a small portion of his section of the final. That brought my score up to 79%. The coordinator suggested that I request to re-take a small portion of another section given by another professor. I have requested a meeting with this other professor, but have not heard back. This is something that I have to pursue this week.

I feel justified in making requests to re-take portions of the final that I tried to do at the end of the day when my brain was too fried from all of the noise in the adjoining rooms. However I have no excuse for the failure of the other exam. I just wasn’t ready for it. I was working so much that I did not have time to study for both exams. So I chose to put more emphasis on studying for the harder exam and spent very little time studying for the so-called easier one, which I then failed. Hopefully, I will have only one written exam and the oral to study for this semester.

What am I doing to ensure success this time? I have a list; it is as follows:

1. I quit my nematology job, so I am working only one job. This will eliminate the running back and forth between jobs.

2. I will not work full-time. I will not work more than 32 hours per week.

3. I have made out a study schedule and I will stick to it.

4. I have started doing yoga to reduce stress and improve my mental clarity.

5. I have made out a schedule to work out at the gym and I will stick to it.

6. I have reduced the amount of time I spend on Facebook by eliminating some of the games that I was playing.

So the semester has started and I am off and running. Will do my best to keep you posted.

Failed

I finally got my scores today and I did not pass either exam. I knew I was taking a risk. I've been working full-time, taking a 4 credit course, and trying to study for the blasted finals. It was too much. Sorry, but I'm too disappointed to post more tonight.

Still Waiting

It's been almost 3 weeks since I took that disastrous exam and 2.5 weeks since I took the exam that wasn't too bad. I still have not heard what my results are. My oral is next Wednesday and is not supposed to take place until all of the written exams have been passed. Since I haven't heard whether I passed or not, how can I know whether to take the oral or not?

I've done what I could to find out the results. I sent emails, made phone calls, and knocked on doors. I think the most reasonable way to handle this is to proceed with studying and preparing for the oral. So that is what I will be doing during this holiday weekend.

I hope that you have a good Thanksgiving!

Three Down (Maybe) and One to Go

I hope it's three down. I had a final today and one last Friday. The one today wasn't bad. I think it was a very fair exam. It took me about 8.5 hours to complete it.

The final on Friday was a disaster. That one has a reputation for being the most difficult final for our program. Usually the exam is held in a building up near the center of campus in a quiet classroom. This time it was held in a conference room that is close to our program study room. For those of you who know where this is, we were in the center conference room. The whole conference room area can be one big room or divided up into three rooms with dividers separating each room. I don't know what those dividers are made out of, but they are not soundproof.

So on Friday, a colleague and I had been taking the exam for about 1.5 hours when we heard preparations starting in one of the rooms for the monthly Friday morning coffee break. They had a new coffee pot and for about 20 minutes were talking loudly about their new toy. Then people starting showing up for the break and it really got noisy. My colleague and I could not work on the exam. So I went in to join the coffee break. It only lasts for about 30 minutes, so after it was over, we got back to work on the exam.

We had only 30 minutes of peace. Someone in the other conference starting setting up for a seminar. The seminar lasted from 11:00 - 12:15. Again, we had peace. It only lasted until 1:00. A lady came into our room even though there was a sign on the door that said "Exam in Progress Do Not Enter". She took chairs out of the room and into the room where the coffee break had been. That room started filling with people and it got noisy. I think they were having a combination lab party and lab meeting. Then we could hear preparations starting in the other room for something. So from 1:00 until 5:00, we had loud talking, laughter and clapping going on from both adjoining rooms.

The test was scheduled to end at 5:00, but I wasn't finished. Because of the extenuating circumstances, our proctor let us go longer. By 7:00, I was not done, but I was so done. I did not finish the herbicide calibration calculations; I forgot that photosynthesis has a Photosystem II and Photosystem I; I forgot how many feet are in 1 mile and who knows how many other things I blanked on.

The noise level had a serious impact on my ability to concentrate and to take my exit exam. I don't know what my score is yet, but I know that I did not make it to 80%. There was no way I could have. The question is, will they pass me anyway because of the extenuating circumstances or will I have to take that final again next semester. I guess I'll find out in a few days.

Three More Days

This Friday, I will take my second final and next Monday, I will take the third one. I am not ready. There is so much material to cover; it's impossible for me to get through all of it. I hope that by the time I get to each final, the amount that I have studied will be enough to get me to 80%, which is the minimum for a passing grade.

I'm taking this week off from work; I should have taken last week off as well. But it's too late for the should haves, or the could haves. It is what it is and I will do the best that I can. It's not the end of the world if I have to stay in school another semester.

I probably will not do another post until after Monday's final. Wish me luck. I need it.

I'm Still Here

This semester is rough, but I'm surviving. All of my paperwork for graduation has been completed and my finals are coming up faster than I want to think about. But I have to think about it and deal with the fact that I am not studying enough. So, I am going to reduce my work hours a little more. I mentioned in my previous post that I reduced my hours to 32 hours a week. Instead I have been working 35 hours. Starting next week I will work 30 hours per week for 3 weeks and then take off the first week of November. I hope that will give me enough time to study.

Very few students in this program have taken 3 of the finals in one semester. I know of only two others who have done that; one suffered from cramps in their hand from all the writing and the other turned into a basket case at the end. What will happen to me, I wonder?

Looking on the Bright Side of Life

In spite of the fact that 25% of the Angeles National Forest is in ruins, life goes on. Some of the positive things in my life are:

1. I did not know that Mt. Wilson had a TowerCam until the fire occurred. Not only do I like to look at it, several others do as well. So, I have placed a link on the right side of my blog under "Links". It will be there as long as either the TowerCam exists or as long as I have this blog.

2. Having a few posts about the fire has increased the readership of my blog and that makes me happy.

3. I made and acted upon the decision to reduce my work hours. I was working 40 hrs a week and it was too much. It left me with very little time to study for my finals. So I have reduced my hours to 32 hrs per week with the agreement and support of my supervisors. I was apprehensive about telling them that I needed to work less, but I did it and the outcome was positive.

4. I am moving toward the finish line of my doctoral program.

5. I gave my final seminar last week and it was very well received. It was a relief to get it done.

6. I have started studying now for my three remaining finals: two written and one oral. This is a positive because I haven't had time to study until now and that was causing me a lot of anxiety. So the anxiety has diminished and I am studying.

Life consists of both negative and positive things. It's up to us to choose what we are going to focus on.

The Pressure Is On

The summer semester is over and I have only one more semester to go before I graduate. So the rush to get everything done in time has begun. I have to complete registration for the fall, which involves filling out paperwork for internships, filling out a degree application, turning in my final program of study, making sure my graduate records are accurate, turning in my paperwork for the remaining competency finals, and studying for the finals. During the fall semester, I will also be presenting at 2 seminars, and taking 3 internships which total to 40 hours of work per week. How I am going to manage all this, I do not know.

To add to everything, I have to look for a job. I have already been looking and just saw tonight that a position with my favorite government agency has come open. It is located in my home state! It is in a city that is about 115 miles from my home city. Best of all, the pay is very good!!! I have to apply. The deadline to apply is Monday, Aug. 17. So I have one week and I'm sure it will be a very hectic one for me. These particular positions do not come open very often. The scientists that occupy these positions are so happy in them, that they stay until they are way past retirement age. So the only time this type of position comes up is when someone finally retires. The competition is fierce and there is no guarantee that I will even get to the interview stage.

I have to wonder whether it is wise for me to pursue this position when I have so much that has to be accomplished to graduate in December. But like I mentioned above, these positions do not come open very often and I don't know when another one will open up. Another reason in favor of applying now is that several faculty at the university have told me that I needed to be looking for this position title in my government job searches, because I am very skilled in this particular area. Or so they say. I don't quite know how that happened. I did not try to be skilled in that area, it just came naturally, I guess.

So, a busy week ahead for me here, but I just don't think I can pass up the opportunity to apply.

Life Is Good

It has been a while since I have posted anything, so I just wanted to provide an update. I am working full-time (two part-time jobs) and am enjoying it. I feel like I’m still on vacation. When I worked full time before going back to grad school, it did not feel like a vacation to me, but now full-time does. That is an indication of the intensity and difficulty of the graduate program that I am in. However, things are going to start speeding up for me. I have not started studying yet for the remaining three finals, but I have to start very soon. I have started preparing a presentation for a seminar that I have to give on September 17 and I am working on a lab notebook that is due next week. Yup, it’s going to start getting busy again and the pressure of deadlines will help me to start studying again.

Life feels good because in addition to being on "vacation", the financial aid office came through for me after I had given up on them. I got the phone number and email of my financial aid advisor and before giving up, I had called him a few times and sent a couple of emails. He always responded. Even though I was mad, I was very nice to him. So one day I got a big surprise! He emailed me and told me that he was going to combine the amount that I should have gotten for Summer 1 with the increased amount that I had petitioned to get for Summer 2. I quickly emailed my thanks and thoughts of gratitude to him. Soon afterward, I received the full amount of my student loan for the summer. Life is indeed good!

Vacation Is Over

Ever since I completed the First Competency Final that I took on June 23, I have been working on increasing my laziness percentage. On Facebook, I took the 'How Lazy Are You' quiz and my result was 32% lazy. Although I have been working part-time in the mornings, I have spent my afternoons and weekends just reading novels and listening to music. Last night I'm sure I increased my laziness percentage considerably when I was thirsty and chose to get an unopened water bottle from my backpack which was 6 feet away from where I was sitting reading, instead of walking 25 feet into the kitchen to get a glass and fill it with water.

However, my time for relaxation is over. Tomorrow, I start working a second part-time job, so I will be working a full 40 hours a week. I will be getting internship credits for both of my part-time jobs. I also have to start studying for the rest of my finals. I will be taking 3 finals during the fall semester and I have to pass them. The financial aid office approved for me to receive aid only for the summer and fall semesters and that's it. I can't afford to be in school without financial aid. So, the pressure is on. I have to pass the finals and I have to graduate in December. I will start studying this afternoon and will study every night after work.

I Passed!!!

I passed my First Competency Final!!!!. What a relief! I was a bit worried because it was so hard and there was an interference during the exam that affected my ability to concentrate. I also wasn't in the best of shape physically because I was getting so stressed out that I was having trouble eating and sleeping.

With one big final out of the way, I can now start to study for the three finals that I will take during the fall semester. In the next few days, I will put up a countdown timer for the next final.

To relieve my stress, I've decided that I'm not going to pursue anything more with the financial aid office. There is one more multi-step thing I could do to get more student loan from them, but I'm not going to do it. I've had enough. I'll make do with whatever I can get from them as it now stands.

One Final Down and Three To Go

I took a really big final today. It lasted for 9 hours and 35 minutes straight. There was no time out for lunch. I snacked as I wrote. I did sight ID of nematodes and arthropods and provided their common names and scientific names. I provided pest management recommendations, drew graphs, provided field distributions of symptom patterns, and made insect and mite pest sampling plans and designs. I produced 21 full pages of handwritten answers.

I don't know how I survived it, but since I am sitting at my computer doing this post, I must still be alive. It will take about 2 weeks to find out whether I passed. I sure hope so, because I never want to go through this particular exam again. To pass, we have to score at least 80%. A point off here and a point off there...the points off add up and for some students add up to less than 80%. Even if I don't pass, I do feel a sense of accomplishment for taking it (especially considering how my life has been) and providing an answer for every question. Hopefully, I will pass.

Studying in Progress

I decided that I am going to continue moving forward and take the First Competency Final next Tuesday. I finished the paper today that is due on Friday. So that's one thing done. Now I am back to studying for the final. I'm taking time off from work to study even though I can't afford it. The financial pressures have felt like a 60 ton weight on my shoulders. I have chosen to throw the weight off and deal with it after the final.

Financial Aid Woes

As you know, ever since the loss of my assistantship, I have been battling with the Student Financial Aid Office to provide me with a viable financial aid package. Today, I lost the battle.

What this means for me, I do not completely know at the moment. I do not know whether I will be able to complete this program. I am fairly certain that I will not be taking the First Competency Final next week. I will keep you posted.

Financial Aid Saga and a Final

It has been a few days since I have posted anything, so I want to give you a quick update on things. The financial aid situation is not over. I don't know what the financial aid office did with their budget for my student loan, but by the time I paid my rent with the late fee, and a couple of small bills, my loan money was gone. I received much less than what I have received in previous summer semesters. So, I had to petition to get the university to increase the budget for my financial aid. They increased it by about $500 for Summer 1. Now I will have to somehow get them to disburse that to me. After looking at my student account, it is obvious that the financial aid office will not do anything until I contact them. I will probably have to go there in person. However I don't have the time, so I will call them and hope that is enough.

My Big Comprehensive Final is one week away and I am very nervous about it. I have been juggling 3 internships and I have a paper due this Friday for one of them. I have done very little studying for this final. However, I am taking a few days off from my internships and the paper is almost completed, so I have hope that I will be able to put in more study time after the paper is done.