# Just finished taking Ph.D exams **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 29, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-finished-taking-ph-d-exams/515653 "2009-10-29T20:32:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-finished-taking-ph-d-exams/515653/1 "2009-10-29T20:32:40Z")
Well, I just finished 2 days’ worth of comprehensive exams in my Ph.D program. If I pass (which I think I did), then I can finally start really working on the dissertation. For the moment, I’m going to rest my writer’s-cramped hand. Who would’ve thunk it–a Ph.D program in the quantitative sciences program in a college of business still makes doctoral students use “blue books.”:dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-finished-taking-ph-d-exams/515653/2 "2009-10-29T23:55:29Z")
Actually better to do these in the opposite order. Since my thesis was already finished, the comprehensive examiners just faked it. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-finished-taking-ph-d-exams/515653/3 "2009-10-30T00:11:07Z")
Ah, comps. I remember a conversation with a bunch of my fellow grad students and a few faculty, held in a convivial setting, when the question came up: Would you rather take comps or eat a live frog? All the grad students agreed on the live frog – the faculty snickered. Anyway – congrats! How long do you have to wait for results? ---
**Author:** ![Sonnenstrahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Sonnenstrahl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonnenstrahl)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-finished-taking-ph-d-exams/515653/4 "2009-10-30T00:11:35Z")
Congratulations! I mean, on finishing so that it’s not premature - I’m superstitious like that. 🙂 The students in my department get a departmental laptop to write on - sucks to have to do it by hand! (Were you doing math problems and such that are easier by hand?) ---
**Author:** ![BetsQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BetsQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BetsQ)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-finished-taking-ph-d-exams/515653/5 "2009-10-30T01:16:48Z")
Congrats on getting through them! Comps has definitely been my least favorite part of the Ph.D. process (so far). It’s much nicer on the other side. ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-finished-taking-ph-d-exams/515653/6 "2009-10-30T07:14:46Z")
**Sonnenstrahl,** I’m in a business statistics program, so there was a fair bit of math to do, so I actually preferred being able to write out the answers by hand. I can use Equation Editor in Word, but I’ve found that the 2007 version is much harder to work with than the 2003 one that I have on my own machine (which they wouldn’t have let me use, obviously). After the exam, I had a couple of :smack: moments where I realized I could have given better answers. There were 14 questions on Day 1 (choose 8) and 16 questions today (again, choose 8). Upon reflection, and having the luxury of time, I should have chosen to answer some of the other ones to maximize my score. But hey, the score doesn’t really matter. It’s kind of a pass fail thing, so if I pass, I’ll be happy:)