For those of you that missed the previous threads and such, in mid June, I had to go through my preliminary examination for my PhD program in Molecular Biology. I had to defend a research proposal in front of panel of five faculty, and as if that wasn’t nervewracking enough, I ended up rewriting the whole thing a few days before the exam based on a weak premise at the insistence of my boss whom I asked for advice and said my original proposal was crap. So the prelim went fairly well considering the proposal was a piece of hastily written crap. I showed I had a lot more in my head and I did on paper and they gave me a conditional pass. The condition: rewrite the proposal.
I turned a ‘rough draft’ on Monday and was told on Wed. it was fine as is! Woo-hoo! It is now official! I have passed my prelim!
Go Verrain! Go Verrain! Its my bithday! Its my birthday!
<Insert funky white guy dancing here.>
So help me celebrate this PhD right of passage! Bar is on the left, snacks are on the right, and there is a large empty space in the center for whatever might show up. 
Well, I knew you could do it.
COngratulations, sweetums.
High five and a hug for Verrain!
Congrats!
Congratulations-- I was just talking the other day with some fellow students about how grad school blows in that you pass these big milestones that require much work and heart ache but that aren’t really acknowledged or celebrated-- have yourself a little ritual. I’m dreaming myself of passing exams this winter-- it will be the first real measuable personal progress I’ve had in some time (had to transfer and finish coursework again).
Woooooo-hoooooo! Congratulations! That’s super news.
So are you now a doctoral candidate instead of a doctoral student? Cheaper tuition! Wheeeeee!
Congrats!
Party like a madman 
And always remember how good this feels next time the boggedness hits…
Congrats Rich
Since you didn’t make my 1000th post party, I wore the same outfit here…
My Playboy Bunny costume, complete with ears and tail.
<Closing dropped jaw and wiping up drool> I must pass difficult tests more often.
Thank you all for your congratulations and well wishes. I have now earned the right to work like a dog for the next 3-4 years and I couldn’t be happier!
If that’s all it takes to make you drool, I guess a hug would be out of the question?
I haven’t turned down a hug in my life. {{hardygrrl}}
Hey, no drool on the tail,buddy!
From one Ph. D. to a soon-to-be Ph. D., congrats. I remember my prelims (three days of written exams 12+ hours a day, take-home paper critique PLUS the proposal) although the medication does a pretty good job of blotting it out most days (kidding).
The prelims aren’t the worst part, tho, sorry to say. I thought the hardest part was writing. So many people get thru the classes, fly thru the prelims, but hit a wall when it comes time to write the dissertation. if you force yourself to write for a minimum of 4 hours a day (NO excuses) you’ll do well.