# To all my friends and family who told me I'd do well on my comprehensive exams... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 5, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370 "2009-11-05T01:42:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![nameless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/779978/32.png) [@nameless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nameless)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/21 "2009-11-05T03:04:48Z")
Christ. Quals are tough times. But I’m sympathetic to the plight of everyone who has to drag your ass through them. Because you do need a lot of support in those times; you just get run ragged. Your advisor, your family, your friends, your partner–everyone carries a little bit of it–not as much as you do, mind, but a little. And it sucks! They don’t get have shots bought for them at the end of it! What else can you say, other than “You’ll do great!” _There is literally nothing else to say._ So suck it up. Pass your exams. Then get ridiculously drunk and realize that it was never that hard to begin with. I promise you will. -nameless, PhC as of one week ago ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/22 "2009-11-05T03:05:11Z")
Jesus, and I was being 100% sarcastic with my pseudo mental health diagnosis. Now I realize I was actually only 99% sarcastic. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/23 "2009-11-05T03:11:41Z")
> [@statsman1982](#): > > Fuck you, too. Reminder: [QUOTE=Restricted language in the Pit] The following expressions should not be directed at other posters. * * * fuck you [/QUOTE] [Restricted language in the Pit - The BBQ Pit - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=508858) > [@statsman1982](#): > > If it’s all the same to you, I’m going to request that this thread be killed. It’s really not pit-worthy and it seems to be wasting everyone’s time. Granted. But if anybody objects (PM me or just report a post from this thread if you do), I’ll reopen it. **Gfactor** Pit Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/24 "2009-11-06T03:22:02Z")
Some folks still want to post in this thread. Reopened. **Gfactor** Pit Moderator ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/25 "2009-11-06T03:29:55Z")
> [@statsman1982](#): > > **Rumor Watkins,** you really have no idea how far off the mark you are on the sociopath diagnosis. I’m sure you’re an excellent psychologist IRL (you are,right?), but you missed this one. If you had read some of my other posts, I think you would have come to a different conclusion. > > To everyone else, I regret very much starting this thread an hour ago. I really do value my friends, and I recognize how lucky I am to have them. My problem is depression mixed with anxiety. I’ve been taking Paxil and BuSpar for a while now, and recently started Welbutrin. Lately, I’ve been feeling depressed and panicky more often than usual, probably because I’ve been under a great deal of pressure with my program. Getting the news about having to do orals sent me into a kind of meltdown about an hour ago. It was then that I hastily started this thread. In the future, I’ll just go have a beer. > > If it’s all the same to you, I’m going to request that this thread be killed. It’s really not pit-worthy and it seems to be wasting everyone’s time. > > ETA: I have been seeing a student-therapist at the Psychology department on campus here for about a year and a half now. I don’t know what else I can do. I’m really shocked that after writing the above, essentially pointing out that my OP was childish lashing out, anyone would want to add anything to this thread. If you want to berate me for the OP, why not pit me? Otherwise, I’m puzzled as to what else needs to be said here. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/26 "2009-11-06T03:42:37Z")
Well, it wasn’t me. I feel a little bad about my snarky post up-thread, in light of your subsequent post detailing your issues with depression and whatnot. Hope it gets better, man. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/27 "2009-11-06T03:44:22Z")
How does one tell the difference between depression mixed with anxiety, and just being a self-centred fuckwheel? ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/28 "2009-11-06T04:04:51Z")
I’m glad this thread was reopened. While I have no beef with the OP specifically, it’s always seemed to be the way of the boards to let assholic OPs go on and let them lie in the bed they made, so to speak. Closing it seems to allow the person to escape being called out on it if he or she is, in fact, in the wrong or behaving like a jerk. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/29 "2009-11-06T04:05:13Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > How does one tell the difference between depression mixed with anxiety, and just being a self-centred fuckwheel? I would assume a diagnosis from a physician. What’s your excuse? ---
**Author:** ![Pray\_for\_peace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pray\_for\_peace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pray_for_peace)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/30 "2009-11-06T04:12:34Z")
**statsman** , I just wanted to let you know that it’s not that unusual to have an oral exam as part of your qualifying exam. Yes, it’s stressful, but it does help to prepare you for your thesis defense and exam, which I assume will be oral. Hang in there and good luck. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/31 "2009-11-06T04:19:34Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > How does one tell the difference between depression mixed with anxiety, and just being a self-centred fuckwheel? I don’t know. How does one tell the difference between someone with poor reading comprehension skills and someone willfully ignoring the fact that I already addressed this a few posts back? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/32 "2009-11-06T04:20:18Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Closing it seems to allow the person to escape being called out on it if he or she is, in fact, in the wrong or behaving like a jerk. Did you miss the mea culpa in post #20? It’s not like he was continuing to be a jerk. He explained why the thread was a mistake, and the tone of that post was that he knew he was in the wrong and overreacted. Close enough to an apology for me. And another “way of the boards” has always been to let someone off the hook when they’re big enough to admit they were wrong. ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/33 "2009-11-06T04:22:37Z")
I give you a 75% chance of doing fine, give or take 25%. ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/34 "2009-11-06T04:24:26Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > …While I have no beef with the OP specifically, it’s always seemed to be the way of the boards to let assholic OPs go on and let them lie in the bed they made, so to speak… I don’t intend to post anything more than responses to other posts, so there’s really no “bed making” to expect. If someone really wants to give me what-for (even after my explanation a few posts up), why not start a new pit thread instead? ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/35 "2009-11-06T04:25:45Z")
You’re going to fail miserably, burn-out, have a nervous breakdown and end up a shell of your former self, doomed to using your fancy education on the long slow climb the zenith of mediocrity as a corporate middle-manager. ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/36 "2009-11-06T04:28:22Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > You’re going to fail miserably, burn-out, have a nervous breakdown and end up a shell of your former self, doomed to using your fancy education on the long slow climb the zenith of mediocrity as a corporate middle-manager. Promise? You’re not leading me on, are you? ---
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/37 "2009-11-06T04:38:10Z")
Like **nameless** said, the people who give a fuck about you in your life are SUPPOSED to say “Oh you’ll do fine.” And trust me, I KNOW what it’s like to have shit like that said to me when the person doesn’t have a fucking clue what they’re talking about. And it makes me angry too. But I’ve realized even though it’s annoying, I am glad I have people who give a fuck. Even with all the other shit you’re dealing with, try to keep that in perspective. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/38 "2009-11-06T04:43:20Z")
> [@statsman1982](#): > > Promise? You’re not leading me on, are you? Well I cannot say with any certainty, you might be an outlier, but I’d say that it’s probable and the data supports it. ---
**Author:** ![statsman1982](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e79b87/32.png) [@statsman1982](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/statsman1982)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/39 "2009-11-06T05:14:54Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Well I cannot say with any certainty, you might be an outlier, but I’d say that it’s probable and the data supports it. Well, as I believe you to be an authority on the psychology of [message board meltdowns](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=529930&highlight=Mary+Kopechne), I’ll take your word for it. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370/40 "2009-11-06T06:00:02Z")
Hey, I won’t promise you that you’ll do fine, but I will wish you good luck. Sorry for the setback, but try not to let it throw you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-all-my-friends-and-family-who-told-me-id-do-well-on-my-comprehensive-exams/516370.md?page=3)