On what to do the year after comprehensive exams (or avoiding the post comps writing blues).
Most PhD students in the United States take a qualifying exam at the end of their second or third year of study - called comprehensive exams or comps.
Comps are stressful. When designed properly, they force a student to demonstrate mastery of a literature & the ability to contribute to it. This means that the exam can be quite open-ended.
Comps take time to prepare for. Even if open book, passing comps requires reading a lot of articles, synthesizing ideas, and demonstrating the ability to apply ideas.
Comps wear people out. The preparation, the time taking the test. The waiting for results is emotionally taxing.
When comps are done, most PhD students take some time to breathe.
I tell my students to take a holiday and not check email for a week.
But.
To get back to work before too long or they will form bad habits.
Here, bad habits refers failing to do assigned work or avoiding work on a dissertation.
In my experience, many PhD students form bad habits around the time of comps - bc they are tired, they are questioning their career choices, or there are more fun things to do than to think about research.
While all is these are reasonable response to comps, there is real peril to bad habits for post-comp students.
Why?
Bc doing well in coursework or on exams does not translate to doing well on the job market and finishing your dissertation.
Post-comps you will need to master the ability to work independently & generate papers.
Absent those skills, it is very hard to finish a dissertation and land a job in the academy or industry.
So how to avoid bad habits?
First, shake off comps.
As long as you pass, the score doesn’t matter.
Look forward.
Second, pre-comps plan a fun project.
My students write summer papers. The year of comps it’s esp. imp. that students like their topic.
If they do, it’s easier for them to ease back into research after the exams are done.
Third, plan your time.
Some students take a month or two to get back to work.
If you are that kind of student (no judgement) pick a date or event to get back to work.
I tell my students work starts again no later than our august conference.
Fourth, wrap up loose ends.
If you have ongoing papers, finish them.
This sounds obvious. I can’t tell you how many students go into the job market with first and second year papers only partially done.
These papers can be intellectual millstones around your neck.
Get them under review. It’ll build your academic efficacy.
Finally, plan your next two to three years.
Planning will help you realize how fast time passes post-comps.
Think through how to manage your advisor, assemble a committee, and secure resources need to finish in 24 short months.
Looking forward, working on what you like, wrapping up loose ends, and planning in your third year will make your final years as a student simpler!
Best of luck!
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