Spending weeks on end trying to spend all day preparing for an open-ended examination is wearying, and nearly any task seems welcome by comparison. One advantage of that is how I have spent more time in the gym in the last month than in the year before that – passing an hour a day there first thing upon waking.
Still, there are now only six days before my re-comp and I must do all I can to remain focused on it. I have continued with sketching outlines to probable exam questions, and already lined up two late meetings with faculty members to discuss them.
Even if I succeed in the exam, there is more drudgery ahead. To begin with, I need to complete my PhD coursework, and the requirements are somewhat confusing. I have requested a meeting with the director of graduate studies to try to sort it out. There seems no way of reconciling the set of courses they require PhD students to take with the length of time in which they are meant to be completed. Furthermore, I will have another comprehensive exam to write on public policy, a topic that will be far more challenging for me since I have even less background in it than I do in Canadian politics.
I wish these lists were better populated, but I will keep at it (alongside other tasks) during the next few days.
The updated state of my ‘outlines to answers’ file: PDF, LaTeX.
I still need to incorporate my notes on Donald Smiley, and aspects of my readings, timeline, and glossary spreadsheets. ALso, I need to incorporate more on Guy Laforest’s book on Trudeau.
Now to get some sleep before my 9am meeting tomorrow.
These could all use more content, but the hour of the exam draws near. I should have one more look through each document, then take a final crack at writing a random practice answer.
Past comp questions: PDF, LaTeX
Readings (Excel)
Glossary (Excel)
Timeline (Excel)