Episode XLIV: Oral Exam!

I am currently in preparations for what is known as Oral Examinations, sometimes referred to as Prelims. This is essentially the biggest and most stressful test that I have ever experienced or ever will experience. The exam for me is Friday the 13^th (of June), only five days before leaving for California. For this reason I have been doing an extraordinary amount of studying the last few weeks, and plan to continue to do so until the date of the exam.

The exam has two major components. In the first (and largest) I have spent a great deal of time writing a mock grant proposal, which outlines a major research project and is designed to ask the NIH (National Institutes of Health) for tons of funding money. During the exam I will sit in a room in front of five professors, and they will ask me to defend the ideas that I have in the proposal, and answer numerous questions related to the biology and significance of the proposal.

The second part is essentially a basic knowledge test, where the professors ask me any sort of biology-related questions they want, to test the depth and breadth of my scientific knowledge and critical thinking skills.

For this reason, I have been reading in earnest the book: Molecular Biology of the Cell, which is the definitive text with regards to the kind of research that I am doing. I plan on reading the entire thing before the exam. It is over 1700 pages. Therefore I read it a lot.

In lab:

In church:

At the gym:

And in bed:

I am working hard because I really really do not want to fail. If you pass your orals, you go on, do more research, and graduate with your Ph.D. If you fail, you are awarded a Masters, and invited to leave the university.

So now I am going to go study. Wish me the best!