Comps without Cramps – Advice from Jennifer Powers

COMPS WITHOUT CRAMPS: ADVICE FROM THE OTHER SIDE!!!

Preparation:

• Think long term = 6 months before you sit, and short term = 3 months before you sit.
• Long term = starting to compile readings, meeting with advisors, coming up with possible questions.
• Short term = having a pretty clear picture of what your four areas/questions are, and having compiled most/all of the readings you’ll use and START READING and TAKING NOTES.
• Double-check deadlines, due dates, etc.
• Consider the Pros and Cons of Sit-Down vs. Take-Home. IF YOU CAN, consider opting for the take-home, since this allows you to produce potentially PUBLISHABLE WORK at the same time you’re fulfilling your comps requirements.

Before:

• Order books from the library! This means you need to check out your BIBLIOGRAPHIES, which will lead you to other good readings.
• PARE IT DOWN! This means ASKING your advisor to look through the list of your compiled books/articles and help you separate the wheat from the chaff.
• Focus: Decide which sources will be used for which question, AND where there will be connections made between questions—sort of like cross-referencing.
• Sort out APA issues/questions/problems/sources ahead of time! Get software if it helps you.
• Create folders on your computer for NOTES on the various books or articles you’re reading WHILE YOU’RE READING THEM. That means, hopefully, you start near the beginning of your doctoral studies creating documents by AUTHOR, and format them for APA up front to save time later. Come up with a CLEAR note-taking system, so it’s obvious to you what are QUOTES, what are PARAPHRASES, and what are musings from your own head.
• Prepare a COMPS NOTEBOOK, which contains EVERYTHING related to comps—forms, signatures, separate sections for your questions, copies of your prep papers, articles, etc.
• TALK TO SOMEONE ELSE who has gone through this process. Allay your fears AND get some useful tips.

During:

• Decide on a SET WRITING SCHEDULE; whatever works for you. Make it sacred. I suggest 6-8 hours per day, but it depends on your schedule. If it’s 4 hours a day, then make that time count, and there will be less DOWN TIME during the process.
• Focus on ONE QUESTION AT A TIME. My advice is to start with the one that is hardest for you.
• Yes, you will be reading while you write. However, try to keep reading time separate from writing time.
• Give yourself some clear DOWN TIME. That means, write during your writing time. Live during the rest of the time. Allow some time for yourself. Go shopping one day. If you stick to your schedule, you can do this AND it will save your sanity.
• Keep in contact with someone else about your progress! Feel free to find a buddy with whom you can share sources, swap questions about the process, proofread, etc. SUPPORT IS IMPORTANT.
• WARN YOUR FAMILY: this will NOT be pretty. They’ll have to leave you alone for about two months straight. Explain this FULLY to them to avoid hurt feelings! Your spouse will need to cook and do laundry—that’s just the way it will be!!!

After:

• Let a few days go by between finishing the last prep paper and sitting down to read them again. This will give you a fresh view. Fix any problems you find.
• If you are doing the sit-down, TIME YOURSELF answering each of the questions WITHOUT YOUR PREP PAPER IN FRONT OF YOU. This will give you an idea of where you are in your preparation process.
• Use a TAPE RECORDER to audiotape your prep papers, and then listen to them ASAP! In the car back and forth to work, on the treadmill, whatever—to give you the edge during sit-down. Even if doing a take-home, this will be useful for preparing for ORALS.
• RE-READ: those books/articles that you stressed in your answers, be sure to visit them again so they’ll be fresh in your mind during orals.