beanstew

Our program has just told us to work it out with our individual advising committees about whether to continue on with the initial timeline for the exams or to push it back. I decided to go on as usual just because I already had most of the books I need to write my exams before the school shut down. But having to write the exams while being at home is going to be a challenge because it's hard for me to focus at home. I hope you were able to sort out your prelim schedules!

My preliminary exams (in a humanities field) are coming up in two weeks and am nervous about how I am going to write them while being at home. I have been trying to get a few hours of reading in every day in preparation for the prelims but like many people here, some days I'm more productive than others. Now that the exams are closing in, I am anxious about how to stay focused and motivated to prep for and take the exams. I will have three exams, five days to write each essay with weekend rest days, so the exams will span over three weeks. It sounds like an awful long time to be isolated and stressed-writing in my tiny apartment. Anyone suggestions on how I should approach this nerve-wrecking rite of passage during a pandemic?!