Celebrate Good Times (Come On)

[ProfLorax]

I passed my comps today! I am officially ABD and a Candidate, which is SUCH A WEIRD thing to wrap my mind around. My only regret? I didn't work in a Hamilton reference. 

I wanted to start a thread where we can all celebrate each other's achievements this semester. Are you surviving your first semester? Will you be presenting at a Big Deal™ conference in 2016? Did you get a travel grant? Let's get a dance party started up in here. 

[1Q84]

Yay for ProfLorax!!!

[brontësaurus]

WOOOOO!!! Congrats! :D

[kurayamino]

Congratulations!!

 

[bhr]

9 hours ago, ProfLorax said:

I passed my comps today! I am officially ABD and a Candidate, which is SUCH A WEIRD thing to wrap my mind around. My only regret? I didn't work in a Hamilton reference. 

I wanted to start a thread where we can all celebrate each other's achievements this semester. Are you surviving your first semester? Will you be presenting at a Big Deal™ conference in 2016? Did you get a travel grant? Let's get a dance party started up in here. 

Mazel Tov! I'm still hoping to have a meal over break if you are in town! (as to Hamilton, I submitted a Hamilton-related proposal for HASTAC and quoted "The Room Where is Happens" in my SOP)

[Dr. Old Bill]

I wish that I was in the room where it happened...the room where it happened!

Congrats, Prof Lorax. Couldn't have happened to a more wonderful...Lorax!

[Dr. Old Bill]

4 hours ago, bhr said:

Mazel Tov! I'm still hoping to have a meal over break if you are in town! (as to Hamilton, I submitted a Hamilton-related proposal for HASTAC and quoted "The Room Where is Happens" in my SOP)

Okay. Seriously. WHEN are the three of us grabbing a meal at Franklin's???

[ProfLorax]

Aw shucks, y'all. Thanks for your enthusiasm and support! This has been a whirlwind year, what with the whole baby thing and then comps, and you all have been such a great support. 

But seriously, who else has something to celebrate?! I know you are a brilliant, ambitious bunch! 

[kurayamino]

3 minutes ago, ProfLorax said:

But seriously, who else has something to celebrate?! I know you are a brilliant, ambitious bunch!

I'll get back to you in January after I successfully submit three seminar papers! ;)

[Horb]

I presented at my first conference and got funding for it! I finally feel like a grad student. 

 

Congrats on comps!

[unræd]

Congratulations on candidacy!

I presented at a conference in October, which was cool, and have just had a paper accepted to the International Medieval Congress in Leeds (the European version of Kalamazoo) for this summer, which is also v. neat.

But honestly, the thing I'll be celebrating most is sheer survival, because: hot damn, that first semester's a doozie.

[Dr. Old Bill]

19 minutes ago, unræd said:

But honestly, the thing I'll be celebrating most is sheer survival, because: hot damn, that first semester's a doozie.

A - frickin' - men.

[dazedandbemused]

Congrats to everyone on successful semesters! I've had a very contradictory semester of highs and lows. On the one hand,  depression and I have been bffs for a few solid months now, but on the other hand, school is going pretty well. I took a paper to a conference in my specialty last month, and the editor of a top journal in my field asked me to submit my expanded article. I'm so excited, but also this PhD thing is starting to feel so real, lol. 

[EmmaJava]

On 12/2/2015, 1:49:23, ProfLorax said:

Aw shucks, y'all. Thanks for your enthusiasm and support! This has been a whirlwind year, what with the whole baby thing and then comps, and you all have been such a great support. 

But seriously, who else has something to celebrate?! I know you are a brilliant, ambitious bunch! 

If all goes well, I'll make an appearance in an edited volume, a chapter of my own. Peer review is in process as we speak, so, uh, please wish me some luck!

[Dr. Old Bill]

Nothing celebratory on my part, I'm afraid. The next two weekends will be completely consumed by reading, research, and writing, with the aim of producing three lengthy papers.

In fairness, I have a lot of the research done for two of them, but there will be a lot of "heavy lifting" before I hear the final Cheyne-Stokes of the semester.

But! I bought a PS4 and Fallout 4 as a treat to myself for when the semester is done. I haven't taken it out of the box yet, lest temptation get the best of me, but I figure it will add a bit of extra incentive to get through a tough eleven days.

[kurayamino]

3 hours ago, Wyatt's Terps said:

But! I bought a PS4 and Fallout 4 as a treat to myself for when the semester is done. I haven't taken it out of the box yet, lest temptation get the best of me, but I figure it will add a bit of extra incentive to get through a tough eleven days.

Ohhh Yes! I've been living vicariously through my husband, watching him explore the wasteland. I can't wait to finish these papers and play.

[silenus_thescribe]

This really isn't an "achievement" -- certainly nothing to the level of what y'all brilliant folks have done -- but rather just a, "Hey, this feels nice" moment.

Right now, I'm finishing up a paper on Samuel Beckett's plays that I feel really good about. I knew I'd love to start working in my field (modern/contemporary drama), but the interest hasn't diminished at all; I feel really fulfilled by this work. Of course, this is a seminar paper, which means it will need heavy reworking before it becomes anything else, but I am pleased nonetheless.

What really makes this paper for me, though, is thinking about where I was last year: turning in the last few of my applications, in a state of zero confidence and fear. I was sure I wasn't going to get in anywhere. Looking back on it now, that feeling seems a lifetime ago. 

While I know there's little one can say to assuage the application season stress, I can say this based on my own experience: don't give up hope. 

Edited December 8, 2015 by silenus_thescribe

[1Q84]

On December 4, 2015 at 3:48:04 AM, Wyatt's Terps said:

But! I bought a PS4 and Fallout 4 as a treat to myself for when the semester is done. I haven't taken it out of the box yet, lest temptation get the best of me, but I figure it will add a bit of extra incentive to get through a tough eleven days.

I feel you. I don't have any consoles but I did re-download Steam to play some Half-Life after I submit my papers by this Wednesday (actually, did one yesterday, got one today, and then the last on Wednesday. What a sprint!) The supposed Half-Life 3 rumors got me all hot and bothered!

8 minutes ago, silenus_thescribe said:

What really makes this paper for me, though, is thinking about where I was last year: turning in the last few of my applications, in a state of zero confidence and fear. I was sure I wasn't going to get in anywhere. Looking back on it now, that feeling seems a lifetime ago. 

While I know there's little one can say to assuage the application season stress, I can say this based on my own experience: don't give up hope. 

Totally agreed It's nice seeing all of us who suffered through app season last year doing our thing in our programs! 

I don't really have an "achievement" per se either but I've always worried about the less tangible aspects of the program before I entered, namely making connections with colleagues and professors (probably because I was so bad at it in my undergrad career.) Luckily, I've found some amazing faculty who not only make me feel good about my work but happy about life as an academic in general. I'm so grateful to have found them and to get their support. The colleague situation has been a little weird but I've been able to find some very great people outside of my department so I feel affectively great at the end of my first semester!

[EmmaJava]

18 minutes ago, silenus_thescribe said:

I wasn't sure I wasn't going to get in anywhere. Looking back on it now, that feeling seems a lifetime ago. 

While I know there's little one can say to assuage the application season stress, I can say this based on my own experience: don't give up hope. 

Yep - you are speaking my language!  Thanks so much for such reassuring words, I'll try to hang onto this kind of thing. Can't get enough of it.

[WendyWonderland]

On December 3, 2015 at 8:56 AM, Horb said:

I presented at my first conference and got funding for it! I finally feel like a grad student. 

 

Congrats on comps!

Hey u re still here! How re u? I remember u from 2014!  U re from Germany right? I am accepted to a conference in Germany however I think I am gonna be too poor to make it lol. After all those application fees ^^

[Horb]

5 hours ago, WendyWonderland said:

Hey u re still here! How re u? I remember u from 2014!  U re from Germany right? I am accepted to a conference in Germany however I think I am gonna be too poor to make it lol. After all those application fees ^^

I wish I was from Germany! I just studied there during undergrad. I'm doing well! How are you doing?

[WendyWonderland]

7 hours ago, Horb said:

I wish I was from Germany! I just studied there during undergrad. I'm doing well! How are you doing?

I am doing great as well! I have 1 course left and then I will have my 2nd MA in English! Yay! How time flies!  Just finished sending out all of my applications for PhD.D. for Fall 2016. How about you?

[Horb]

I'm in my second year of a PhD. I got my MA last year and am working towards finishing coursework and them doing orals next year. 

[asurachm]

Congrats for everyone's achievements  

This has been a good year for me too: presented at three national conferences, one regional conference, published an article as first author, and graduating from my master (just defended my thesis last week). I am so grateful for having such a supportive mentor and adviser. 

[bhr]

Not to jump on Prof's party, but since she already knows this, I thought I would share that I got my first PhD acceptance today.