I often get asked about how did I prepare for my comprehensive exams. This is the process I used, but of course, your mileage may vary. The usual disclaimers apply.
I read everything on my list (Comparative Politics) doing AIC https://t.co/nVzDQtYocy – I also wrote synthetic notes on each piece
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) July 24, 2017
My post on synthetic notes https://t.co/Xd9BgKtmBR you can expand your SN to full memo https://t.co/YhY32vb7uG depending on importance
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) July 24, 2017
I dumped all my AIC notes into a Conceptual Synthesis Excel Dump (one per topic) https://t.co/LuNbAcwzhX (e.g comparative institutions)
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) July 24, 2017
Once I had finished this for all my fields I came back and wrote full-fledged memos for each reading I found key. Then I did a concept map.
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) July 24, 2017
My conceptual map https://t.co/hBfzcl2mCM usually shows all connections across bodies of literature and specific key readings/authors
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) July 24, 2017
You'll know you reached conceptual saturation once you've covered the entire list https://t.co/hihmBsjlFZ I also recommend writing reviews
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) July 24, 2017
You can see which types of reviews I recommend here https://t.co/vS46jQd7DD along with some advice on doing literature reviews
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) July 24, 2017
Two additional things: I didn't write answers to potential questions because I had no clue what kind of question I could have been asked.
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) July 24, 2017
Group reading makes sense if you're writing in similar fields (e.g comparative politics) or using similar reading lists (compare notes).
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) July 24, 2017
As always, your mileage may vary. This is what worked for me. There are strategies that work for other people. Self-care, resting, and socializing can’t be overstated. You NEED to make sure to take care of yourself, always.
I did study 7 days a week but took their majority of Sunday off. When I was writing my dissertation I worked Saturday's took Sundays off.
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) July 24, 2017
For me, doing my comprehensives along my cohort colleagues was really empowering. It helped me feel that I wasn’t alone.
Even if we were preparing questions in different fields. Also, don't be afraid to ask professors "what kinds of questions can be asked?"
— Dr Raul Pacheco-Vega (@raulpacheco) July 24, 2017
If you liked this blog post, you may also be interested in my Resources for Graduate Students page, and on my reading notes of books I’ve read on how to do a doctoral degree.
Thank you for sharing so much helpful advice. Did you take notes for your comprehensive exams in your Everything Notebook, or did you devise another notebook method for those?
I did! I also did Evernote-style notes.