I Passed!!!

I Passed!!! I Passed!!! I Passed!!! I Passed!!!

I PASSED my PhD written examination, both the Major and Minor parts! When I got the email from the Department this afternoon I emailed them back with a “Are you sure?” email. They answered back with a ‘yes we are sure’ email. I really didn’t think I was going to pass, so this was a bit of a surprise. A very happy surprise. I’m not sure why I thought I wouldn’t pass. I guess its the typical reasons: I didn’t answer the questions correctly or I didn’t read enough or I didn’t study enough or I didn’t write enough or I didn’t remember enough names/books/dates on the written exam (I remembered a bunch right before the exam and right after, but not during) or I’m not smart enough or 101 other reasons. My friends kept telling me to think positive and have confidence, but when you really want something and you’ve worked really hard for it and the outcome is totally out of your hands, its a hard thing to do. Part Two: the oral component (a 90 minutes long cross examination) is still a few weeks away, so plenty of studying left to do, but until then…I Passed!!! I Passed!!! I Passed!!!

Here is the email message:

Dear Melissa,

Congratulations!!