When should I comp… when am I ready?
You do your comprehensive exams in the year prior to your last year of funding, so if you are planning to take 4 years then you would comp in your 3rd year.
Comps are the next step after you’ve completed all your coursework. Except for very rare cases, you cannot take any more courses after you do your comprehensive exams. For most external admits, they are ready to comp in the Spring of their 3rd year. For most internal admits, they are ready in the Fall of their 3rd year.
What is the end of semester deadline for completing your comps?
You need to complete your comps in the semester you sign up for. However, we use the end of semester deadline, which is the day before the first day of the next semester. So, if you are comping in the Spring semester, the absolute last day to defend would be the day before the Summer semester starts. (But it isn’t recommended to wait to the end!)
What documentation do I need to keep track of?
- To sign up for your comp semester, you need to submit 4 directed reading requires through the Qualtrics form that is sent out every semester. You do 4 requests to sign up for 3CH of directed reading with each committee member.
- Then, you need to fill out the candidacy exam worksheet after you meet with your advisor and committee members. This worksheet includes your exam timeline, question topics, etc., and needs to be signed by your advisor. This worksheet is due, at the latest, 2 weeks before your first question.
- *Note that the form asks for the date of your oral exam, but you can list as unknown/tentative and set it later in the semester.
- For each question/committee member, you will make a reading list (see below).
- GradForms (gradforms.osu.edu) for oral examination needs to be submitted 2 weeks prior to your oral exam. This includes your date and time of the oral exam, and your advisor will also need to approve it online.
- *Note that your oral exam should be between 2-4 weeks after your last question is due.
What kind of question timeline can I do?
This varies by individual and depends on your reading/writing speed as well as time management.
Some options include: (1) getting all questions at once and then all due at once, (2) getting them one at a time but all due all at once, & (3) getting them one at a time and then due one at a time.
Many students use option 3, which is to receive each question one at a time, and each prior question is due before you receive the next one.
The duration of the question period can also vary (as long as it works out with the oral exam date). A common strategy seems to be 2 weeks per question. But, you can tailor this depending on your preferred schedule.
How do I make a reading list?
First, meet with your committee members to determine the topic and scope of the question you want to receive. While you won’t necessarily know the specific question, you are setting expectations for the type of question and this guides your selection of articles for the reading list.
According to other graduate students, most lists are between 30-40 articles long.
Faculty members will likely differ in the extent that they edit or provide recommendations for your reading list. After you make an initial list, you will need to share it with your committee member to get final approval. They may add to or change it at this point.
General Tips: (1) save yourself the work later and make your list in APA format, (2) pull readings from references sections of other readings, (3) choose readings that you actually want to read, (4) if you start reading it during your question period and find it is irrelevant you don’t have to use it, (5) similarly, you may also have to add additional readings during your question period if you find that some are irrelevant or to bolster your argument — this is normal.
When do I do the readings?
If you can, it is preferable to start reading before your question period starts, but of course this can be hard. Make a reading schedule for during your question period — most people read as they write/prepare their question responses. For example, you can plan to read a certain number of articles per day, and plan to start writing on a specific day (i.e., start writing on day 3 of question period, or one week of reading and one week of writing). More tips on reading schedules below.
Note that your reading list should not be entirely new. You should have been reading in these areas during your research and coursework, so some articles you select should be familiar.
What are some good strategies for reading and maintaining your question progress?
- One strategy is to read the foundational theoretical papers first to prepare and take time with that important material. Then, read the papers which are application of the theories — to skip to the methods section to see how they applied them or how they advanced the theory.
- Another strategy is to read chronologically, to see how theories/interpretations changed over time.
- For your reading schedule, schedule number of articles to read per day, number of pages to read per day, or number of readings per week. Document your progress on this goal and adjust your schedule as needed.
- Create an outline of the question, so you make sure to answer it as thoroughly as possible.
- Create a spreadsheet or another organization plan (i.e., Zotero) to keep track of key article information. Some important information could include: main takeaway, methods/study design, relevance to question, & purpose/research question of paper.
How much do people tend to write — what is enough?
Unfortunately, this is an “it depends” answer. Most people write at least 25 pages per question, but responses can vary up to over 100 pages. Consider whether you answer the question fully and the coherence of your argument. Also, your committee might have a preference on this, since they are the ones reading your responses.
General Tips/Thoughts
Try to lighten your load so you can focus on comps. If you can, TA instead of teach. Consider whether you have the capacity to start a new research project at this time (probably not!).
“I wish someone had told me before candidacy is that it is perfectly fine to use it to explore. You don’t have to have your dissertation idea ahead of time, it is useful, but it is okay to just follow your ideas and then not use them specifically for your dissertation. ”
“Candidacy is the scariest thing I experienced up to that point but it felt kind of magical getting past it. Answering questions with confidence, shifted how I view myself as a scholar.”
Candidacy Exam Worksheet: https://comm.osu.edu/sites/comm.osu.edu/files/Candidacy%20Exam%20Worksheet.pdf
For more information on comprehensive exam requirements and timelines, see Section III of the SOC Graduate Student Manual.