How about an update?

So I'd like to hear where you all are in your process. I don't expect pages and pages. Just tell me and the rest of us what you're working on at this moment and what your short term goal is. Maybe something like: I'm working on my proposal, and my goal is to get 3 pages written by Friday.

I'm sending you reading and writing vibes!

DDO

Handling the reading

LeAnn has asked a great question--how to handle the mountain of reading and reams of notes. Really it's a matter of your assuming the authority to decide which texts you'll declare to be important and which not so much. Much of that comes from which ones just get you a wee bit more excited (or less bored) than the rest, texts that strike you as the ones you think you want to use for sure in your dissertation. Then when it gets closer to exam time, you can also come up with a "disclaimer" for the ones you decided not to focus on--e.g. an answer to the question, why these texts and not those texts?

This will come after you've done much of your reading and go back over your notes.

Did that help at all????

Anyone else have suggestions?

blog as study/support group

Hi Donna, and everyone else -
I hope this format will work for everyone. I'd love to get some feedback/ideas/suggestions from anyone else in this process on how to manage it all....

My first question: I have this big (probably average size!) reading list, and I know I'm not going to be finished with everything on it before my September comps date. Hunter has told me to read the items that are critical for my dissertation study first (done), read the things I think will prove most useful to me next, then skim the rest for main ideas, major points, etc.
Good advice, surely, but how do you KNOW which things are in the middle category (most useful, after the primary texts)??? That has me in a bit of a quandary, as I suspect that might change as I read more. Help? Advice? name of a good therapist? ;0

here's where I am at this point as well - as I am reading I am making notes in margins, typing up quotes or other thoughts/ideas that the reading generates, and trying to piece some things together to see how it all fits in with Conrad....is there anything specific anyone can suggest for a way to keep track of all of this? right now I have a bunch of Word documents saved in a folder on my computer....

Thanks for any/all advice, guidance,etc.
LeAnn

Can we turn this into a study group?

OK, here's my second experiment is trying to form a community for everyone who is ABD or nearing the ABD stage. It is my sincere desire that the time you spend ABD be as short as possible. So let's get started.

Once we're up and running, I'd like a post from each of you telling me what you've been doing to prepare for exams or to proposals or to write chapters.

Maybe this will be a bit more user friendly than Class Jump.

Let me know what you think.