Eek!
Three days!
Super nervous!
So much to get done!
Here's my plan: practice, practice, practice until Wednesday. At 2 pm, give a public defense of my thesis. Around 3-ish, give a private defense of my thesis to my committee. Around 430-5, BREATHE! and hopefully have my Masters of Science. It's super super times a thousand nerve wrecking. But it will be worth it. I have no doubt. And then....! Off to MONTANA! And get a PhD! So I can be a fourth generation doctor! (even though my doctorate is slightly different than the generations before me. But it doesn't matter, I'll still be Dr. Amy Graham ;) ) It sounds a little big-headed, but I can't wait for my title to be Amy C. Graham, B.A., M.S., PhD. So many degrees!
Until then, pray I survive the next few days. I need to extreme clean my apartment since my family is coming up to see my defense. I'm really excited about that. Along with my parents and my sister who lives here in DFW, my grandmother is getting to come up and see me, and possibly my great-aunt! I can't wait for them to finally see what I do instead of hearing about it! Yay!
Apart from cleaning, I need to finish editing my presentation, and then practice it like there is no tomorrow. I think I can pull off the actual presentation part fairly well if I practice transitions and don't get tongue-tied. The part I'm deathly afraid of are the questions. I know almost everything there is to know about my project, but I know my committee will throw me curve balls and ask me questions totally unrelated to my project, expect me to know it, and then expect me to tie in the question to my project. The hardest part, and there really is no way of preparing yourself for it.
And so, that is my life right now. I haven't really even planned or thought of what might go on after April 28, other than my one friend gives his masters defense the day after mine, and another friend gives his grant writing defense the day after that. Tons of presentations are going on right now. It's almost exhausting!
Okay, off to edit, and try to get in at least two practices in tonight. We'll see about that, since each practice will take an hour. My friend who just earned her PhD said one of the hardest things is actually talking for that hour. But I'll be ready. And I'll knock their SOCKS OFF!
Anyway. Hope everyone has a great weekend, and at least thinks of me, as they sit in the sun soaking up their vitamin D while I clean and think of science. Inside.
I miss the sun....
-amyg
9 hours ago