How to Candidacy

'How to Candidacy: Detailed Guide to Pass the PhD Candidacy Exam' covers what the PhD Candidacy Exam or Prelim is, what are the requirements to pass this exam, and how to be successful in getting through it all. What is Candidacy?- Six-week formal exam required by thegraduate school- Advisor or committee chooses a topic- Typically not something you have workedon- But good for you to know- Deliverables: 20-page paper (at the end offour weeks) + Talk (at the end of six weeks) If You Are a First-year GraduateStudentFocus on finding a good PhD advisor. Now isyour time to do this part right. Finding the right fitfor a research group and advisor will save youmuch trouble later. And by that, I mean you mighthave a chance to actually graduate with yourdegree if you do this. If You Are a Second-year GraduateStudentHopefully, you have found a good PhD advisor. If not, keep looking or get out of the program!There are plenty of other things you can be doing. A PhD is not worth doing unless you have founda good match for a PhD advisor. And, usually, youtake the candidacy exam with the professor youhope to get your PhD from so... don't worry aboutcandidacy until you have found your match. Your CommitteeCandidacy is also when you get to form yourPhD committee. The committee usually comprisesfour professors as follows: - Advisor: you choose this person (sayexperimentalist)- In-field experimentalist: advisor recommendsthis person- In-field theorist: advisor recommends thisperson- Out-of-field professor: you choose this personWhen You Get Your TopicOnce you get the topic, remember that you arenot alone! I was freaking out when I first saw mytopic in a formal letter from my advisor. I felt I didnot know much about it at all. So, if you arefreaking out about your topic, you are not alone. Find the Local Expert!!Your candidacy topic is not something you haveworked on directly, but someone else in thedepartment probably has. Find that person!Ask around if needed. There has to be aprofessor, or a postdoc, or a senior graduatestudent... Someone that will know the literature onthis topic way better than you. Meet with the local expert, take theirsuggestions on what papers you should bereading, and START there. Don't start on your own. Start by following their suggestions. This will saveyou time!Start working on your paper on week one. You will read a LOT during candidacy buteverything you read will be NEW. Something youread during week one, you might forget duringweek two. So, write it down!