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Stop reading. No, really . . . .; Reading, notes, text selection
Topic Started: Jan 26 2010, 10:13 AM (180 Views)
cathicoop

Hey all. It's Cathi here. If you don't know me, here's a little something that speaks to my credibility on the matter: I'm a 4th year Ph.D. student, I passed the qualifying exam in the second semester of my first year, and I passed both of my prelims (19th and 20th-c American lit) last spring.

The biggest tip I can think of right now: don't try to read EVERYTHING on the lists. Just sitting there reading books and crossing them off the list feels like you're doing the right thing. But you're actually probably wasting time at this point if most of your study time is going to reading books.
By now you should have gotten that list reading done, and if you haven't you're still okay. Spend free night-time and weekend time adding a novel or two to your bank, but don't focus on that.

Instead, focus on the works you really know. The ones you studied in class, the ones your wrote papers on, the ones you've read multiple times, the ones you already have notes on. Refresh yourself by going over those old papers and notes, even brushing up on plot and characters on SparkNotes.

Make notes on everything you read. Flashcards helped me. It doesn't matter if you read all the books on the list if you aren't able to keep the pertinent information in your head and if you aren't able to recall the material and apply it to your questions on exam day.
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hollyktipton

Let me second all this, Cathi. I, along with Cathi, passed my exams "on time"--at the same times Cathi did. My other two tips I'll add:
1. Sparknotes. Now, don't read Sparknotes instead of a work. But if you're like me, and sometimes have trouble remembering all the character names, this can prove to be a good review resource for works you've already read.

2. Criticism sections in the library. Locate where some of the critical works are on a book/work you don't know very much about, and go to the section in the library and peruse the stacks. This is especially good advice as you progress to the Prelims component of the PhD exams, where you're supposed to know a great deal more about the general scholarly conversations on these works.

AND RELAX! You're not going to read everything on the list. Cope with that, then move on with the studying! :)
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Shiloh
Administrator
Thanks, ladies! I, for one, have narrowed the list of stuff I plan to focus on to about 30, and did my best to stick to works I'd read before and was really familiar with (my notes for Beowulf and Sir Gawain, for example, came straight from Sparknotes and class notes. I haven't read them all the way through recently). I'm an overachiever, but I'm not that much of an overachiever.
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Shiloh
Administrator
Further advice that Holly posted on my FB earlier that I think everyone can stand to hear:

Holly Tipton Hamby
 
Relax. I'm convinced that it you have an M.A. in English, know works from the list from each period (and a variety of countries) and most importantly, RELAX, you will do fine. Also, there's nothing wrong with writing a variation upon the 5-paragraph. Makre sure you have an intro and conclusion. Another also: answer the actual questions, and whatever you do, don't disagree with the questions!!
Edited by Shiloh, Mar 28 2010, 02:03 PM.
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