So I didn't pass, now what?

If you've been following @TheStudentForLife on Instagram, you already know the results of my first attempt at comps. If you haven't, spoiler alert...I didn't pass and now have to revise and resubmit. Believe it or not, I wasn't upset about the result but more annoyed with one reviewer. But hey, I have a game plan in place for my second attempt.

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First thing's first...

REVIEW THE FEEDBACK GIVEN

I know this may not be "fun" to do, but reviewing the feedback from reviewers is literally game-changing. They tell you exactly what to include, how to be better, and some also provide the references and/or tools to help you succeed. Let me tell you, the feedback I received made a lot of sense. At the end of the day, this is a part of the process and journey. It may not be a part of every student's but it's an area for you to develop and become better.

DON'T TAKE IT PERSONAL

As I wrote the heading for this sub-section, all I could hear was Monica singing "don't take it personal," don't judge me I'm a 90s baby. But seriously, don't take the ratings and feedback personally. It hasn't always been easy for me, especially when doing required coursework and getting my dissertation research plan approved, I would feel like the professor or reviewer didn't know what they were talking about when it came to my topic. BUT, at the end of the day, they have their doctorate degree, they've been doing this for years, and the majority of them really do have your best interest at heart and want to see you succeed. So if you review the feedback, you can always schedule time with your supervisor, "mentor" or whoever is helping you on this process to discuss it. I understand at times, when feedback is written, the message can get lost in translation, but when you actually speak to the person in person, over the phone, over Skype or whatever, it makes more sense.

KEEP FINDING SUPPORTING LITERATURE

Some of the feedback I received was to find more supporting literature to support my research topic in my writing for my exam. So I did just that! I'm continuously searching for literature in my university's library database, ResearchGate, and Mendeley that I can use in my writing. The literature that I'm finding is very fitting for my research topic, which makes me excited to incorporate in my revisions.

INCORPORATE THE FEEDBACK INTO YOUR WRITING

The reviewers are just putting things down in your feedback to be difficult, they're literally providing you a blueprint to be successful at this exam. They're telling you exactly what to include so you have a stronger argument on why you chose this topic, the methodological approach, the theoretical framework, and more. So it would be very wise to listen to them and include what they've provided in their feedback into your writing.

GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD

Although you may not have received the results you wanted, do not overthink or overanalyze it. Look at the feedback and use it as a blueprint to achieve the results you do want. I had to realize that this journey will not be easy and will come with challenges (this being a big one), but I didn't get this far in my program to fail at comps. One thing I can really suggest is, if you have people in your life that are not supportive while you work towards this goal or attempt to convince you to alter your priorities, don't let those individuals get in your head. If you're like me, having a support group while working towards my degree is key. You'll have those that will try to get you to come out when you should be writing (even after you make it clear), you'll have some that will feel that they know everything and tell you that your skill set is an issue, don't let those people cause you to overthink or overanalyze.

These are the 5 things that I'm realizing and working on as I work on my revisions for my comprehensive exam. Feel free to provide any additional tips or suggestions in the comments!

- Candace (@TheStudentForLife)