Candid

After a long process, I've taken my oral defense of my qualifying exams and passed! This means I've "qualified" to finish my coursework and register for dissertation credits. With some paperwork, I'll be considered a "Ph.D. Candidate" instead of a plain old student. It's a significant hurdle but there is still a lot of work to go. I have to write my diss proposal and have another oral exam to defend it, actually do my study, then write the diss, then have an oral defense of the dissertation. So. We're talking a few more years here which wasn't unexpected to us. Good thing we like living here so much and aren't in a hurry to leave.