I passed my doctoral qualifiers

[mr715]

Last edited Fri Apr 11, 2025, 08:43 PM - Edit history (1)

This was good news to me.




Thank you all.

[Raven123]

1. Congratulations on that milestone

[peacebuzzard]

14. answered wrong poster

[SheltieLover]

2. Congrats!

[mr715]

43. Thank you

You consistently brighten my day

[livetohike]

3. Congratulations!! n/t

[Irish_Dem]

4. Congratulations!

Excellent news.

[mr715]

19. Thank you, learned sir.

The psychologist on my committee gave me the toughest questions.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

5. Congratulations

[democrank]

6. Good news indeed

Congratulations!

[Hope22]

7. Nice!

Congratulations! 😊👍🎉

[OLDMDDEM]

8. Congrats

[Shipwack]

9. Good news to me too! Congrats! nt

[JMCKUSICK]

10. Congratulations Mr715

What exactly does that mean please?

[mr715]

17. It means I probably passed my last exam

I still have to write my dissertation, but my team seems to think I will someday eventually earn the title of "Dr." I am never surprised at my own ability for self-sabotage but I am happy to be a part of scientific research in this new world.

Thank you for the congratulations. It is an academic milestone I've worked at for 20+ years and now I just have to nail the landing.

[MLAA]

20. You got this! Congrats on this huge milestone, full speed ahead!

[JMCKUSICK]

25. What is the subject of your dissertation going to be?

[mr715]

26. Neurogenetics

Desire in host-seeking mosquitos.

I plan to engineer a Republican seeking malaria mosquito

[JMCKUSICK]

28. lol

[cate94]

11. Great news!

Congratulations!

[Karadeniz]

12. Well done...congrats !!!!

[Alice Kramden]

13. Good for you!

U rock

[peacebuzzard]

15. congratulations!!!!!

lovely!

[Solly Mack]

16. Excellent! Congrats!

[LoisB]

18. Good for you! That is quite an accomplishment, congratulations. Keep going.

[barbtries]

21. congratulations!

question: what does that mean? I never got that far in school. also what are you studying?

[mr715]

44. It varies from school to school,

but it changes my status from "Ph.D. student" to "Doctoral Candidate" meaning that I am, in the eyes of my school, a leading expert in the specific field I research. It comes with a free masters degree as well, which is a nice prize too.

One of my advisors said qualifiers are the last exam you'll ever have to study for in your academic career, which is cool.

So now, I just have to write my dissertation and defend it, and I'll get the Ph.D. I've deferred for 20 years.

I study neurobiology and genetics in mosquitos. Specifically, how they find people to bite and what goes on in their little brains after they feed. More broadly I am interested in serotonin and dopamine, and the chemistry of motivation, desire, and choice-making.

Short answer - science. Never imagined I'd have "pet" mosquitos.



Thanks for the congrats. I am over the moon.

[barbtries]

46. Thank you for the details.

Well done!

[Phoenix61]

22. Yeah! Congratulations! That's quite the accomplishment. nt

[MaineNative]

23. I am among greatness!

[Jerry2144]

24. Congrats. May I offer some advise?

Figure out how to change your user name to DR715.

[mr715]

27. LOL

Thanks - Those are my initials

[Jerry2144]

34. Your friends here all believe in you

You got this!

[mr715]

36. Appreciated

Thanks. I'm blessed for the friends I've never met.

[lucca18]

29. Congratulations to you mr715!

What a wonderful accomplishment!

[Permanut]

30. Nicely done..

Does that mean we can call you Doctor715?

[mr715]

42. Naw

My name is still Matt, so the M stays the same.

I've been debating internally if (assuming I graduate) if I'd be one of those people that tells folks not to call me doctor. BUT damn did I spend a long time doing it and I kinda want to wear the badge, even if it is a little pretentious.

(I want to go back to teaching public middle school science)

[et tu]

31. awesome!!! nt

[Picaro]

32. Sincere congratulations!

[irisblue]

33. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[Trueblue Texan]

35. Yayyyyyyyyyy!!!!

So proud of you, even though I don’t know you! Congratulations!

[mr715]

41. Kindness and empathy runs in Democratic circles

Thank you for the kind words. Even if you don't know me, I promise you respect and kindness.

[GreenWave]

37. Great job passing George Herman Ruth, aka Mr. 714

[D23MIURG23]

38. Congratulations and well done.

I know how big a deal that is. In my program that was considered almost a bigger deal than the final defense, because most people who qualified would earn the degree. I remember the day I passed being one of the best of my life.

Much respect.

[mr715]

45. I was confident until the day before

Then I started getting serious imposter syndrome.

At my oral defense I leveraged every little bit of slippery sophistry to keep the committee arguing with each other rather than me. It was an incredible experience.

I hope my service to science in Trump's America does some good. Knowledge, information, learning move more freely than air.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

39. This is the kind of news I like to hear. Congratulations! . . . nt

[malaise]

40. Fabulous

Congrats.

[mike_c]

47. congratulations!

Standing out in the hall while my committee discussed my fate, all I could think of was my academic career was over. They let me stew for half an hour before passing me. Sheesh.

Congrats again!