Yesterday I made a phonecall to a postgraduate sister who happened to be a friend of my friend,and who had experienced the same thing as I am going through at the moment. She is a nice person. She told me a lot about the two examinations I'm gonna take at the end of September and after the National Day holidays. Surprisingly, I found my information that had been obtained at the department meeting in June not match with hers. Unfortunately, it turned out that she was right, which apparently shows that I have missed some critical points at the meeting.
The new information on the written exam and the interview is like this. Basically, the written exam is like that of the intensive reading class, but with a raised level of difficulty and sophistication. The format has been not decided yet, but it surely includes questions on literature knowledge, composition and reading comprehension. If this is passed, the recommended candidates have to write a research proposal for the spoken test or interview which determines the whole thing. A detailed explanation on how we should work on the proposal may not be positively expected, but something like a format or a form will be provided by the department. During the test, every candidate have to, within the given time, finish the required reading of a fairly difficult academic article which is to be closely examined by the panel of professors along with the research proposal the candidate has turned in. The third year postgraduate told me that usually the panel will link the required reading with the research proposal to test the candidate's understanding of both the their own writings and the article. As far as I know until now, usually it is the spoken test that determines our fate. The key rational of the department is that we have to show our intellectual qualities and potential to be able to work in the area.
So, the bad news is that I am so new to this long-existing English department tradition of test for recommended M.A. candidates that I never prepared myself for this kind of exams, while the good news is that it is not too late to figure out what the exams are like for me to make preparations from now on. On the one hand I was intimidated, while on the other I have to work out a plan and carry it out as much as I can.
Therefore, I have to do the following things within the short period before the exam:
Review what I have learned in all kinds of literature classes, especially in English and American Literature classes, as well as in the general linguistic class. The goal is twofold, to remember the literary knowledge which is required in the test, and to find out a proper topic which I will write on in my research proposal.
Read difficult academic articles, essays, and expositions that are relevant. The source i am now relying on is basically "Readers" such as Norton and Conscious. The aim is familiarize myself with the English writing and reading at a higher level, and to intentionally train to understand and interpret difficult English within a given time at a higher speed.
Speak English. Since I've no person to speak with, I will read aloud everyday for a reasonable amount of time.
Write everyday. From this day on, I will write on my blog English journals as often as possible, if everyday writing can not be guaranteed. I would like in my writing to reflect on what I have read in the readers, or what I have reviewed, or what I thought. Hope these journals can also give some interesting and useful clues for my research proposal.
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