Prospectus, a (sort of) outline

For the last few days, I’ve been approaching the prospectus in the “Throw it all, see what sticks” format. No attention really paid to structure beyond a few basic signposts, I’ve just been trying to get the ideas down on (electronic) paper. Thankfully, I’ve been collecting sources and doing little outlines for quite some time now. I’m already up to 52 sources, and still feel like I’m just getting started.

Anyway, I don’t know if the way I’m heading is the right way. There’s another way to do this. Actually, there are a lot of different ways, but for me, usually one of these two is the best one to use. So if not the scattershot format I’ve been doing, what do I do? An outline. First basic, then fleshed out, then more fleshed out, and eventually into a paper of significant length. So let’s start with the outline.

And so it begins

I’ve been dancing around the idea for a while, putting together quotes and finding sources, telling myself I was making progress even though I was afraid to actually move towards sitting down and doing it. But no longer; I’ve started working. On what, you ask? My prospectus.

School is a system of hoop jumping. Before college, you jump through hoops in order to GET to college. The more hoops you jump through, the better of a school you end up getting into. In college, you jump through hoops to either get a job or get into a good graduate program.

Eventually, though, you end up at the highest level you can get. For me, that’s the PhD program, where there were more hoops. First there was coursework. Then there were exams. Next comes the Prospectus, then the Dissertation and getting a job.

Well, I’m ready for that hoop. I’m in the air, trying to jump, and seeing what’s there on the other side. Hopefully it’s something I can land on without twisting anything.