From: Michael Ernst <mernst@cs.washington.edu>
To: "How to Pass Quals" panelists
Subject: How to Pass Quals
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 1997 19:12:07 -0800 (PST)

Thanks for agreeing to be on the "How to Pass Quals" panel.  As a reminder,
it happens at noon on November 12 in Loew 216.

In preparation for the discussion, please reflect on the following
questions, and think about which other ones we should be answering for
those who haven't yet finished.

What's the right way to select a quals project?  Can you give hints on
staying focussed and carrying it through to a conclusion?  How is giving
a talk on your own research easier or harder than presenting someone
else's?

Is it better to take all your classes in the first year, or to spread
them out?  What classes should one avoid, or be sure to take?

What did you do right?  What did you do wrong?  How you could have made it
easier for yourself?  What do you know now that you wish you had known (or
paid heed to) at the time?

Each panelist will speak for a few minutes, then we'll field questions
from the floor.  I expect the discussion will be lively, with plenty of
audience participation.
					-Mike