Signed, Sealed, and Delivered!

On May 31, 2012 I completed my graduate education at Copenhagen Business School. I handed in my Master thesis one day ahead of schedule completing 5 months of research and writing. I technically had until August 27th to hand in the thesis per my contract, but due to travel plans and visitors, I worked ahead so I could enjoy the Summer. The plan was to be done before travels began in June however, CBS had other plans for me.

In Denmark the written paper is not enough, every Master student needs to orally defend their thesis in front of an advisor and a censor. This way of testing begins at a very early age in Denmark and is done for two reasons. Due to the fact that many projects and papers are done in groups, the oral exam verifies whether individual students actually put in the work. It also tests a student's proficiency and knowledge on the topic. Even though I wrote my thesis alone, this test will still be done. If I can anticipate this experience based on past ones, it usually ends up being an intellectual conversation about the topic. One censor even said that their overall goal is to make our last day/experience at CBS a good one. That doesn't mean it will be any less anxiety ridden, given it is the final grade I will receive and count as an entire semester. However, I'm hoping after my vacation in the States I will be relaxed and at peace with whatever the outcome is.

The presentation is already prepared (as my oral exam was supposed to be yesterday) so I have decided to put it out of my mind over the next two weeks. I was told in January that if I handed in my thesis by June 1st it would be possible to be done early, but the rules state that the oral defense date and search for a censor cannot be made prior to hand-in of the thesis. I've lived in Denmark long enough to know that rules are rarely, if ever bent. My advisor is not the normal Dane which means he was willing to work with me, but unfortunately the person in charge of finding the censor is like the majority of Danes. However disappointed I am in the administration, it is almost fitting that I will be leaving CBS the same way I came in. I am just grateful the academic program is so strong.