Christian finished his PhD at about the same time as I started mine–at the end of 2019. That is not precisely true because I understand you have the thing as soon as you successfully defend your dissertation and he defended his in August of 2019. I started the University of Nebraska Lincoln PhD program in January of 2020. So, now I am at the make-or-break point of my program–the comprehensive exam. Up until I pass the comprehensive exam, I am merely a PhD student. When I pass the exam, that makes me a PhD “candidate.” Everyone hears horror stories about comprehensive exams. I have two months to prepare. Luckily, I have my partner in crime, John S. and a (mostly) great committee helping out. John is a non-traditional (read old) grad student like me and it is really nice to have him along for the ride. I will keep you posted on how it goes.