My first semester as a graduate student is over! There are so many things I could say about the past fourth months, but I'll start off with this: it was great! The transition from ranch work to back-to-school was simple. Despite being away from school for two years, I was ready to return, and it was relatively simple to slip back into a pattern of research, coursework, and tests. Even my transition from My Home Town to West Coast University went smoothly. There are still adjustments to be made here and there-- cultural differences, climatic differences, staggering differences in costs of living-- but on the whole I settled into living in this area as if I'd always been here.
The people in my program are great. I LOVE my lab. The other lab members have been welcoming, and more than happy to provide advice. Lab meetings are often the highlight of my week-- getting together and discussing literature with a group of people with similar research interests is refreshing. They like the same things I like! They're intrigued by the same things I am! Our perspectives differ enough to keep things interesting. It's pretty much fantastic.
I'm slowly getting to know my adviser, Paul. He was extremely helpful when I wrote my NSF proposal for this year. He read through several drafts, and is good at thinking about the bigger picture. We're both still in a period of figuring the other person out. I'm getting to know him as an adviser, and he's getting to know me as a student. Our relationship isn't nearly as fluid as his relationship with the older grad students in our lab, but seeing him interact with the other students gives me hope that it will come in time. He's a genuinely good person, and I think we'll get along.
He's given me some work to do over break, so I'm going to do my best to make a good impression. I'm often quiet during lab meetings. I like to think extensively about the papers we read before commenting, and I'm still learning to read this type of literature critically, so I'm wondering if he's reserving judgement about my scholastic ability until I prove myself in other ways.
The people in my cohort are great, too. Our core courses have been a good way for us all to become friends-- our mutual complaints about our classes have allowed us to bond. We spend a decent amount of time outside of school together, with frequent happy hours, dinners, and parties.
I'm not too chuffed with the required core courses for the program, but the other classes I took this semester weren't too bad. If nothing else, I've been able to see the applicability of the material almost instantaneously. My adviser's work is highly quantitative, and he expects the same of his students, so I'll be taking a series of applied math courses.
I took the first course in the series this fall, and used the material I was learning right away, in the methods for my NSF GRF proposal. The work my adviser wants me to do over break also utilizes the information from this first math course. That being said, graduate math courses aren't exactly a cake walk! I probably spent more time this semester doing problem sets than anything else. But it paid off-- I passed all my classes.
It feels a little strange being on break now. Although I don't think I was any more busy this semester than I was during undergrad, it's a little odd going from 'full speed ahead' to 'take your sweet time'. I've been antsy-- I feel the need to be doing something all the time. It's not nearly as bad now, however, as it was over Thanksgiving break, when it was almost impossible for me to relax. I've gotten to the point where I actually feel bad not doing schoolwork. One weekend mid-semester I'd caught up on work, and had a day free. I went hiking and spent some time with a friend, but even then I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something school-related I should be doing.
With the semester over the feeling isn't quite as bad, but I have been thinking about the side project my adviser has for me. That isn't going to stop me from enjoying my time off, but I will have to address it sooner or later.
On the whole, my first semester was great. I've been really happy out here. I'm pleased with the program, and I think it will be a good fit for me. I'm looking forward to the next four or five years.
It will be nice to go home for the holidays, to see my friends and family and enjoy my time off. Something tells me, though, that I'm going to miss my new home, too. I guess it's a good, thing, though, that I'll be glad to come back!
Happy holidays! :)
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Study Break
I'll admit that I've slacked off on blogging this semester. I often thought about updating-- there has been plenty to talk about. I could have written posts on the challenges of adjusting to a new city, getting used to the program, finding my way around campus, meeting people, finding a place to horseback ride, balancing schoolwork and recreation, and choosing which coursework to complete and which to ignore. Time management is something I've always been good at, however. Although I would have loved to have taken time away from school to update the blog, I know that, in the long run, writing The Wild Life is less critical to my success than, say, writing grant proposals, or completing assignments.
As a result, I've neglected the blog. All the times I could have been writing, I was out doing more exciting things (or doing homework). But for the most part, doing exciting things!
Now the semester is winding down, so I have fewer things on the agenda and have finally had a chance to sit down and address the blog. I wish I could say that next semester will be better, but it won't! I start TA'ing next semester, and along with coursework that should occupy most of my time.
As a result, I've neglected the blog. All the times I could have been writing, I was out doing more exciting things (or doing homework). But for the most part, doing exciting things!
Now the semester is winding down, so I have fewer things on the agenda and have finally had a chance to sit down and address the blog. I wish I could say that next semester will be better, but it won't! I start TA'ing next semester, and along with coursework that should occupy most of my time.
Friday, December 16, 2011
The NSF GRFP: Third time's a charm?
This fall, I applied for the NSF GRFP a third time. Here's how the cards have fallen out in years past:
2010: Applied. Received an Honorable Mention.
2011: Applied. Application was not reviewed.
2012: Applied. Fingers crossed!
I'll have to wait until April to find the results of this latest attempt. I checked and double-checked the application requirements, and since I had internet access this year, I made sure that all of my references submitted their recommendation letters on time. So hopefully I won't receive a depressing email in January this year informing me that my application won't be reviewed.
I feel really good about my application this year. I felt good about last year's application, but that doesn't even compare to this season. Last year I wrote my application over the course of a few days. It went through two or three edits, and I received feedback from my former thesis adviser, Walt, as well as one potential graduate adviser. I felt it was pretty strong.
This year, however, I had all of the glorious resources provided by a graduate program. This included: my graduate adviser, our department's grant coordinator, a class constructed around peer review of grant proposals, and a slew of graduate students. My adviser read through last year's proposal early on and decided I should take a different direction. I was initially a little disappointed, because I had to start from scratch: a different study system, different research questions, different methods.
However, my new proposal targets a question I might actually address in the course of my dissertation. The work I told the NSF I'll be attempting is something I might actually attempt, so although I had to spend more time than I'd anticipated rewriting my proposal, it forced me to think about a study system in which I might actually work.
My proposal went through TONS of drafts. I think in the end I had four different versions, each written from a different angle, and several edits of each of those drafts. I was able to choose the strongest and submit that. I know that a lot of the NSF GRF, like many application processes, has to do with luck-- the random way in which proposals end up in the hands of reviewers; the reviewers' background experiences, familiarity with study systems and terminology; their particular moods when they do the actual reviewing. But I feel confident that I did the best possible work I could on the proposal, and I know it is strong, and should be a contender.
I should have one additional year of eligibility for the NSF GRF. If I don't receive the grant again this year, I'll be able to give it one more shot next fall. But here's to hoping that the third time's a charm!
2010: Applied. Received an Honorable Mention.
2011: Applied. Application was not reviewed.
2012: Applied. Fingers crossed!
I'll have to wait until April to find the results of this latest attempt. I checked and double-checked the application requirements, and since I had internet access this year, I made sure that all of my references submitted their recommendation letters on time. So hopefully I won't receive a depressing email in January this year informing me that my application won't be reviewed.
I feel really good about my application this year. I felt good about last year's application, but that doesn't even compare to this season. Last year I wrote my application over the course of a few days. It went through two or three edits, and I received feedback from my former thesis adviser, Walt, as well as one potential graduate adviser. I felt it was pretty strong.
This year, however, I had all of the glorious resources provided by a graduate program. This included: my graduate adviser, our department's grant coordinator, a class constructed around peer review of grant proposals, and a slew of graduate students. My adviser read through last year's proposal early on and decided I should take a different direction. I was initially a little disappointed, because I had to start from scratch: a different study system, different research questions, different methods.
However, my new proposal targets a question I might actually address in the course of my dissertation. The work I told the NSF I'll be attempting is something I might actually attempt, so although I had to spend more time than I'd anticipated rewriting my proposal, it forced me to think about a study system in which I might actually work.
My proposal went through TONS of drafts. I think in the end I had four different versions, each written from a different angle, and several edits of each of those drafts. I was able to choose the strongest and submit that. I know that a lot of the NSF GRF, like many application processes, has to do with luck-- the random way in which proposals end up in the hands of reviewers; the reviewers' background experiences, familiarity with study systems and terminology; their particular moods when they do the actual reviewing. But I feel confident that I did the best possible work I could on the proposal, and I know it is strong, and should be a contender.
I should have one additional year of eligibility for the NSF GRF. If I don't receive the grant again this year, I'll be able to give it one more shot next fall. But here's to hoping that the third time's a charm!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Sink or Swim
As part of an assignment for one of our first-year core courses, our cohort is responsible for interviewing each faculty member in the department to assimilate information on the types of research they do, the people and organizations with which they collaborate, and how they fit into the structure of the department as a whole (read: we're doing departmental grunt-work).
To try and make this task manageable, we split ourselves into groups and divided the faculty amongst ourselves, so each group only has to interview a handful of the professors in the department. I had the strange experience of interviewing, with one other first-year student, my own adviser. (This wasn't supposed to have happened, but with scheduling issues, it's the way it worked out).
My cohort-mate led the interview, and I transcribed. One of the questions we've been asking is related to each individual faculty member's perceptions on mentoring students, or how they see their role as an adviser. Paul's response to this question was (paraphrased) as follows:
"I wouldn't say I have a mentoring philosophy per say, but in general I'm very hands off-- sink or swim. Not all students are meant to succeed in grad school, and not everyone should be a scientist. If you're not going to make it in grad school, the sooner you get out, the better, so I expect my students to be self-sufficient. The earlier you can act like a scientist, the better off you'll be, and real scientists don't have any strict guidelines or guidance. If the student is doing well, it would probably be annoying for them if I were constantly checking in on their progress. If they aren't doing well, then any hand-holding I do will keep them from developing any motivation towards working out issues on their own."
Yikes!
Let me start of by saying that I completely agree with him. I don't think everyone is cut out to do science, and I also don't believe that grad school is for everyone. I am an extremely independent student as-is, and I would probably get annoyed if my adviser were on my back all the time and constantly checking in on me. However... it did make me a little nervous, the 'sink or swim' part.
Although I do have a decent amount of research experience, I haven't done a master's degree like many of the students here have. I'm not exactly sure yet what this grad school thing is about, except that it involves meeting some course requirements and doing a giant, multifaceted research project over the span of several years. And although I'm more than capable at coming up with my own research questions, what about making contacts with potential collaborators, finding a study site, applying for grants, and general problem-solving? Does he mean that will all be up to me, solo, as well? Because honestly, the thought of doing everything by myself is a little intimidating, and I could really use some guidance in, say, finding a good study area to work in that will be the appropriate size and location to collect the data I need to collect, or determining whether or not the specific method I'm considering is the one most suitable for the analyses I need to do.
I need someone in my corner, someone looking out for me, even if they're not continuously involved in what I'm doing. I expect (and prefer) to be doing things on my own, but I need someone to go to if I'm having trouble or need advice. And I'd like a resource with a better network than my own to be able to help facilitate the contacts I need to get things done. When I spoke with Paul before applying to WCU, he made it clear that he expects his students to be independent, but he made it sound as if he was going to be more involved in the process than he suggested during his interview. And admittedly, some of the things he said did make me wonder about the role he'll end up playing in my graduate school career.
I'm really hoping by 'sink or swim' he meant, 'I'm going to throw you in the deep end, and if you can swim, I'll help you get to shore.'
To try and make this task manageable, we split ourselves into groups and divided the faculty amongst ourselves, so each group only has to interview a handful of the professors in the department. I had the strange experience of interviewing, with one other first-year student, my own adviser. (This wasn't supposed to have happened, but with scheduling issues, it's the way it worked out).
My cohort-mate led the interview, and I transcribed. One of the questions we've been asking is related to each individual faculty member's perceptions on mentoring students, or how they see their role as an adviser. Paul's response to this question was (paraphrased) as follows:
"I wouldn't say I have a mentoring philosophy per say, but in general I'm very hands off-- sink or swim. Not all students are meant to succeed in grad school, and not everyone should be a scientist. If you're not going to make it in grad school, the sooner you get out, the better, so I expect my students to be self-sufficient. The earlier you can act like a scientist, the better off you'll be, and real scientists don't have any strict guidelines or guidance. If the student is doing well, it would probably be annoying for them if I were constantly checking in on their progress. If they aren't doing well, then any hand-holding I do will keep them from developing any motivation towards working out issues on their own."
Yikes!
Let me start of by saying that I completely agree with him. I don't think everyone is cut out to do science, and I also don't believe that grad school is for everyone. I am an extremely independent student as-is, and I would probably get annoyed if my adviser were on my back all the time and constantly checking in on me. However... it did make me a little nervous, the 'sink or swim' part.
Although I do have a decent amount of research experience, I haven't done a master's degree like many of the students here have. I'm not exactly sure yet what this grad school thing is about, except that it involves meeting some course requirements and doing a giant, multifaceted research project over the span of several years. And although I'm more than capable at coming up with my own research questions, what about making contacts with potential collaborators, finding a study site, applying for grants, and general problem-solving? Does he mean that will all be up to me, solo, as well? Because honestly, the thought of doing everything by myself is a little intimidating, and I could really use some guidance in, say, finding a good study area to work in that will be the appropriate size and location to collect the data I need to collect, or determining whether or not the specific method I'm considering is the one most suitable for the analyses I need to do.
I need someone in my corner, someone looking out for me, even if they're not continuously involved in what I'm doing. I expect (and prefer) to be doing things on my own, but I need someone to go to if I'm having trouble or need advice. And I'd like a resource with a better network than my own to be able to help facilitate the contacts I need to get things done. When I spoke with Paul before applying to WCU, he made it clear that he expects his students to be independent, but he made it sound as if he was going to be more involved in the process than he suggested during his interview. And admittedly, some of the things he said did make me wonder about the role he'll end up playing in my graduate school career.
I'm really hoping by 'sink or swim' he meant, 'I'm going to throw you in the deep end, and if you can swim, I'll help you get to shore.'
Saturday, October 15, 2011
And on into autumn...
I'm temped to start off by apologizing for not having updated in so long, but to be perfectly honest, this is the first chance I've had since my last post to sit down and spend some time with the blog. They're not kidding when they say grad school is busy. It is!
So far, things are going pretty well. We're midway through the semester now, and although a small part of me feels I should have a good idea about whether or not I like what I'm doing, the larger part says I should reserve judgement for another year or so. That doesn't mean I haven't already formulated some opinions, however.
I like my cohort a lot. Just about everyone is getting along well. They're a group of friendly, knowledgeable people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and that makes for a good mix. We're starting to socialize more now and I'm beginning to make friends. We're gradually spending time together outside of school, which has been great. It's so nice to have a social outlet of people my own age group again. And, of course, we share similar interests, which makes conversation easier.
I'm gradually getting used to living here. Generally, it's a pretty nice place. There is a lot going on (a lot of weekend activities, for example), good hiking/natural areas nearby, and the campus is nice. There is also a pretty good alternative transportation infrastructure, so I've been able to get around on my bike pretty easily. This has been great. In MHT, it's just about impossible to bike or bus anywhere. Out here, I ride my bike back and forth to campus every day, and often ride my bike to run errands or visit people's houses. I've only filled up my car with gas once since I've been here, which is fantastic, because gas is outrageously expensive out here.
Gas isn't the only thing that's pricey-- housing costs, utilities, food, clothing, you name it. I have yet to see an item for purchase that is lower (or even comparable, in some cases) in cost to the same item back home. It's been a real shock, and is probably the one thing I'm really having trouble getting used to. Things I would have bought without thinking about it MHT, I now have to give careful consideration, especially with my limited grad student budget. I've gone from buying a nice assortment of mostly healthy foods to a limited selection of cheap foods. Probably not ideal for my physical well-being, but there just isn't any way for me to afford the stuff I'd like to be eating. And eating out, movies, new clothes, and other incidental expenditures? Forget about it. I'm going to be stretching my budget as is every month just paying the bills.
Weather has been another interesting consideration. Back home, the weather is starting to dip toward winter, with chilly mornings and evenings and some light freezing overnight. Here, the weather has stayed pretty consistent. It's not really cold, ever. But it rains. A lot. All day long. And that has been a little strange. I'm starting to wonder how much rain we'll get here during the winter.
Classes haven't been too bad. There is a tremendous amount of required reading for the core courses I'm taking for the program, and in some ways that's been frustrating because it takes a lot of time away from me reading the stuff I'm actually interested in (e.g. reading that is relevant to my research interests, and that may help me start working on research projects for this summer and beyond). Only a couple of classes I'm taking right now feel applicable to my research, and I almost feel as if school is starting to get in the way of my education. I need to strike a balance between participating in the core courses and having enough time in my schedule to attack my own work-- research ideas, reading, and, of course grant proposals.
It's almost NSF GRFP season again. And yes, I'm going to apply, again. I'm going to use the same proposal that I did last year. This time, however, my adviser will serve as my third academic reference, to replace the reference I still haven't been able to forgive. I've done some minor editing to my proposal, but even a year later with a fresher perspective I continue to feel good about it. I do wish I'd had the opportunity to get feedback from the NSF reviewers, but obviously that didn't happen, so I'm going to have to hope for the best. I'm going to ask Paul (my shiny new graduate adviser) to take a look at it, and hope he might offer some feedback. I might even ask one of my new labmates (another group of people that I really like) to read it over.
Apart from all that, nothing much else has been going on, which I suppose is a good thing considering how busy I've been. I'm working on finding a place to ride out here, as a hobby to get me away from academia every week. I'm looking into a once-weekly job at a consignment barn working sale horses, but I'm not sure yet if it's going to work out. I haven't really been homesick, although I do miss MHT and my friends and family, and Jet (also, snow, affordable food, the ability to participate things that cost money, having expendable income, and good delivery pizza, which I haven't been able to find here yet). It won't be too much longer before Thanksgiving, though, when I'll be making my first trip back home. Time flies!
(*Wow! I just noticed, this is my 100th post! I feel like I should have some sort of celebration...*)
So far, things are going pretty well. We're midway through the semester now, and although a small part of me feels I should have a good idea about whether or not I like what I'm doing, the larger part says I should reserve judgement for another year or so. That doesn't mean I haven't already formulated some opinions, however.
I like my cohort a lot. Just about everyone is getting along well. They're a group of friendly, knowledgeable people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, and that makes for a good mix. We're starting to socialize more now and I'm beginning to make friends. We're gradually spending time together outside of school, which has been great. It's so nice to have a social outlet of people my own age group again. And, of course, we share similar interests, which makes conversation easier.
I'm gradually getting used to living here. Generally, it's a pretty nice place. There is a lot going on (a lot of weekend activities, for example), good hiking/natural areas nearby, and the campus is nice. There is also a pretty good alternative transportation infrastructure, so I've been able to get around on my bike pretty easily. This has been great. In MHT, it's just about impossible to bike or bus anywhere. Out here, I ride my bike back and forth to campus every day, and often ride my bike to run errands or visit people's houses. I've only filled up my car with gas once since I've been here, which is fantastic, because gas is outrageously expensive out here.
Gas isn't the only thing that's pricey-- housing costs, utilities, food, clothing, you name it. I have yet to see an item for purchase that is lower (or even comparable, in some cases) in cost to the same item back home. It's been a real shock, and is probably the one thing I'm really having trouble getting used to. Things I would have bought without thinking about it MHT, I now have to give careful consideration, especially with my limited grad student budget. I've gone from buying a nice assortment of mostly healthy foods to a limited selection of cheap foods. Probably not ideal for my physical well-being, but there just isn't any way for me to afford the stuff I'd like to be eating. And eating out, movies, new clothes, and other incidental expenditures? Forget about it. I'm going to be stretching my budget as is every month just paying the bills.
Weather has been another interesting consideration. Back home, the weather is starting to dip toward winter, with chilly mornings and evenings and some light freezing overnight. Here, the weather has stayed pretty consistent. It's not really cold, ever. But it rains. A lot. All day long. And that has been a little strange. I'm starting to wonder how much rain we'll get here during the winter.
Classes haven't been too bad. There is a tremendous amount of required reading for the core courses I'm taking for the program, and in some ways that's been frustrating because it takes a lot of time away from me reading the stuff I'm actually interested in (e.g. reading that is relevant to my research interests, and that may help me start working on research projects for this summer and beyond). Only a couple of classes I'm taking right now feel applicable to my research, and I almost feel as if school is starting to get in the way of my education. I need to strike a balance between participating in the core courses and having enough time in my schedule to attack my own work-- research ideas, reading, and, of course grant proposals.
It's almost NSF GRFP season again. And yes, I'm going to apply, again. I'm going to use the same proposal that I did last year. This time, however, my adviser will serve as my third academic reference, to replace the reference I still haven't been able to forgive. I've done some minor editing to my proposal, but even a year later with a fresher perspective I continue to feel good about it. I do wish I'd had the opportunity to get feedback from the NSF reviewers, but obviously that didn't happen, so I'm going to have to hope for the best. I'm going to ask Paul (my shiny new graduate adviser) to take a look at it, and hope he might offer some feedback. I might even ask one of my new labmates (another group of people that I really like) to read it over.
Apart from all that, nothing much else has been going on, which I suppose is a good thing considering how busy I've been. I'm working on finding a place to ride out here, as a hobby to get me away from academia every week. I'm looking into a once-weekly job at a consignment barn working sale horses, but I'm not sure yet if it's going to work out. I haven't really been homesick, although I do miss MHT and my friends and family, and Jet (also, snow, affordable food, the ability to participate things that cost money, having expendable income, and good delivery pizza, which I haven't been able to find here yet). It won't be too much longer before Thanksgiving, though, when I'll be making my first trip back home. Time flies!
(*Wow! I just noticed, this is my 100th post! I feel like I should have some sort of celebration...*)
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Settling in
The past few weeks have been hectic, but surprisingly manageable. I successfully made the move from MHT to WCU. I had a little bit of a snafu with my living arrangements (the apartment I'd decided to let was not at all what I expected, and way too far from campus, so I ended up moving--again-- right after I'd moved *sigh*) but otherwise made the transition easily and got set up. Then came orientation, campus tours, and of course, classes starting, including an enormous scheduling conflict which has yet to be resolved.
Despite all that, I feel as if things are going pretty well. My feelings may change as I progress farther into my coursework and start losing my free time, but so far everything has been fine. Public transportation is fairly reliable here, so I haven't had to do nearly as much driving as in MHT, the surrounding area is full of new places to explore, and most of the people in my cohort seem pretty friendly (although I'll admit we haven't spent much time together yet). I'm still meeting people in the department and trying to set up a routine for myself (difficult, because of my ongoing scheduling conflict), but I can see a time in the near future where everything will fall into place.
I've been here just over three weeks now. It's been a little strange being in school again. I'll admit that when I sat down for my first lecture, it felt weird, and I thought to myself, 'This is stupid. I already did school.' No brain. We're not quite finished with classes yet. Hold out a couple more years, okay?
It's been good to get back into academics, though, for the most part. I'm starting to get excited about research ideas, and attending seminars has gone a long way to motivate me toward working on my own proposals. I'm attending a MUCH larger university than I did for undergrad, so it's been a little overwhelming realizing just how many resources may be at my disposal. Now, I need to start attending to my biggest hurdle-- funding.
Hooray... it's almost NSF GRFP time. Again.
(^sarcasm)
Despite all that, I feel as if things are going pretty well. My feelings may change as I progress farther into my coursework and start losing my free time, but so far everything has been fine. Public transportation is fairly reliable here, so I haven't had to do nearly as much driving as in MHT, the surrounding area is full of new places to explore, and most of the people in my cohort seem pretty friendly (although I'll admit we haven't spent much time together yet). I'm still meeting people in the department and trying to set up a routine for myself (difficult, because of my ongoing scheduling conflict), but I can see a time in the near future where everything will fall into place.
I've been here just over three weeks now. It's been a little strange being in school again. I'll admit that when I sat down for my first lecture, it felt weird, and I thought to myself, 'This is stupid. I already did school.' No brain. We're not quite finished with classes yet. Hold out a couple more years, okay?
It's been good to get back into academics, though, for the most part. I'm starting to get excited about research ideas, and attending seminars has gone a long way to motivate me toward working on my own proposals. I'm attending a MUCH larger university than I did for undergrad, so it's been a little overwhelming realizing just how many resources may be at my disposal. Now, I need to start attending to my biggest hurdle-- funding.
Hooray... it's almost NSF GRFP time. Again.
(^sarcasm)
Friday, September 2, 2011
Four, to go
It's time. I'm leaving My Home Town and moving to WCU. I've loaded my car, said my goodbyes, and planned out my travel route. Now all there is left to do is drive. I may not post now for a little while since I'll be busy settling into a new city and a new routine. But I promise to update as soon as things calm down a bit.
Wish me luck!
Wish me luck!
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