It's funny how things that used to seem so simple and trivial (like writing a blog post) become monumental tasks in graduate school. Most of the problem lies in lack of motivation, time constraints, and... well, lack of motivation. I'm busy! I have other, more pressing things going on! I swear I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. But there are many things that have happened this semester that I feel will likely pull me away from blogging anonymously until I can figure out a way to limit my posts to a short, reasonable length that can be written quickly for more frequent updates.
When I write, I like to write a lot, and I do so sporadically. What results are infrequent, lengthy posts that take a long time to compose. Since they take a long time to write, I need a bit of time set aside to write them. Time that, for various reasons, I no longer have. I'm going to do my best to update more frequently this summer and fall, but that might not happen. For now, I'm going to say thank-you to those of you that have stuck with me this far, and promise that, although I may not write anything new for weeks (or months...) at a time, I won't fully abandon this, and I'll do my best to learn to write smaller, more regular posts.
So, what's been keeping me from updating? Well, graduate school is one thing. I finished my first year of graduate school, and if that hasn't kept me busy nothing in life ever will. (In case you were wondering, it has.) Then, the house in which I was renting an apartment was sold unexpectedly, and the buyers decided they no longer wanted tenants. I was forced to move out given short notice, which was made more complicated by the fact that I'm gearing up for a four month-long field trip, and couldn't find short-term housing between moving out a couple weeks ago and leaving a couple weeks from now.
Preparing for the field trip has eaten up a lot of my time. Getting my supplies and plans together hasn't been easy. I've been applying for grants to cover my travel and field expenses, and just recently was successful enough to secure my first decent grant. That's gone far more smoothly than I imagined, but it was close for a while-- I wasn't sure I was even going to be able to go. And making contacts, trying to put together methods, gathering equipment, and trying to find someone to help me out in the field has been far from easy, especially where my 'hands-off' graduate adviser is concerned. I still have no idea if Paul feels this trip is worthwhile or if any of my goals are feasible or research questions interesting. Since he's out of the country now for several months and isn't answering emails, I still don't know, and evidently won't find out. I'll leave before he gets back, and won't see him again until- yikes!- December.
I'm finally at a place where I have a little bit of free time, so I decided I had to sit down and catch up on blog posts. I'm going to do my best today to write several entries which I'll post intermittently over the next several weeks. I'm hoping to write at least three, in addition to this. That is, if my dog will ever leave me alone.
Oh, right. I got a dog, too.
Yeah. Busy. :)
Friday, July 6, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Reviews
Today the NSF released the reviewers' comment for the 2012 GRFP applications. I received a total of four 'excellent' ratings (all three reviewers labeled the intellectual merit 'excellent', and the third reviewer labeled broader impacts 'excellent' as well). The first reviewer thought my broader impacts were 'very good' and the second reviewer simply thought my broader impacts were 'good', and stated that he/she didn't feel I was specific enough with exactly how I planned to implement my proposed community service projects.
This is extremely frustrating, as the other two reviewers did not seem to feel that specificity was at all an issue, and all three felt the intellectual merit was 'excellent.' I'm almost positive now that the single 'good' rating was the one that kept my proposal from being funded. I imagine that if that one reviewer had classified broader impacts as 'very good,' I would have ended up with three wonderful years of funding as opposed to a second honorable mention and yet ANOTHER impending round of GRF applications.
If possible, I almost feel worse now than I did when I received the initial notification of my standing. Additionally, the only real 'constructive' criticism provided was by the second reviewer's 'good' rating for broader impacts. That reviewer stated that the mechanisms by which I would implement my proposed community outreach should be included. Space is SO limited in these proposals that I couldn't have included that information if I'd tried.
But I suppose I'll have to include it next year, if I want a shot at actually receiving an award.
This is extremely frustrating, as the other two reviewers did not seem to feel that specificity was at all an issue, and all three felt the intellectual merit was 'excellent.' I'm almost positive now that the single 'good' rating was the one that kept my proposal from being funded. I imagine that if that one reviewer had classified broader impacts as 'very good,' I would have ended up with three wonderful years of funding as opposed to a second honorable mention and yet ANOTHER impending round of GRF applications.
If possible, I almost feel worse now than I did when I received the initial notification of my standing. Additionally, the only real 'constructive' criticism provided was by the second reviewer's 'good' rating for broader impacts. That reviewer stated that the mechanisms by which I would implement my proposed community outreach should be included. Space is SO limited in these proposals that I couldn't have included that information if I'd tried.
But I suppose I'll have to include it next year, if I want a shot at actually receiving an award.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Yet again....
Early this morning, the National Science Foundation notified applicants of the results of their Graduate Research Fellowship bid. I awoke this morning to an email in my inbox notifying me that, regrettably, the NSF will not be able to offer me an award this year, that I have been awarded (yet another) Honorable Mention (which is supposedly a "significant achievement".... right), and that reviewer's comments will be available in three business days. I will be interested to see what the reviewers had to say, and if there is anything that's actually constructive that I'll be able to use to improve my application for next year.
Yep, that's right. Next year. Since this is my first year of graduate school and I will have not yet completed a full twelve months of classes before the next GRF application season, I will have one last year to try... yet again. Next year will mark my FOURTH attempt.
I am so sick of applying for this thing. I really felt strongly about this year's application, and I thought I had a good shot. I suppose all I can do now is wait for the reviewer's comments to be released, hope there is something constructive I can apply to my research proposal, and try again next November.
Of course, chances are I'll end up rewriting the entire application with a different focus. Especially if I get some of these research ideas going. I have a feeling what I really need is a publication or two on my record, stronger letters of recommendation from current (as opposed to mostly past) advisers, and DATA from a pilot study to show that I'm really on to something and I'm worth the NSF's support.
Yep, that's right. Next year. Since this is my first year of graduate school and I will have not yet completed a full twelve months of classes before the next GRF application season, I will have one last year to try... yet again. Next year will mark my FOURTH attempt.
I am so sick of applying for this thing. I really felt strongly about this year's application, and I thought I had a good shot. I suppose all I can do now is wait for the reviewer's comments to be released, hope there is something constructive I can apply to my research proposal, and try again next November.
Of course, chances are I'll end up rewriting the entire application with a different focus. Especially if I get some of these research ideas going. I have a feeling what I really need is a publication or two on my record, stronger letters of recommendation from current (as opposed to mostly past) advisers, and DATA from a pilot study to show that I'm really on to something and I'm worth the NSF's support.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Scramble Competition
I’m not sure if I ever mentioned this, but with my (rather large) cohort my adviser doubled the size of his lab. A decent proportion of my cohort consists of lab-mates, people joining the program in my adviser’s lab. I’m not sure how or why this happened, if Paul was looking to drastically expand the number of students he advises, or if more students accepted the offer of admission than he expected. Regardless, the lab is now twice the size that it was last year.
For the most part, this is neither a particularly good or bad thing. We all have more lab-mates with which to engage, but Paul’s time is more limited for each of us than it was before. The size of the lab hasn’t affected me so much as the people that joined—for the most part they’re great. Except for one person: Brandy. Brandy may very well be my polar opposite: extroverted, melodramatic, immature, and insecure. She runs hot and cold—one day she’ll be the happiest, sunniest person around, expounding on how much she loves life and loves the program and loves her classes and loves her friends, and the next she’ll be depressed and moping about how everyone she hangs out with is an asshole, she doesn’t think she belongs in grad school, she’s so busy, she won’t ever find a guy that loves her, she isn’t smart enough to be here, etc. It grates on me.
She’s a nice person, and can be funny, but she tries too hard, and her immaturity tends shine through. Another cohort mate and I were discussing this the other day, and decided that she’ll probably be a great person to hang out with… in five or six years. None of this would matter too much, were it not for one little problem: for some reason the grad program decided Brandy and I needed to be best friends.
We share an adviser, which means we share a lab, and lab-mates, and lab meetings. We also have very similar interests, which led my adviser to decide that we should take all the same classes. And we share an office. I can’t get away from her. Other people in the program have remarked on how she and I are “joined at the hip” and “do everything together.” There are running jokes in the department about limited funding and resources and that Paul will only be able to support and advise one of us, leading the other to drop out.
Um, no. We have the same classes, lab, and office. I literally cannot prevent us from going places together, but outside of campus we have no interaction. It shouldn’t bother me, but for some reason feeling as if the other people in the program always associate us with one another is bothersome.
It has been a little better this semester, since we’re TA’ing different classes (thank goodness), but the issues remain. I was thinking of asking to switch offices, but I really like our other office mate, and I don’t really want to cause any dissonance between Brandy and I. I don’t necessarily dislike her. I just don’t want to spend time with her.
Recently I’ve been working on research plans to do a pilot study in Remote Location this summer and fall. Brandy had only ever expressed interest in working on local, unrelated projects, until one day during lab meeting I brought up my most recent ideas.
“I want to do research in Remote Location, too!” she chimed in.
An older grad student in the lab, and one of my advocates/potential collaborators on this project asked her, “What would you be testing?”
“Well, I don’t know. How can you expect me to have questions if I’ve never been there? It would just be awesome, right? A summer in Remote Location? We could have a big summer lab research party and do fun research together! HeeHee!”
*sigh*
For the most part, this is neither a particularly good or bad thing. We all have more lab-mates with which to engage, but Paul’s time is more limited for each of us than it was before. The size of the lab hasn’t affected me so much as the people that joined—for the most part they’re great. Except for one person: Brandy. Brandy may very well be my polar opposite: extroverted, melodramatic, immature, and insecure. She runs hot and cold—one day she’ll be the happiest, sunniest person around, expounding on how much she loves life and loves the program and loves her classes and loves her friends, and the next she’ll be depressed and moping about how everyone she hangs out with is an asshole, she doesn’t think she belongs in grad school, she’s so busy, she won’t ever find a guy that loves her, she isn’t smart enough to be here, etc. It grates on me.
She’s a nice person, and can be funny, but she tries too hard, and her immaturity tends shine through. Another cohort mate and I were discussing this the other day, and decided that she’ll probably be a great person to hang out with… in five or six years. None of this would matter too much, were it not for one little problem: for some reason the grad program decided Brandy and I needed to be best friends.
We share an adviser, which means we share a lab, and lab-mates, and lab meetings. We also have very similar interests, which led my adviser to decide that we should take all the same classes. And we share an office. I can’t get away from her. Other people in the program have remarked on how she and I are “joined at the hip” and “do everything together.” There are running jokes in the department about limited funding and resources and that Paul will only be able to support and advise one of us, leading the other to drop out.
Um, no. We have the same classes, lab, and office. I literally cannot prevent us from going places together, but outside of campus we have no interaction. It shouldn’t bother me, but for some reason feeling as if the other people in the program always associate us with one another is bothersome.
It has been a little better this semester, since we’re TA’ing different classes (thank goodness), but the issues remain. I was thinking of asking to switch offices, but I really like our other office mate, and I don’t really want to cause any dissonance between Brandy and I. I don’t necessarily dislike her. I just don’t want to spend time with her.
Recently I’ve been working on research plans to do a pilot study in Remote Location this summer and fall. Brandy had only ever expressed interest in working on local, unrelated projects, until one day during lab meeting I brought up my most recent ideas.
“I want to do research in Remote Location, too!” she chimed in.
An older grad student in the lab, and one of my advocates/potential collaborators on this project asked her, “What would you be testing?”
“Well, I don’t know. How can you expect me to have questions if I’ve never been there? It would just be awesome, right? A summer in Remote Location? We could have a big summer lab research party and do fun research together! HeeHee!”
*sigh*
Saturday, January 21, 2012
It's surprising...
I'm embarking on only my second semester of graduate school, yet PhD Comics already provide a frighteningly accurate representation of my life:
Sunday, January 1, 2012
2011: Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Hey, folks! It's that time again: the year in review! Last year my goals were very similar to what they had been in 2009, but this year, since I've started grad school, my goals have shifted. Hooray new goals!
Here is what last year's list looked like:
2011: Stuff I'd like to do
-Publish the results of my thesis
-Get accepted to grad school
-Get the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
-Move to a new city
-Start grad school
-Choose a research topic for my dissertation
-Apply for the NSF GRFP (if I don't get it in April)
-Select an adviser
-Print more of my photographs
2011: A Year in Review
So what did I end up doing?
-I did NOT publish the results of my thesis. This is driving me crazy. I've had an impossible time getting Walt (my former adviser, and thesis adviser at CLAS) to respond to emails and get his butt in gear for resubmission. It's written! It's ready to go! I just need his approval! ARGH! So, yeah. This still hasn't happened.
-I DID get accepted to grad school! Yipee!
-I did NOT get the NSF GRFP. That was not fun at all.
-I DID move to a new city: WCU!
-I DID start grad school, and made it successfully through my first semester!
-I have NOT yet chosen a research topic for my dissertation, although I've been slowly narrowing down my options. My lab is pretty prolific right now, with big projects in several areas. My problem thus far has been the number of projects to choose from! I just can't decide.
-I DID apply again for the NSF GRF. I have one more year of eligibility remaining, but hopefully I'll manage to get it this time.
-I DID select an adviser, sort of. I didn't really select Paul, per say, as he was my default adviser for this program, and our department at WCU doesn't do rotations-- students come into the program to work in a specific lab. So I chose Paul by choosing to come to WCU. Either way, I have an adviser, and it all works out.
-I DID print more photographs. It was easy to get that one off the list.
I did a few other things, too:
-I leased Jet and continued to improve at barrel racing.
-I started running, and got myself to the point where I could run a 5K without dying.
-I took Jet calf sorting.
-I moved. Three times. Yeah. I really need to stop doing that.
-I found a new place to ride outside WCU. It's not the same as the barn outside MHT, but it's a nice place, and I'm slowly starting to get to know everyone. Not much western riding out here. I've yet to hear of anyone sorting, penning, or barrel racing, but I do know of a few reiners, so it's out there... somewhere. Hopefully I'll meet some of those folks soon.
-I've been more social. I'm not antisocial, but sometimes I don't make the effort to get out and do things. I'm perfectly happy spending a quite night at home. Since moving to WCU, though, I've really put in the effort to go out and do things with people. It hasn't been too painful. ;)
So, what am I looking for in the year ahead?
2012: Stuff I'd like to do
-Publish the results of my thesis. Seriously. This needs to happen.
-Get the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. I'm really hoping this is in my cards this year.
-Choose a research topic for my dissertation, or at least get started with something. In the next few weeks, I need to decide what I'm going to do with my summer, so I can get out there and start collecting some data!
-Attend a conference. I don't think I'll have anything to present, but there are a lot of conferences in this area this summer and there are a couple I'd REALLY like to go to.
-Survive my second semester of grad school.
-Explore more of the area around WCU. There is TONS to do out here, and I feel like I've barely seen any of it!
-Date someone. Okay, this is only semi-serious. If I don't find the right guy, I'm not just going to date for the sake of dating. But holy crap I'd really like to have a boyfriend. So why not make it a goal for this year?
-Learn to swing dance. There is a dance center not too far from where I live that gives weekly swing dance lessons. This is something I've wanted to try for a while. I have good rhythm, but lack any semblance of grace. Hopefully learning to dance will help... at least a little?
-Make friends. Okay, okay-- I already have made 'friends' out here, people in my program and the people at the ranch I've been visiting. But they're not good friends. No one out here really knows me that well... yet. So my goal for this year is to solidify some of these friendships. I'm not tied to this area yet. I like it, and I go to school out here, but I don't yet feel a sense of place, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I don't have those good, solid friendships or relationships out here to draw on. I'm sure this will come with time, so that's why it makes my list of goals for 2012!
I'm sure there are other things I could add to this list, but there is plenty on there for now. Happy New Year everyone! I hope your year is filled with good things!
Here is what last year's list looked like:
2011: Stuff I'd like to do
-Publish the results of my thesis
-Get accepted to grad school
-Get the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
-Move to a new city
-Start grad school
-Choose a research topic for my dissertation
-Apply for the NSF GRFP (if I don't get it in April)
-Select an adviser
-Print more of my photographs
2011: A Year in Review
So what did I end up doing?
-I did NOT publish the results of my thesis. This is driving me crazy. I've had an impossible time getting Walt (my former adviser, and thesis adviser at CLAS) to respond to emails and get his butt in gear for resubmission. It's written! It's ready to go! I just need his approval! ARGH! So, yeah. This still hasn't happened.
-I DID get accepted to grad school! Yipee!
-I did NOT get the NSF GRFP. That was not fun at all.
-I DID move to a new city: WCU!
-I DID start grad school, and made it successfully through my first semester!
-I have NOT yet chosen a research topic for my dissertation, although I've been slowly narrowing down my options. My lab is pretty prolific right now, with big projects in several areas. My problem thus far has been the number of projects to choose from! I just can't decide.
-I DID apply again for the NSF GRF. I have one more year of eligibility remaining, but hopefully I'll manage to get it this time.
-I DID select an adviser, sort of. I didn't really select Paul, per say, as he was my default adviser for this program, and our department at WCU doesn't do rotations-- students come into the program to work in a specific lab. So I chose Paul by choosing to come to WCU. Either way, I have an adviser, and it all works out.
-I DID print more photographs. It was easy to get that one off the list.
I did a few other things, too:
-I leased Jet and continued to improve at barrel racing.
-I started running, and got myself to the point where I could run a 5K without dying.
-I took Jet calf sorting.
-I moved. Three times. Yeah. I really need to stop doing that.
-I found a new place to ride outside WCU. It's not the same as the barn outside MHT, but it's a nice place, and I'm slowly starting to get to know everyone. Not much western riding out here. I've yet to hear of anyone sorting, penning, or barrel racing, but I do know of a few reiners, so it's out there... somewhere. Hopefully I'll meet some of those folks soon.
-I've been more social. I'm not antisocial, but sometimes I don't make the effort to get out and do things. I'm perfectly happy spending a quite night at home. Since moving to WCU, though, I've really put in the effort to go out and do things with people. It hasn't been too painful. ;)
So, what am I looking for in the year ahead?
2012: Stuff I'd like to do
-Publish the results of my thesis. Seriously. This needs to happen.
-Get the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. I'm really hoping this is in my cards this year.
-Choose a research topic for my dissertation, or at least get started with something. In the next few weeks, I need to decide what I'm going to do with my summer, so I can get out there and start collecting some data!
-Attend a conference. I don't think I'll have anything to present, but there are a lot of conferences in this area this summer and there are a couple I'd REALLY like to go to.
-Survive my second semester of grad school.
-Explore more of the area around WCU. There is TONS to do out here, and I feel like I've barely seen any of it!
-Date someone. Okay, this is only semi-serious. If I don't find the right guy, I'm not just going to date for the sake of dating. But holy crap I'd really like to have a boyfriend. So why not make it a goal for this year?
-Learn to swing dance. There is a dance center not too far from where I live that gives weekly swing dance lessons. This is something I've wanted to try for a while. I have good rhythm, but lack any semblance of grace. Hopefully learning to dance will help... at least a little?
-Make friends. Okay, okay-- I already have made 'friends' out here, people in my program and the people at the ranch I've been visiting. But they're not good friends. No one out here really knows me that well... yet. So my goal for this year is to solidify some of these friendships. I'm not tied to this area yet. I like it, and I go to school out here, but I don't yet feel a sense of place, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I don't have those good, solid friendships or relationships out here to draw on. I'm sure this will come with time, so that's why it makes my list of goals for 2012!
I'm sure there are other things I could add to this list, but there is plenty on there for now. Happy New Year everyone! I hope your year is filled with good things!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
One Down
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! :)
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! :)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)