2 posts tagged “grad school”

"I'm excited and proud!"

How it made me feel: Proud

How I did it: Honestly, hard work is the only way to do this.  I am in the middle of a graduate program, and I have never - EVER - gotten all A's.  I was teaching full time and going to school full time, so I'm actually a little suprised.  One class especially had me concerned because the professor had never returned a graded piece of work, but It all turned out well. 

Lessons & tips: When the mid-term rush was over, I let things slide a little because I figured I deserved a break (and I did - writing over 200 pages will do that to you).  But I missed a few deadlines because I let myself go a little bit.  Luckily, my professors were kind about late assignments, but if they weren't, that's what would have killed me.    

Resources: 43 Things actually helped me out by motivating me to take care of this.

Studying at Borders and the library got me out of the house.

Seattle's Best and Starbucks kept me awake through most of the semester.

(originally posted 12/19/08)

"A sometimes brutally masochistic endeavour that makes you happy that it's over."

How it made me feel:  Ambivalent

How I did it: Work.  Lots of work.  Since I was working full time while going to grad school full time (and sometimes more than full time), I now don't know what to do with myself. 

Lessons & tips: Don't quit.  Anyone can survive anything (like this) for 2 years (or more, whatever - it's temporary).

You might feel a little lost when it's over, and that's normal. 

Make sure to be in contact with professors and classmates.  Puttig together a roster with contact info of everyone in my cohort would have been a great idea 2 yrs ago, but I only thought of it a few hours ago. 

Resources: i-am-bored.com for procrastination attempts.
Borders Cafe for a place to study and steady internet connection.
Support network of at least friends, then family.

(originally posted 4/27/09)