So the first year is finally coming to a close and I am one final away from being totally finished with it all. As I am beginning to wind down and getting ready for summer, I find myself planning ahead, trying to make sure I complete all the things I have to finish before getting my MA so I can move on to my PhD. It is really kind of weird to be planning for stuff like that, at least in my mind.
I find myself at a point where I am planning for things that are a year, if not more, in advance at the end of my first year. Not only does this not even seem possible considering I can still remember not knowing if grad school was the right decision, it really seems so fast. But then I start thinking and realize I only have two years of coursework left and then I will never have to be in a classroom again learning things. After that, the only reason I would be in a classroom was because I was teaching things, which is something I am planning on for sure. It is really just surreal to think of how quickly life is moving right now. Though I am tired and wish I could put the brakes on from time to time, I am really excited at the prospects that lie ahead.
Grad school has definitely been moving fast and so have those things that are more related to my future career. I have several jobs lined up that are already giving me a great deal of experience in teaching and now I really need to buckle down on getting more research experience. Interestingly, I am not even close to being behind on any of this, I am actually ahead in terms of both research and teaching bench marks. This has been one wild and crazy year but I am definitely excited that it is coming to an end, even if briefly, so I can really get moving forward on other things and catch up on some more personal aspects of life over the summer. That will be nice…to say the least.
April 2, 2008 at 11:28 am
you have a good point about planning for a year or two into the future. this is something i need to practice more! i tend to fly by the seat of my pants and have anxiety attacks if i plan for more than a month or two.
maybe that is why i find hyself juggling so much at once constantly…
i have just visited cathryn’s blog and would like to invite you too to be a guest blogger sometime for me. no pay as yet, but i am planning within the next three months to have some income coming in to share with guest bloggers.
have a great summer break!
February 7, 2009 at 8:23 am
Hi Jason,
As a McNair Scholar, I am happy to hear your story. I have also felt that graduate school is scary. Having the support from mentors and other McNair Scholars is really helpful. I have about one and a half more years until I apply for grad school and so your blog is very inspirational to me. I am interested in hearing more about your journey thus far.
-Kimhong Nguyen
CSUEB McNair Scholar