Well…I survived my first day of
graduate school…barely. Hour and hours of preparation, orientations and meet
and greets admittedly did not prepare me for the avalanche of new information, new
people and a campus that is the size of the small city that I grew up in! There
were a few things that I managed to reflect on after my first day that I want
to share in this, my very first blog post!
I am so excited about the work
that I will be doing! I was presented with projects and assignments that will not
only will give me invaluable skills moving into the world of careers, interview
questions and endless cover letters, but will also allow me to leave a mark on
the community. I am most excited to dive head first into these major
assignments and show what I can do. This is also what I am most nervous about.
This work matters. When I was writing endless undergraduate essays and
assignments, that work only really affected me, and my academic success. But
these assignments affect not only myself, and my future job opportunities, but
the community, and the professionals who are relying on me for quality work. The
importance of these assignments is a double edged sword, a chance to sink or
swim.
This relates well to what I want
to accomplish during the next year of this program. There are many different
goals that I set before beginning this next chapter of my life. Personally, I
want to be able to grow as a student. My undergraduate studies were successful,
but I dedicated the majority of my time to my studies and did not have a balance
when it came to socializing or taking care of myself. The importance of balance
was emphasized over and over during the orientations, although admittedly
somewhat contradicted by the sheer volume of work that was then assigned!
Nevertheless, as a personal goal I want to be able to work towards this balance,
and make my masters an enriching experience.
Academically, I want to be able to
take every assignment and learn from it. Even having only been to one day of class,
I can already see that there is a wealth of knowledge and skills at my disposal, and I think it is my job as a developing student to embrace that. I
know there are going to be times when I don’t want to read for a class, or when
I feel like I can’t do any better on an assignment, or when I really don’t want
to revise my essay for the fourth time. My goal as a student is to remember during
those times why I chose to pursue graduate level education, and in the end be
able to continue improving the quality of my work. Essentially, I want to make
an impact during my time in this program. I want to be able to explore things I
find interesting and discover things I had never before considered (such as
blogging, thank you Digital History!). So far, every person I have met and
every class I have attended seems to be designed to challenge me, but ultimately
help me achieve these goals.
When I was preparing to apply to this
program, I received nothing but encouragement from my professors, mentors and
friends. I heard over and over how suited I was for graduate school, how it
would be challenging but it would be the best time of my life. I came into the
first day with determination and confidence, and I left feeling slightly (ok,
maybe more than slightly) deflated. This is going to be hard! However, I once
received advice from someone that I held very close to my heart; if it were easy,
everyone would do it. What makes it hard is also what makes it worth it. I am
looking forward to seeing what this year brings, being part of the amazing
community that is my program and moving forward into the world of public history!
Hey Paige,
ReplyDeleteI agree with so much that you've said here, and you've said it very elegantly! Finding balance is something I think everyone needs to work on, but it's so challenging when expectations are high and the work feels overwhelming. If you've asked yourself "when do I sleep?" then we're in the same boat. Something that helps me is adding fun events into my calendar ahead of time so I can get my work done and have something to look forward to!
It'll be a fun and intense year, and I'm excited to read your posts throughout this semester. Great first blog!
-Kelsey
I admire your willingness to embrace anything that this program has to offer you! I think that is a really good way to combat your anxieties attributed to the program! You are lucky to have a great support system at home, and don't worry, I am sure that support system will extend to the faculty, and of course, your awesome new program colleagues.
ReplyDelete