It is 4:00am on Saturday morning. I have been awake since 7:00am on Friday, after getting four hours of sleep.
Since I got home around 5:00pm, the people living upstairs have been making all sorts of noise. For a while, it was "regular" noise. Not the kind of noise that regular neighbors make. I mean lots and lots of noise from the noisy people upstairs going about their normal noisy business. That means stomping, doors slamming, stuff being dropped, etc. Around 7:00pm or so, it started turning into Friday night noise, which involves a lot of heels on hardwood, extra door slamming, louder stair stomping, etc. Tonight, they partied pretty hard, with music and shouting.
By about 9pm, I was kind of losing it. I couldn't concentrate on ANY work at all, but it was also much too noisy for me to be able to relax in my room, or even go to sleep. And I was exhausted enough to sleep. The noise worsened and continued throughout the night. I got a second (and final) wind around 11 and managed to get considerable work done, but not nearly as much as I'd hoped to do tonight, and I didn't get it done nearly as early.
Around 2, I got ready for bed, although I was distracted because I forgot to try on the clothes that arrived today from Old Navy (verdict: everything is pretty great, but I need to have the green dress altered a bit to make it awesome instead of okay). Then I took my eyes out, brushed my teeth, etc. and finished getting ready for bed. I hopped into bed around 3. But for the past hour, I have been kept awake by noise.
I can hear someone (someones?) walking around upstairs. I think I can hear what sounds like drawers opening and closing. I keep hearing things ... being dropped? And furniture being pushed across the floor.
It's keeping me awake. I have been awake for 20 hours on 4 hours of sleep, and so I've hit the point where sleep is not going to come easily. And I have been emotionally overwhelmed all week. The really upsetting thing, honestly, is that if it weren't for my upstairs neighbors, I would have had a quiet, productive evening. I would have finished early enough to ice my legs,* which are very, very badly swollen, and I would have been able to get to sleep before I hit the insomnia point. I'd wake up tomorrow, probably not feeling refreshed, but definitely feeling good enough to get some work done after my haircut appointment.
But instead, I'm crying, I'm shaking, and I'm dealing with all of those awful feelings that come with being completely out of control of a situation. So that's fun.
Because of the layout of my apartment, and my current state, it's not feasible to knock on the door and demand that they shut the fuck up. Instead, I have had to resort to knocking on the ceiling with a crutch. It has not been remotely effective, which is just peachy.
A friend of mine suggested I call the police with a noise complaint. I don't want to do that right now because the noise is so "minimal." That is, at this point, whatever noise they're making, it appears to be "evening winding down" noise, and having the cops come over and telling them to shut the fuck up wouldn't help because they would still be noisy. If tonight (ugh, see, this is why I hate being up so late) is as bad as this past night, though, I will gladly call the cops.
I know that as a graduate student, I will be expected to party and drink frequently. And anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy both partying and drinking.** In fact, for the first six months of this year, I drank considerably and spent nearly every weekend either at a party or a club (weekends where I wasn't? I was drinking!). But one thing has remained constant: this apartment has been quiet. No one has parties here. No one has big loud get-togethers. And when people stumble in drunk at odd hours of the morning, you don't hear anything.
Up until the end of July, the upstairs apartment was the same way. Now, it's pushing all of us past our breaking points (I guess I'm just the winner of that race, now). This would be unbearable enough if I were still working at the lab as a tech. As a graduate student ... well, maybe it's because it's 4am and I'm a wreck, but is there a term that surpasses "unbearable?"
* I can't ice my legs overnight very easily. Not only does it keep me awake, but the ice packs usually end up shifting off of my calves. And then I wake up with four warm ice packs.
** Enjoy is an understatement. I have a bag of nips in the fridge labeled "Emergency Booze."
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Week one over ... er, sort of
Week one of graduate school is finished. Well, sort of finished.
After an early physical therapy session this morning, I went up to campus for a mandatory biology seminar (we have a seminar series for all biology students every Friday). The talk was actually quite excellent. I'll have to keep track of the skills of all of the presenters, but that's one of the reasons I was attracted to this program in the first place. At recruitment weekend, there was a poster session, and while all of the graduate students were happy to talk about graduate student life, everyone was able to present their posters very clearly. I never once felt stupid, either because I didn't understand something I thought I should, or because I felt as if the presenter was condescending to me.
So today's talk continued in that vein. Granted, it was a cell/molec talk, which meant that I understood it more easily than I'd understand a talk in another biological field, like ecology or neuroscience. But the speaker maintained my attention at all times, and very clearly outlined the rationale for all of the experiments undertaken.
After that, some of us headed up to intro lab prep. We went over a lot of course expectations and other "how to" information before heading outside for the field lab portion. The field lab looks to be pretty basic, and with an undergraduate assistant, I should be able to keep all of the students on task while we're out in the Fens.
When lab was over, my friend K. and I grabbed the PowerPoint slides off of the main lab computer and headed to a conference room to put the files on our computers, and to make lots of important phone calls (like figuring out if books are in stock, finding out why we can't access our lab rosters, and what on earth is going on with medical insurance). Finally, we headed downstairs for the welcome party for all biology graduate students. I didn't stay very long; although it was fun to hang out and eat pizza and drink, I was flat out exhausted. I had been up until two or three in the morning working, and I had to get up at seven for physical therapy.
I got home and called my mom for a bit, but when I sat down to do work, the work just wouldn't happen. I've been "on break" for a few hours, although I also spent about 45 minutes working on the PowerPoint for the first lab. I'm going to need to condense it even more, though, in order to get everything in within the lab period. Maybe it's my former job at Kaplan Test Prep that's making me so obsessive over time management, but that's not a bad thing. After all, students have other classes they need to go to, and so I need to make sure they get all of the information from the lab within the three hours I have (well, two hours and 50 minutes). If they have to leave early because I managed my time poorly and they have to get to another class, that's on me.
So yes, I need to work on my PowerPoint a lot. A lot.
And that's why I say that week one is only sort of over. I have another chapter of biochem to read, about 20 more pages of molec, and a molec problem set. I need to work on prep for lab next week, and I need to write an outline for my first class for my pedagogy seminar (and get my materials ready to go for said seminar on Monday). I also have to start preparing my biochemistry presentation, which will involve reading that biochem chapter, but also reading a paper my professor provided me.
I'll have time on Sunday, as well as some time on Saturday, but I'd like to get the bulk of it done tonight so I can rest and enjoy my weekend. But that means pushing through some exhaustion, as well as ignoring the incessant noise from the apartment above me. Tonight? It's loud shoes on hardwood floors and stairs. And the encore. AWESOME, thanks.
See, if they were quiet most of the time and never slammed the doors (which, besides being extremely loud, rattles the mirror on my wall) and never had loud/drunk conversations on the front steps right next to my window, I could be forgiving of noise on Friday nights. But the fact is, they are loud on such a constant basis that there has never been a time where I've been working where there's been no noise. It's becoming less and less acceptable, but I'm not sure there's anything that can be done about it. K. and I are already talking about moving in together next fall, somewhere with a responsible management company, so that we can effectively complain about crap like this. Oh, and so we can both live in an apartment that doesn't suck. That would be pretty cool.
After an early physical therapy session this morning, I went up to campus for a mandatory biology seminar (we have a seminar series for all biology students every Friday). The talk was actually quite excellent. I'll have to keep track of the skills of all of the presenters, but that's one of the reasons I was attracted to this program in the first place. At recruitment weekend, there was a poster session, and while all of the graduate students were happy to talk about graduate student life, everyone was able to present their posters very clearly. I never once felt stupid, either because I didn't understand something I thought I should, or because I felt as if the presenter was condescending to me.
So today's talk continued in that vein. Granted, it was a cell/molec talk, which meant that I understood it more easily than I'd understand a talk in another biological field, like ecology or neuroscience. But the speaker maintained my attention at all times, and very clearly outlined the rationale for all of the experiments undertaken.
After that, some of us headed up to intro lab prep. We went over a lot of course expectations and other "how to" information before heading outside for the field lab portion. The field lab looks to be pretty basic, and with an undergraduate assistant, I should be able to keep all of the students on task while we're out in the Fens.
When lab was over, my friend K. and I grabbed the PowerPoint slides off of the main lab computer and headed to a conference room to put the files on our computers, and to make lots of important phone calls (like figuring out if books are in stock, finding out why we can't access our lab rosters, and what on earth is going on with medical insurance). Finally, we headed downstairs for the welcome party for all biology graduate students. I didn't stay very long; although it was fun to hang out and eat pizza and drink, I was flat out exhausted. I had been up until two or three in the morning working, and I had to get up at seven for physical therapy.
I got home and called my mom for a bit, but when I sat down to do work, the work just wouldn't happen. I've been "on break" for a few hours, although I also spent about 45 minutes working on the PowerPoint for the first lab. I'm going to need to condense it even more, though, in order to get everything in within the lab period. Maybe it's my former job at Kaplan Test Prep that's making me so obsessive over time management, but that's not a bad thing. After all, students have other classes they need to go to, and so I need to make sure they get all of the information from the lab within the three hours I have (well, two hours and 50 minutes). If they have to leave early because I managed my time poorly and they have to get to another class, that's on me.
So yes, I need to work on my PowerPoint a lot. A lot.
And that's why I say that week one is only sort of over. I have another chapter of biochem to read, about 20 more pages of molec, and a molec problem set. I need to work on prep for lab next week, and I need to write an outline for my first class for my pedagogy seminar (and get my materials ready to go for said seminar on Monday). I also have to start preparing my biochemistry presentation, which will involve reading that biochem chapter, but also reading a paper my professor provided me.
I'll have time on Sunday, as well as some time on Saturday, but I'd like to get the bulk of it done tonight so I can rest and enjoy my weekend. But that means pushing through some exhaustion, as well as ignoring the incessant noise from the apartment above me. Tonight? It's loud shoes on hardwood floors and stairs. And the encore. AWESOME, thanks.
See, if they were quiet most of the time and never slammed the doors (which, besides being extremely loud, rattles the mirror on my wall) and never had loud/drunk conversations on the front steps right next to my window, I could be forgiving of noise on Friday nights. But the fact is, they are loud on such a constant basis that there has never been a time where I've been working where there's been no noise. It's becoming less and less acceptable, but I'm not sure there's anything that can be done about it. K. and I are already talking about moving in together next fall, somewhere with a responsible management company, so that we can effectively complain about crap like this. Oh, and so we can both live in an apartment that doesn't suck. That would be pretty cool.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Harry Potter and the Grad Program of Azkaban
Okay, or maybe something less horrible sounding.
I was reminded tonight of some Harry Potter book (I cannot remember which one it is, does anyone know?) where Harry felt like he would never catch up in his work, no matter how hard he tried. It was probably an insignificant detail alongside the fight against Voldemort, but whatever.
I didn't have any classes today, but I planned to meet a friend on campus for lunch. I had a lot of trouble sleeping because my calves were incredibly uncomfortable. I was icing them overnight, which meant I had to lie unmoving all night, and my body didn't appreciate that. But then again, if I hadn't iced, I would have been in pain all night, so eh, better that I iced them.
When I woke up, though, I felt totally nauseated,* probably from staying up too late the night before, working on my schedule. I texted my friend, who completely understood and was actually not on campus anyway (there had been a mistake in her schedule; she was not pleased). I decided to forgo going to the intro biology lecture; I'll be able to catch up with the eText/my biology degree, and I wasn't going to put my calves through any unnecessary walking just to go to a 50 minute lecture.
I had PT around 4:15, which went pretty well. We took it easy, since my calves were in such rough shape. I was very upset earlier in the day when I called my new insurance provider. Apparently, my coverage has already started ... but I'm not officially enrolled. I don't know why health services won't return my phone calls about this. I need health insurance. More importantly, I need coverage that I can actually use, and I need it ... now. So I'm paying out of pocket for the rest of September, and then I'll struggle to get reimbursed. It'll be fun.
I got home around 6 and implemented Operation Stop Eating Crappy Foods and Wasting Stuff Because You Let It Go Bad. I sliced up some beef and cooked it in a big pan, and then cooked some frozen veggies that came precoated in some kind of sauce. The sauce was eh, as were the veggies (I'll finish the leftovers, as part of Operation SECFAWSBYLIGB, but I won't buy them again), but the steak was delicious. Then again, I'd eat steak completely raw,** so that wasn't surprising.
I spent the rest of the evening reading my biochemistry textbook and trying to learn the amino acids. I think I'm 80% done memorizing the abbreviations and letter designations. That is, I did (online) flashcards and think I know most of them extremely well, but there are some I forget sometimes. I think it'll be much harder for me to learn the R groups, especially because as a biologist who never took organic chemistry and barely remembers inorganic chem, I don't really have the language to describe the R groups. And because I don't have the language for it, it's hard to remember everything.
By the time I finished, it was getting pretty damn late, and the last thing I wanted to do was to read my molecular biology text. Specifically, 60 pages of molecular biology text; I only had to read about 30 pages for biochem, and it took me the whole frickin' day. I know that the textbook for this class is recommended and not required, but I'd like to stick to my whole, "This will not be a repeat of college" plan and make the effort. So instead, I just rewrote my biochem notes from yesterday. Tomorrow night, I'll do the molec reading and if I have time, rewrite more notes. Friday night, the no-homework night when I was in college, will be more reading and the molecular problem set.
And I still have to do all my prep work for labs. AWESOME.
* My mom and I had a discussion a long time ago about what was correct when you wanted to say you felt sick: "nauseous" or "nauseated." While both are acceptable in casual conversation, "nauseous" technically means "inducing nausea," whereas "nauseated" is what you are when you're experiencing it. I actually do often use "nauseous," but when I do, it's a deliberate decision, usually because I know that people are going to be like, "What?"
** While I usually eat my steak as rare as possible, I have eaten raw steak before. And it was amazing.
I was reminded tonight of some Harry Potter book (I cannot remember which one it is, does anyone know?) where Harry felt like he would never catch up in his work, no matter how hard he tried. It was probably an insignificant detail alongside the fight against Voldemort, but whatever.
I didn't have any classes today, but I planned to meet a friend on campus for lunch. I had a lot of trouble sleeping because my calves were incredibly uncomfortable. I was icing them overnight, which meant I had to lie unmoving all night, and my body didn't appreciate that. But then again, if I hadn't iced, I would have been in pain all night, so eh, better that I iced them.
When I woke up, though, I felt totally nauseated,* probably from staying up too late the night before, working on my schedule. I texted my friend, who completely understood and was actually not on campus anyway (there had been a mistake in her schedule; she was not pleased). I decided to forgo going to the intro biology lecture; I'll be able to catch up with the eText/my biology degree, and I wasn't going to put my calves through any unnecessary walking just to go to a 50 minute lecture.
I had PT around 4:15, which went pretty well. We took it easy, since my calves were in such rough shape. I was very upset earlier in the day when I called my new insurance provider. Apparently, my coverage has already started ... but I'm not officially enrolled. I don't know why health services won't return my phone calls about this. I need health insurance. More importantly, I need coverage that I can actually use, and I need it ... now. So I'm paying out of pocket for the rest of September, and then I'll struggle to get reimbursed. It'll be fun.
I got home around 6 and implemented Operation Stop Eating Crappy Foods and Wasting Stuff Because You Let It Go Bad. I sliced up some beef and cooked it in a big pan, and then cooked some frozen veggies that came precoated in some kind of sauce. The sauce was eh, as were the veggies (I'll finish the leftovers, as part of Operation SECFAWSBYLIGB, but I won't buy them again), but the steak was delicious. Then again, I'd eat steak completely raw,** so that wasn't surprising.
I spent the rest of the evening reading my biochemistry textbook and trying to learn the amino acids. I think I'm 80% done memorizing the abbreviations and letter designations. That is, I did (online) flashcards and think I know most of them extremely well, but there are some I forget sometimes. I think it'll be much harder for me to learn the R groups, especially because as a biologist who never took organic chemistry and barely remembers inorganic chem, I don't really have the language to describe the R groups. And because I don't have the language for it, it's hard to remember everything.
By the time I finished, it was getting pretty damn late, and the last thing I wanted to do was to read my molecular biology text. Specifically, 60 pages of molecular biology text; I only had to read about 30 pages for biochem, and it took me the whole frickin' day. I know that the textbook for this class is recommended and not required, but I'd like to stick to my whole, "This will not be a repeat of college" plan and make the effort. So instead, I just rewrote my biochem notes from yesterday. Tomorrow night, I'll do the molec reading and if I have time, rewrite more notes. Friday night, the no-homework night when I was in college, will be more reading and the molecular problem set.
And I still have to do all my prep work for labs. AWESOME.
* My mom and I had a discussion a long time ago about what was correct when you wanted to say you felt sick: "nauseous" or "nauseated." While both are acceptable in casual conversation, "nauseous" technically means "inducing nausea," whereas "nauseated" is what you are when you're experiencing it. I actually do often use "nauseous," but when I do, it's a deliberate decision, usually because I know that people are going to be like, "What?"
** While I usually eat my steak as rare as possible, I have eaten raw steak before. And it was amazing.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
First day of classes
Today, September 6th, 2011, was the first day of classes for the fall semester. I think it was the first time I had a "first day" and I didn't feel nervous. My first day of college, I barely remember, but I remember feeling very weird and freaked out. First day of high school was the same way. But no, today, I just felt anxious that I must have had some commitment earlier than my 12:30 class, and that I would find out as soon as I got to campus that I had royally fucked up my graduate school career already.
It was supposed to rain all day, but when I looked outside, it wasn't raining. I therefore made the absurd decision not to wear rain boots. Haven't I lived in New England my entire life? What made me think that it wouldn't rain? After all, it had already rained earlier, and it definitely felt like it would rain more. And I checked the weather and it said, "HEY IT'S GONNA RAIN TODAY." Nope, wore flats.
I also decided to walk all the way to campus, which actually wasn't so bad. It took about 35 minutes, which is shorter than my old commute normally was, and the same amount of time as that commute was with no MBTA-related issues. I got to the biology building (well, one of them) at 12:25 and couldn't find the room. It wasn't so much an anxiety-producing nightmare situation, although it did have a sort of bad dream, "And then I couldn't find the room!" flavor to it. I found it within a couple of minutes and found that the professor had already started giving an introduction to the class. And it looked like almost everyone else was there. AWESOME.
I ended up not being the last person in the class; someone else had trouble finding the room, too. But I still felt awkward making all this noise getting settled in, and because of the humidity and the 35 minute powerwalk, I was kind of covered in sweat. It's great first-day look.
I got a copy of the syllabus, which looked pretty standard. The professor also explained that instead of having discussions in our discussion section every week, we would take turns giving talks on different subjects; the dates and topics were pre-assigned. I knew as soon as he said that that I would be going first, and sure enough, I was right. I'm not psychic; I just know from experience that most educators love alphabetical order by last name. I get to lecture on protein folding next Wednesday.
Now, if only I knew anything about biochemistry.
You see, the professor, in order to see what people knew so he can adjust his lecture style accordingly, handed out a short quiz. I knew one answer. One! Some of them I know I used to know the answers to (like the structures of glucose or generic amino acid, as well as pH problems). But I felt pretty stupid. He made it clear that our answers were just to give him an idea of what level we were at, but it's hard to not feel stupid when you realize that other people in the class have such a head start. Or that you were expected to know certain things, which you don't.
The rest of the class was spent doing an introductory lecture, which was pretty interesting. I took the best notes I could, and I plan to rewrite them on my laptop later. I'm still not sure what the best way is to do that, in terms of doodles/arrows that I usually draw into my notes. Or should I rewrite them by hand? I bring spiral bound notebooks to each class, and I would like to not purchase more spiral bound notebooks to rewrite my notes in. I do have an extra binder and some filler paper; I could rewrite them there, I suppose.
Class ran a litle long; we ended about 20 minutes late. Then I went with A. and D. to the student union for lunch. I had to wait forever for sushi, then wait forever to get my items rung up (problem with the cash register), and then I realized that wherever the chopsticks were, I had missed them. It was sort of that kind of day.
We then chilled for a bit in the grad student lounge before our next class. I tried to contact student health services to get my insurance information, but I couldn't get in touch with them and never got a call back. Which is, you know, awesome, because I have physical therapy tomorrow and now will have to pay out of pocket. I am really excited to pay $80 more than I should have to. Thanks.
The next class was actually a combination of really awesome and really obnoxious. On the good end, I absolutely love the professor's teaching style. He refuses to use PowerPoint, which I really appreciate, and he's got excellent chalkboard skills.* I can tell that if I struggle in this class, I'll be able to get help relatively easily. It's also fun to have this class with the other grad students in our program (and another biology-related program). We're, like, a club. The lecture hall is also pretty badass. I'm used to the auditoriums at my undergrad institution, which seemed as if they were designed to put everyone to sleep, and were poorly equipped for lectures. This room is definitely for lectures; it's got a high tech podium and an impressive set of blackboards. Of course, it is a new building, so that's expected. And finally, I actually know some of this stuff. So I feel smart.
On the other hand? The class is large with mostly undergraduates. That means they're all fiddling and whispering and generally pissing me off. I mean, sure, I was probably more of a pain in the ass as an undergraduate. But I have decided that I'm a hypocrite. So whatever. Shut up, people, I'm trying to LEARN so I don't flunk out of grad school.**
Afterwards, A. and I skedaddled over to our introduction session for the course we're TFing. We got to sit in one of the lab classrooms, which was a bit weird. I don't think I'd enjoy being a student in these classrooms. They're pretty awesome classrooms, with TV screens to show PowerPoints, and they're very clean and organized ... but the benches are extremely low, and we have to sit on stools! It's awkward.
Our instructor introduced us to the lab course and we found out that we're going to have "Learning Assistants," who are undergraduates who'll be assisting us in the lab. They're kind of like the undergrad TAs at my undergrad institution (I was one of them), except with more training. And they're probably more motivated, too; I was mostly like, "Oh, cool, paycheck!" We went over some lab expectations and received our lab manuals. I'm a bit disappointed that the first semester of intro bio, the course we're teaching, is ecology and population biology. I hoped it would be the FUN stuff, like cell and molecular.*** So I'll have to attend the lectures so I actually know at least as much as my students do. Fun times.
Afterwards, one of my friends, K., was stressed as hell because of the day she had, so she wanted to know if anyone would go out for drinks/dinner with her. Ca. and I were in, and we hung out while K. talked with our instructor about some stuff she had missed (part of the stress had involved her being late to the meeting). Then we headed over to Boston Beer Works in the delightful rain for some beer. It was definitely a lot of fun, and I feel more and more relieved as the days go by that we're all in the same boat. It's not so much that we have "automatic friends," but it's definitely better than starting undergraduate, where you know no one and you worry about meeting people to hang out with. We start with each other.
I finally got home around 8:30, somewhat soaked. Again, I'm not sure why I was stupid enough not to wear my rain boots, but I guess I should just pretend that I was too focused on being a good graduate student. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.
Tomorrow will be less busy. I'm heading up to campus for lunch with my friend M., who is starting this week at the School of Social Work. After that, I'll chill, maybe check out my office, and then go to the intro bio lecture. It's only 50 minutes and I'll have my laptop, so ... if I get bored, Facebook! Then, it's off to PT, where I can cry over the loss of $80 extra. It'll be fun.
Meanwhile, tonight I have to update my calendar to include my exams, reflect any holidays where I don't have class, and to include my new assignments. I have to read some chapters for biochem and molecular biology, I have to rewrite my notes for both classes, I have to locate and maybe start an assignment for molec, I have to fill out a form for TFing, and ... I'm sure something else. Why didn't I buy a planner?!
* "Excellent chalkboard skills" observation brought to you by teaching, having relatives who teach, and sitting through too many bad lectures.
** Which will happen if I don't maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher. So it's like ... Jewish flunking out.
*** This is also known as, "Stuff I actually know."
It was supposed to rain all day, but when I looked outside, it wasn't raining. I therefore made the absurd decision not to wear rain boots. Haven't I lived in New England my entire life? What made me think that it wouldn't rain? After all, it had already rained earlier, and it definitely felt like it would rain more. And I checked the weather and it said, "HEY IT'S GONNA RAIN TODAY." Nope, wore flats.
I also decided to walk all the way to campus, which actually wasn't so bad. It took about 35 minutes, which is shorter than my old commute normally was, and the same amount of time as that commute was with no MBTA-related issues. I got to the biology building (well, one of them) at 12:25 and couldn't find the room. It wasn't so much an anxiety-producing nightmare situation, although it did have a sort of bad dream, "And then I couldn't find the room!" flavor to it. I found it within a couple of minutes and found that the professor had already started giving an introduction to the class. And it looked like almost everyone else was there. AWESOME.
I ended up not being the last person in the class; someone else had trouble finding the room, too. But I still felt awkward making all this noise getting settled in, and because of the humidity and the 35 minute powerwalk, I was kind of covered in sweat. It's great first-day look.
I got a copy of the syllabus, which looked pretty standard. The professor also explained that instead of having discussions in our discussion section every week, we would take turns giving talks on different subjects; the dates and topics were pre-assigned. I knew as soon as he said that that I would be going first, and sure enough, I was right. I'm not psychic; I just know from experience that most educators love alphabetical order by last name. I get to lecture on protein folding next Wednesday.
Now, if only I knew anything about biochemistry.
You see, the professor, in order to see what people knew so he can adjust his lecture style accordingly, handed out a short quiz. I knew one answer. One! Some of them I know I used to know the answers to (like the structures of glucose or generic amino acid, as well as pH problems). But I felt pretty stupid. He made it clear that our answers were just to give him an idea of what level we were at, but it's hard to not feel stupid when you realize that other people in the class have such a head start. Or that you were expected to know certain things, which you don't.
The rest of the class was spent doing an introductory lecture, which was pretty interesting. I took the best notes I could, and I plan to rewrite them on my laptop later. I'm still not sure what the best way is to do that, in terms of doodles/arrows that I usually draw into my notes. Or should I rewrite them by hand? I bring spiral bound notebooks to each class, and I would like to not purchase more spiral bound notebooks to rewrite my notes in. I do have an extra binder and some filler paper; I could rewrite them there, I suppose.
Class ran a litle long; we ended about 20 minutes late. Then I went with A. and D. to the student union for lunch. I had to wait forever for sushi, then wait forever to get my items rung up (problem with the cash register), and then I realized that wherever the chopsticks were, I had missed them. It was sort of that kind of day.
We then chilled for a bit in the grad student lounge before our next class. I tried to contact student health services to get my insurance information, but I couldn't get in touch with them and never got a call back. Which is, you know, awesome, because I have physical therapy tomorrow and now will have to pay out of pocket. I am really excited to pay $80 more than I should have to. Thanks.
The next class was actually a combination of really awesome and really obnoxious. On the good end, I absolutely love the professor's teaching style. He refuses to use PowerPoint, which I really appreciate, and he's got excellent chalkboard skills.* I can tell that if I struggle in this class, I'll be able to get help relatively easily. It's also fun to have this class with the other grad students in our program (and another biology-related program). We're, like, a club. The lecture hall is also pretty badass. I'm used to the auditoriums at my undergrad institution, which seemed as if they were designed to put everyone to sleep, and were poorly equipped for lectures. This room is definitely for lectures; it's got a high tech podium and an impressive set of blackboards. Of course, it is a new building, so that's expected. And finally, I actually know some of this stuff. So I feel smart.
On the other hand? The class is large with mostly undergraduates. That means they're all fiddling and whispering and generally pissing me off. I mean, sure, I was probably more of a pain in the ass as an undergraduate. But I have decided that I'm a hypocrite. So whatever. Shut up, people, I'm trying to LEARN so I don't flunk out of grad school.**
Afterwards, A. and I skedaddled over to our introduction session for the course we're TFing. We got to sit in one of the lab classrooms, which was a bit weird. I don't think I'd enjoy being a student in these classrooms. They're pretty awesome classrooms, with TV screens to show PowerPoints, and they're very clean and organized ... but the benches are extremely low, and we have to sit on stools! It's awkward.
Our instructor introduced us to the lab course and we found out that we're going to have "Learning Assistants," who are undergraduates who'll be assisting us in the lab. They're kind of like the undergrad TAs at my undergrad institution (I was one of them), except with more training. And they're probably more motivated, too; I was mostly like, "Oh, cool, paycheck!" We went over some lab expectations and received our lab manuals. I'm a bit disappointed that the first semester of intro bio, the course we're teaching, is ecology and population biology. I hoped it would be the FUN stuff, like cell and molecular.*** So I'll have to attend the lectures so I actually know at least as much as my students do. Fun times.
Afterwards, one of my friends, K., was stressed as hell because of the day she had, so she wanted to know if anyone would go out for drinks/dinner with her. Ca. and I were in, and we hung out while K. talked with our instructor about some stuff she had missed (part of the stress had involved her being late to the meeting). Then we headed over to Boston Beer Works in the delightful rain for some beer. It was definitely a lot of fun, and I feel more and more relieved as the days go by that we're all in the same boat. It's not so much that we have "automatic friends," but it's definitely better than starting undergraduate, where you know no one and you worry about meeting people to hang out with. We start with each other.
I finally got home around 8:30, somewhat soaked. Again, I'm not sure why I was stupid enough not to wear my rain boots, but I guess I should just pretend that I was too focused on being a good graduate student. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.
Tomorrow will be less busy. I'm heading up to campus for lunch with my friend M., who is starting this week at the School of Social Work. After that, I'll chill, maybe check out my office, and then go to the intro bio lecture. It's only 50 minutes and I'll have my laptop, so ... if I get bored, Facebook! Then, it's off to PT, where I can cry over the loss of $80 extra. It'll be fun.
Meanwhile, tonight I have to update my calendar to include my exams, reflect any holidays where I don't have class, and to include my new assignments. I have to read some chapters for biochem and molecular biology, I have to rewrite my notes for both classes, I have to locate and maybe start an assignment for molec, I have to fill out a form for TFing, and ... I'm sure something else. Why didn't I buy a planner?!
* "Excellent chalkboard skills" observation brought to you by teaching, having relatives who teach, and sitting through too many bad lectures.
** Which will happen if I don't maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher. So it's like ... Jewish flunking out.
*** This is also known as, "Stuff I actually know."
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Regular orientation, musings on ability and responsibility
Today (September 2nd) was "regular" orientation. I'm totally exhausted from it (well, from orientation and additional factors, but still), but I'm going to try to run through it as thoroughly as possible in this post.
I woke up around 8:20 and hopped in the shower. After I hopped back out, I did hair and make-up and got dressed. But I was very upset to see that the shower had done a number on my left interior incision, the one that looks like it's dying or something. I quickly slathered on some antibiotic cream and cocoa butter before sticking on gauze and wrapping it. I brought along another piece of gauze and my second ace bandage in case my right exterior incision got angry, but it ended up surviving the whole day.
I waited a few minutes for the bus before it arrived, and then took a relatively un-crowded C train to St. Mary's. I got a much needed coffee when I got there, before walking the rest of the way. I don't know why I didn't go to bed earlier last night. Perhaps I'm in denial about, uh, school starting? Either way, that was pretty stupid, so coffee was necessary.
I got to the room about 15 minutes early and sat with one of the TFs I'd met yesterday, Ca. More people arrived soon after; while I knew most of the people as fellow TFs, I hadn't met the rest of the biology department first years. We picked up folders with tons of information, including the requirements for which classes we would need to take, as well as the forms we'd need to fill out.
When everyone had arrived, we all introduced ourselves. I learned that I was one of five students in my program (and one of four PhD students), and all of us in the PhD program were TFs. Huh! We learned a bit about different aspects of the program and about all the paperwork we were going to fill out. We also got a rundown on all of the other tasks we had to complete (turning in enrollment forms, registering, getting our ID cards, swipe access, etc.). Finally, students in the other program broke off to go talk to their advisors, and the folks in our program met with some professors, who are going to be our temporary advisors for the next year. Mine is Dr. G. He signed me and A. up for our classes, which are Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and the pedagogy course we have to take as TFs.
After that, we all headed to the office to get registered, and to get our office keys.* The line to get registered was pretty long, but we all hung out in the hallway and chatted. The students from the other programs all joined us. Then there was pizza/salad in the lounge, which was relaxing. Then A., C. (another PhD in our program), and I all headed to hand in our enrollment forms, and to get our IDs, as well as my T pass, and lots of coffee. My ID came out fantastic. Can I use this photo on my license? No? Are you sure?
There was a funny moment for me when I went to get my ID, though. I went up when it was my turn and gave the person my license to get my ID. She checked my info on the computer and asked if I had been a student there before. I was confused; did they think I was my sister, who is currently an undergraduate? But then she said it was back in 2003. That's when I did Tanglewood! I had totally forgotten. I'm not sure why that was an issue, but apparently, it was enough of an issue for the person to mention it. But not enough of one for me to not get my ID. Phew.
After I got my T pass, we grabbed delicious coffee. It was a gorgeous out all day, and we really enjoyed walking around during our break. It was interesting to see all of the undergraduates with parents; it just feels like such a lively campus. It made me feel so lucky and thrilled to be in Boston, starting my career. Plus, after sitting inside so much, it was pretty nice to be outside.
When we returned, it was time for the next pedagogy session. We handed in self-evaluations at the beginning, and then talked about teaching as a performance for a bit. We next did a strange exercise that was kind of fun/cute. We paired off, with each pair containing a "student" and a "teacher." We had five minutes, and the teacher had to instruct the student to duplicate a set of colorful shapes using a paper and markers. Neither the teacher nor the student could see each other's paper (so the student couldn't see what they should be drawing, and the teacher couldn't see how the student was doing). Finally, students couldn't ask questions.
I paired with a fellow TF, Aa. She was the teacher, and I was the student. Things started off a bit rocky, because it wasn't entirely clear how a set of shapes was a lesson plan. I ended up orienting my page wrong, but as we went along, I ended up getting some shapes pretty accurately. The result looks very first grade-y, so when we finished, I wrote my name and "class" in childlike handwriting and plan to give it to my mom as a joke. (UNLESS SHE'S READING THIS, in which case I didn't say anything, okay? There is no silly drawing. I promise.)
We then made lists of qualities that GREAT teachers have, and ones that AWFUL teachers have. You could tell as we were making the second list that we had specific teachers/learning experiences in mind. We were asked to think about the good qualities we have, but also the negatives ones we have, too. I know that I can be humorous and engaging, and that I care very much about my students, but I tend to be extremely disorganized, both in terms of lessons and, like ... being organized as a human being. So, will work on that.
Then we had safety training, which was incredibly fast-paced and only somewhat informative. But honestly, I know most of the stuff anyways, since I just worked in a BL2 lab for the past two years. I wrote down some of the numbers, though, since I need to mentally throw out the numbers from work and replace them with university ones.
But, I mean, I do know not to mouth pipette.
Afterwards, I stopped by my sister's apartment to say hi and see her awesome living space. It's HUGE! Her kitchen is nicer than mine! HOW. But we sat and chatted for about an hour, which was really nice. We may have played with fancy silly putty. I then headed out and met up with a friend of mine at one of our favorite pubs. By the time I got home, around 10:00pm, I wasn't just exhausted. My legs were pretty seriously swollen.
I futzed around with my Google Calendars, since otherwise I wouldn't have an idea of which lab sections I'll be able to teach, or when I'd be available for the pedagogy course over the next few weeks. I had a great laugh while I was reorganizing my calendars, though. I had written brief descriptions of all of my calendars, since I like to differentiate between work-related stuff and non-work stuff (e.g. work meetings vs. medical appointments). Most of the descriptions were boring and to the point, like "non-work appointments and meetings." But for the calendar "Gym," I'd written, "What's a 'GYM?'"
That's why I'm writing a blog. For some reason, I find myself laughing at some of the crap I've written.
But I managed to stop laughing at my own joke long enough to rename my calendars, mess around with the colors, and set up my schedule as I know it. It's pretty scary so far, and it doesn't include my soon-to-be decided lab sections or office hours, or the time we pick for the pedagogy course. And that's just stuff that meets every week, regularly; it doesn't include the time spent in my rotations, or all the hours I'll be working on lab prep.
Nor does it include things like physical therapy appointments, or time to go to the gym or go running.** Awesome.
I simultaneously feel overwhelmed and ready to take this all on. On the one hand, it's really pretty damn daunting. Without the TF responsibilities, the first year of grad school still wouldn't be easy. With rotations, you're pretty much working 40 hour weeks. Add the fellowship, and it's 60-70 hours a week. Add the paper I'm supposed to be writing, and BOOM, screwed.
But on the other hand, I remind myself of two very crucial things. The first, and the easiest to accept, is that I am not the first graduate student to go through this, and I won't be the last. People have come and gone before me, and they've managed this absurd workload during their first years. I'll manage, too. And the second crucial thing to remember is that I am extremely well-equipped to handle these responsibilities. Not only do I feel like I'll have an amazing support system at school, especially with my fellow CMTFs, but I also have a superb outside support system. I have great friends, both local and long distance, who can and will talk me through the hard times and celebrate the great ones. My family is around and extremely close-knit.
And as much as I've battled imposter syndrome in the past, I do know that I wouldn't have been accepted into this program if I weren't academically and professionally well-equipped. I'm certainly ready for benchwork; I won't be expected, as a rotation student, to have the level of skills I've been developing at work. I also have plenty of teaching experience, and while that does not mean I will be a flawless teacher, or that I don't feel seriously apprehensive about teaching undergraduates, I am not completely clueless about how to teach. My SAT prep job prepared me extremely well in this regard, which I'm grateful for.
Graduate school does present a challenge that I should have overcome years ago. I'm not sure what my excuse was back in high school or in college. Was it not as important for me to study and get amazing grades? Why didn't I manage my time better? Did I think that keeping my schoolwork and life in general organized was something that would magically come with adulthood? But I keep reminding myself: This will not be college all over again.
That means working to maintain a healthy (ish) sleep schedule. That means not doing that thing where I stay up until 2:00am, dicking around online, when I have to get up at 7:00am and work all day long. That means actually and actively studying, in a timely manner, and not waiting until the last minute to do readings or assignments. That means running errands on time, and avoiding the inevitable, "I have nothing appropriate to wear teach my lab today because it's been five weeks since I did laundry." That means setting aside time to run.
I think I can do it. I hope I can do it. This program isn't just the start of my career. In a lot of ways, even though I already spent two years being an "adult," I think I might actually, you know, grow up.***
* I have an office WTF (we all share an office, but I actually think that's even cooler right now)
** This is why I have a Google calendar for "Gym." I have to schedule in gym/running, or I won't always do it. It's worth noting, though, that when I first started running, I didn't need to schedule it. It wasn't until I was hit with compartment syndrome, and I was no longer enthusiastic about running, that I had to schedule it. It wasn't very effective, not because I hated going to the gym, but because it's discouraging when you're terrified of your symptoms kicking in.
*** Well, I don't think I'll ever be the most mature person on the planet. Understatement.
I woke up around 8:20 and hopped in the shower. After I hopped back out, I did hair and make-up and got dressed. But I was very upset to see that the shower had done a number on my left interior incision, the one that looks like it's dying or something. I quickly slathered on some antibiotic cream and cocoa butter before sticking on gauze and wrapping it. I brought along another piece of gauze and my second ace bandage in case my right exterior incision got angry, but it ended up surviving the whole day.
I waited a few minutes for the bus before it arrived, and then took a relatively un-crowded C train to St. Mary's. I got a much needed coffee when I got there, before walking the rest of the way. I don't know why I didn't go to bed earlier last night. Perhaps I'm in denial about, uh, school starting? Either way, that was pretty stupid, so coffee was necessary.
I got to the room about 15 minutes early and sat with one of the TFs I'd met yesterday, Ca. More people arrived soon after; while I knew most of the people as fellow TFs, I hadn't met the rest of the biology department first years. We picked up folders with tons of information, including the requirements for which classes we would need to take, as well as the forms we'd need to fill out.
When everyone had arrived, we all introduced ourselves. I learned that I was one of five students in my program (and one of four PhD students), and all of us in the PhD program were TFs. Huh! We learned a bit about different aspects of the program and about all the paperwork we were going to fill out. We also got a rundown on all of the other tasks we had to complete (turning in enrollment forms, registering, getting our ID cards, swipe access, etc.). Finally, students in the other program broke off to go talk to their advisors, and the folks in our program met with some professors, who are going to be our temporary advisors for the next year. Mine is Dr. G. He signed me and A. up for our classes, which are Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and the pedagogy course we have to take as TFs.
After that, we all headed to the office to get registered, and to get our office keys.* The line to get registered was pretty long, but we all hung out in the hallway and chatted. The students from the other programs all joined us. Then there was pizza/salad in the lounge, which was relaxing. Then A., C. (another PhD in our program), and I all headed to hand in our enrollment forms, and to get our IDs, as well as my T pass, and lots of coffee. My ID came out fantastic. Can I use this photo on my license? No? Are you sure?
There was a funny moment for me when I went to get my ID, though. I went up when it was my turn and gave the person my license to get my ID. She checked my info on the computer and asked if I had been a student there before. I was confused; did they think I was my sister, who is currently an undergraduate? But then she said it was back in 2003. That's when I did Tanglewood! I had totally forgotten. I'm not sure why that was an issue, but apparently, it was enough of an issue for the person to mention it. But not enough of one for me to not get my ID. Phew.
After I got my T pass, we grabbed delicious coffee. It was a gorgeous out all day, and we really enjoyed walking around during our break. It was interesting to see all of the undergraduates with parents; it just feels like such a lively campus. It made me feel so lucky and thrilled to be in Boston, starting my career. Plus, after sitting inside so much, it was pretty nice to be outside.
When we returned, it was time for the next pedagogy session. We handed in self-evaluations at the beginning, and then talked about teaching as a performance for a bit. We next did a strange exercise that was kind of fun/cute. We paired off, with each pair containing a "student" and a "teacher." We had five minutes, and the teacher had to instruct the student to duplicate a set of colorful shapes using a paper and markers. Neither the teacher nor the student could see each other's paper (so the student couldn't see what they should be drawing, and the teacher couldn't see how the student was doing). Finally, students couldn't ask questions.
I paired with a fellow TF, Aa. She was the teacher, and I was the student. Things started off a bit rocky, because it wasn't entirely clear how a set of shapes was a lesson plan. I ended up orienting my page wrong, but as we went along, I ended up getting some shapes pretty accurately. The result looks very first grade-y, so when we finished, I wrote my name and "class" in childlike handwriting and plan to give it to my mom as a joke. (UNLESS SHE'S READING THIS, in which case I didn't say anything, okay? There is no silly drawing. I promise.)
We then made lists of qualities that GREAT teachers have, and ones that AWFUL teachers have. You could tell as we were making the second list that we had specific teachers/learning experiences in mind. We were asked to think about the good qualities we have, but also the negatives ones we have, too. I know that I can be humorous and engaging, and that I care very much about my students, but I tend to be extremely disorganized, both in terms of lessons and, like ... being organized as a human being. So, will work on that.
Then we had safety training, which was incredibly fast-paced and only somewhat informative. But honestly, I know most of the stuff anyways, since I just worked in a BL2 lab for the past two years. I wrote down some of the numbers, though, since I need to mentally throw out the numbers from work and replace them with university ones.
But, I mean, I do know not to mouth pipette.
Afterwards, I stopped by my sister's apartment to say hi and see her awesome living space. It's HUGE! Her kitchen is nicer than mine! HOW. But we sat and chatted for about an hour, which was really nice. We may have played with fancy silly putty. I then headed out and met up with a friend of mine at one of our favorite pubs. By the time I got home, around 10:00pm, I wasn't just exhausted. My legs were pretty seriously swollen.
I futzed around with my Google Calendars, since otherwise I wouldn't have an idea of which lab sections I'll be able to teach, or when I'd be available for the pedagogy course over the next few weeks. I had a great laugh while I was reorganizing my calendars, though. I had written brief descriptions of all of my calendars, since I like to differentiate between work-related stuff and non-work stuff (e.g. work meetings vs. medical appointments). Most of the descriptions were boring and to the point, like "non-work appointments and meetings." But for the calendar "Gym," I'd written, "What's a 'GYM?'"
That's why I'm writing a blog. For some reason, I find myself laughing at some of the crap I've written.
But I managed to stop laughing at my own joke long enough to rename my calendars, mess around with the colors, and set up my schedule as I know it. It's pretty scary so far, and it doesn't include my soon-to-be decided lab sections or office hours, or the time we pick for the pedagogy course. And that's just stuff that meets every week, regularly; it doesn't include the time spent in my rotations, or all the hours I'll be working on lab prep.
Nor does it include things like physical therapy appointments, or time to go to the gym or go running.** Awesome.
I simultaneously feel overwhelmed and ready to take this all on. On the one hand, it's really pretty damn daunting. Without the TF responsibilities, the first year of grad school still wouldn't be easy. With rotations, you're pretty much working 40 hour weeks. Add the fellowship, and it's 60-70 hours a week. Add the paper I'm supposed to be writing, and BOOM, screwed.
But on the other hand, I remind myself of two very crucial things. The first, and the easiest to accept, is that I am not the first graduate student to go through this, and I won't be the last. People have come and gone before me, and they've managed this absurd workload during their first years. I'll manage, too. And the second crucial thing to remember is that I am extremely well-equipped to handle these responsibilities. Not only do I feel like I'll have an amazing support system at school, especially with my fellow CMTFs, but I also have a superb outside support system. I have great friends, both local and long distance, who can and will talk me through the hard times and celebrate the great ones. My family is around and extremely close-knit.
And as much as I've battled imposter syndrome in the past, I do know that I wouldn't have been accepted into this program if I weren't academically and professionally well-equipped. I'm certainly ready for benchwork; I won't be expected, as a rotation student, to have the level of skills I've been developing at work. I also have plenty of teaching experience, and while that does not mean I will be a flawless teacher, or that I don't feel seriously apprehensive about teaching undergraduates, I am not completely clueless about how to teach. My SAT prep job prepared me extremely well in this regard, which I'm grateful for.
Graduate school does present a challenge that I should have overcome years ago. I'm not sure what my excuse was back in high school or in college. Was it not as important for me to study and get amazing grades? Why didn't I manage my time better? Did I think that keeping my schoolwork and life in general organized was something that would magically come with adulthood? But I keep reminding myself: This will not be college all over again.
That means working to maintain a healthy (ish) sleep schedule. That means not doing that thing where I stay up until 2:00am, dicking around online, when I have to get up at 7:00am and work all day long. That means actually and actively studying, in a timely manner, and not waiting until the last minute to do readings or assignments. That means running errands on time, and avoiding the inevitable, "I have nothing appropriate to wear teach my lab today because it's been five weeks since I did laundry." That means setting aside time to run.
I think I can do it. I hope I can do it. This program isn't just the start of my career. In a lot of ways, even though I already spent two years being an "adult," I think I might actually, you know, grow up.***
* I have an office WTF (we all share an office, but I actually think that's even cooler right now)
** This is why I have a Google calendar for "Gym." I have to schedule in gym/running, or I won't always do it. It's worth noting, though, that when I first started running, I didn't need to schedule it. It wasn't until I was hit with compartment syndrome, and I was no longer enthusiastic about running, that I had to schedule it. It wasn't very effective, not because I hated going to the gym, but because it's discouraging when you're terrified of your symptoms kicking in.
*** Well, I don't think I'll ever be the most mature person on the planet. Understatement.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Teaching Fellow Orientation
Today, I begin my career as a graduate student. Cool. Except it's a bit weird because today wasn't about being a graduate student. It was about being a Teaching Fellow.
It's Thursday, September 1st, 2011, and I just got home from an entire day of orientation. Here's how that shit went down.
I got up around 7 to get ready, deciding at the last minute to completely change my outfit (I wanted to wear something that left my calves bare, so my ace bandages could be a conversation starter, but I didn't want to wear a skirt, and my capris worked with the bandages to make my legs look stubby as hell). I headed out around 7:40 and immediately caught a bus up to the B line. As soon as I got to the T stop, a train pulled up, and I was able to get a seat easily. The ride into BU was smooth. And that was the end of my public transit luck today.
I got to CAS early and decided to briefly take some notes sitting outside. I knew we were supposed to give a quick 3-5 minute presentation on the topic of our choice, and I wanted to sketch out an outline of my topic so I could be extra prepared. Plus, it was a good 20 minutes before I had to be inside. When I finished, I found the entrance to CAS and walked up four flights of stairs rather than look for an elevator. A friend had warned me that the 5th floor of CAS was sort of split in two, and that I might have to go back down a couple flights to get to where I needed to go. Fortunately, I went into the right entrance and walked out of the stairwell to find myself at registration. I picked up my folder and nametag and headed into the auditorium.
It slowly filled up over the next twenty minutes, but I was relieved to see that I wasn't even remotely the first person there. A lot of people knew each other; it was an orientation for all new TFs, which included non-first-year students who hadn't been TFs before. I felt a bit weird because I usually try to strike up conversations in situations like this, but it was difficult to feel comfortable, since it wasn't clear who was a first year student and who wasn't. Before we got started at 9:00am, a guy sat next to me and struck up a conversation. He was a first-year as well, in physics, and had gone to BU as an undergrad. He seemed very nice, and I was kind of relieved to have a conversation with someone.
We then got started for the day, with various deans talking to us about how to teach effectively. Nothing was really that new for me in terms of the teaching tips. After working in SAT prep, I err on the side of dressing professionally when I teach; while I'm not going to wear a skirt and heels, or a pants suit in a lab section, I'm certainly going to set an example and be conscious about my outfit choices.
The one thing I did appreciate about the morning session was that everyone was very clear that yes, this is going to be a pain, and yes, you will make mistakes, and no, you don't have to be an expert in whatever class you're teaching.
The biggest rude surprise, though, was that there is apparently a mandatory orientation next Saturday afternoon. I'm actually quite angry that we weren't told about this already. Arg!
We had a break during the morning session, and I met another person who's a TF for the same class I am, named K. She and I grabbed lunch together and went to the same afternoon workshops, where we met some other TFs in biology, Ka. and As. The workshops were somewhat mediocre. There were three, and we could only go to two, so we picked the time management workshop and the "nuts and bolts" workshop. All of the workshops were run by TFs who had been selected by their departments as the best TFs for the past semester.
The time management workshop was very disappointing. Two of the TFs were late; the two that were there when we got started said that they would basically just tell us some general information about being TFs. One of them did joke about how he shouldn't have been picked for the time management workshop because he was so bad at it, but other than that, they barely touched on the subject. They did discuss the importance of setting expectations for students and not letting the class take over your life. I was hoping for tips on getting the work done effectively so that we can actually manage our time ... they did have some good tips in general, though.
The next workshop, the "nuts and bolts" one, was more about the nitty gritty stuff, like grading and plagiarism (the one I didn't go to was about preparing lesson plans and how to teach, but I learned from other new TFs who went that it was kind of like the time management one, and the TFs didn't talk much about the actual topic). We talked mostly about plagiarism and difficult students, which was helpful. We also got a list of resources, like who to contact if we need help with AV stuff.
At this point, the orientation was for all new TFs in all departments. This was both helpful and not helpful; it was nice to meet TFs from other disciplines, and feel like a part of a strong community, but a lot of the information we got was not relevant to being a biology TF, or at least not for intro biology, which is what I'm teaching. There was a ton of information that was only relevant if you were teaching discussion sections, and even more that was really only about independently teaching your own class. It's not that I don't think it's all important; it's just that I gave up my whole day for this orientation, and at least several hours worth of information was utterly irrelevant to me.
After the workshops, all of the biology TFs met up and we walked over to BRB. When we got there, we all introduced ourselves, and learned a bit about the course we're going to take over the course of the semester, as is required for first year biology TFs. The other biology TFs are really great, so I think the pedagogy course will actually be somewhat welcome. Of course, we already have homework for it for tomorrow!
We wrapped up (and by wrapped up, I mean we spent the next two hours) by each teaching the mini-lesson we prepared. Everyone did a great job, even if we all need a little work. I'm just remembering back to when I was training for SAT prep, and there were some relatively ineffective teachers. So it was cool that everyone has a good handle on teaching already. We finally ended around 5:00pm, and went over to another building, where the barbecue was being held out front, right in front of Comm Ave.
It was nice to hang out and chat. A., one of the other people who was at my interview weekend, is also at BU and is also a first-year TF, so that was really awesome! After about an hour of hanging out, a bunch of us headed out. A. and I got on a B line train which came relatively quickly, but it was seriously packed. I had hoped that with the Sox game and moving day, most people would either NOT be taking the B line, or if they were, they were getting off the outbound trains at Kenmore. But nope, crowded as usual. Woo-frickin-hoo.
The slow T ride was interrupted around Packard's Corner because the driver had to honk at someone and the horn got stuck. The driver got out to see if she ran over something, but I think it was just the horn getting stuck. A lot of people got off the train at that point, but I correctly (a first!) guessed that if I stayed on, we'd move soon enough.
I got off at Harvard Ave and spent forever and a day waiting for the bus home. There were a ton of buses going in the opposite direction, but none in our direction for at least twenty minutes, and at least twenty people were waiting at the stop with me. When the bus finally arrived, I was able to somehow get on in the back. Once I was on, I realized why it was so jam-packed: an elderly woman had gotten on the bus with a large, square-ish cart full of cans (I've passed her on the sidewalk before; she's actually a recognizable figure around Harvard Ave/Street). Because she was up front with her cart, a young woman with a baby in a stroller couldn't use that front space, and was stuck in the back, right before the back steps. So people were cramming into the "downstairs" portion of the bus, unable to go up the step to the back of the bus.
That plus traffic from moving day? We were practically crawling. It was miserable. By the time I finally got off, I immediately went to the store and grabbed some soda and some candy because arg!! I Then had trouble changing out of my jeans; my calves were very swollen. I was very unhappy to see that only one incision didn't break at all; two of them had their scabs broken and torn, and the third one, which has been healing extremely poorly,* was oozing pretty badly. My legs are in the most pain they've been in for a while today; not only are they swollen and angry from today, but they were already sore this morning from physical therapy yesterday. I "graduated" to the next band strength at my appointment, and I did two and a half miles on the bike. Why did I push myself so hard when I knew what the rest of the week would entail? NO FUCKING CLUE.
Tomorrow, I have actual CM graduate student orientation in the morning until early afternoon, followed by TF orientation take two (for biology TFs only), and then TF lab safety training. So I'll finally register for classes tomorrow and afterwards, I'll pick up my Terrier card and my T pass.
The plan for the rest of the evening was to do my reading assignment for tomorrow, and to make a list of the classes I know I have to fit into my schedule (the pedagogy course, which is actually just something I have to register for--no set class date/time; the intro bio course I'm TFing labs for, so I can attend lectures; and hopefully orchestra). But the people upstairs are blasting music with heavy bass, and I want to take a broom to the ceiling. Or something more violent and less acceptable. Seriously, it's September 1st, and this is the Boston area. STUDENTS LIVE HERE.
* This summer, I had calf surgery to treat exercise-induced compartment syndrome. I'm finished recovering and I've started physical therapy, but I'll be dealing with swelling and numbness for some time longer, and my incisions (especially my left interior incision) have not all been healing very well.
It's Thursday, September 1st, 2011, and I just got home from an entire day of orientation. Here's how that shit went down.
I got up around 7 to get ready, deciding at the last minute to completely change my outfit (I wanted to wear something that left my calves bare, so my ace bandages could be a conversation starter, but I didn't want to wear a skirt, and my capris worked with the bandages to make my legs look stubby as hell). I headed out around 7:40 and immediately caught a bus up to the B line. As soon as I got to the T stop, a train pulled up, and I was able to get a seat easily. The ride into BU was smooth. And that was the end of my public transit luck today.
I got to CAS early and decided to briefly take some notes sitting outside. I knew we were supposed to give a quick 3-5 minute presentation on the topic of our choice, and I wanted to sketch out an outline of my topic so I could be extra prepared. Plus, it was a good 20 minutes before I had to be inside. When I finished, I found the entrance to CAS and walked up four flights of stairs rather than look for an elevator. A friend had warned me that the 5th floor of CAS was sort of split in two, and that I might have to go back down a couple flights to get to where I needed to go. Fortunately, I went into the right entrance and walked out of the stairwell to find myself at registration. I picked up my folder and nametag and headed into the auditorium.
It slowly filled up over the next twenty minutes, but I was relieved to see that I wasn't even remotely the first person there. A lot of people knew each other; it was an orientation for all new TFs, which included non-first-year students who hadn't been TFs before. I felt a bit weird because I usually try to strike up conversations in situations like this, but it was difficult to feel comfortable, since it wasn't clear who was a first year student and who wasn't. Before we got started at 9:00am, a guy sat next to me and struck up a conversation. He was a first-year as well, in physics, and had gone to BU as an undergrad. He seemed very nice, and I was kind of relieved to have a conversation with someone.
We then got started for the day, with various deans talking to us about how to teach effectively. Nothing was really that new for me in terms of the teaching tips. After working in SAT prep, I err on the side of dressing professionally when I teach; while I'm not going to wear a skirt and heels, or a pants suit in a lab section, I'm certainly going to set an example and be conscious about my outfit choices.
The one thing I did appreciate about the morning session was that everyone was very clear that yes, this is going to be a pain, and yes, you will make mistakes, and no, you don't have to be an expert in whatever class you're teaching.
The biggest rude surprise, though, was that there is apparently a mandatory orientation next Saturday afternoon. I'm actually quite angry that we weren't told about this already. Arg!
We had a break during the morning session, and I met another person who's a TF for the same class I am, named K. She and I grabbed lunch together and went to the same afternoon workshops, where we met some other TFs in biology, Ka. and As. The workshops were somewhat mediocre. There were three, and we could only go to two, so we picked the time management workshop and the "nuts and bolts" workshop. All of the workshops were run by TFs who had been selected by their departments as the best TFs for the past semester.
The time management workshop was very disappointing. Two of the TFs were late; the two that were there when we got started said that they would basically just tell us some general information about being TFs. One of them did joke about how he shouldn't have been picked for the time management workshop because he was so bad at it, but other than that, they barely touched on the subject. They did discuss the importance of setting expectations for students and not letting the class take over your life. I was hoping for tips on getting the work done effectively so that we can actually manage our time ... they did have some good tips in general, though.
The next workshop, the "nuts and bolts" one, was more about the nitty gritty stuff, like grading and plagiarism (the one I didn't go to was about preparing lesson plans and how to teach, but I learned from other new TFs who went that it was kind of like the time management one, and the TFs didn't talk much about the actual topic). We talked mostly about plagiarism and difficult students, which was helpful. We also got a list of resources, like who to contact if we need help with AV stuff.
At this point, the orientation was for all new TFs in all departments. This was both helpful and not helpful; it was nice to meet TFs from other disciplines, and feel like a part of a strong community, but a lot of the information we got was not relevant to being a biology TF, or at least not for intro biology, which is what I'm teaching. There was a ton of information that was only relevant if you were teaching discussion sections, and even more that was really only about independently teaching your own class. It's not that I don't think it's all important; it's just that I gave up my whole day for this orientation, and at least several hours worth of information was utterly irrelevant to me.
After the workshops, all of the biology TFs met up and we walked over to BRB. When we got there, we all introduced ourselves, and learned a bit about the course we're going to take over the course of the semester, as is required for first year biology TFs. The other biology TFs are really great, so I think the pedagogy course will actually be somewhat welcome. Of course, we already have homework for it for tomorrow!
We wrapped up (and by wrapped up, I mean we spent the next two hours) by each teaching the mini-lesson we prepared. Everyone did a great job, even if we all need a little work. I'm just remembering back to when I was training for SAT prep, and there were some relatively ineffective teachers. So it was cool that everyone has a good handle on teaching already. We finally ended around 5:00pm, and went over to another building, where the barbecue was being held out front, right in front of Comm Ave.
It was nice to hang out and chat. A., one of the other people who was at my interview weekend, is also at BU and is also a first-year TF, so that was really awesome! After about an hour of hanging out, a bunch of us headed out. A. and I got on a B line train which came relatively quickly, but it was seriously packed. I had hoped that with the Sox game and moving day, most people would either NOT be taking the B line, or if they were, they were getting off the outbound trains at Kenmore. But nope, crowded as usual. Woo-frickin-hoo.
The slow T ride was interrupted around Packard's Corner because the driver had to honk at someone and the horn got stuck. The driver got out to see if she ran over something, but I think it was just the horn getting stuck. A lot of people got off the train at that point, but I correctly (a first!) guessed that if I stayed on, we'd move soon enough.
I got off at Harvard Ave and spent forever and a day waiting for the bus home. There were a ton of buses going in the opposite direction, but none in our direction for at least twenty minutes, and at least twenty people were waiting at the stop with me. When the bus finally arrived, I was able to somehow get on in the back. Once I was on, I realized why it was so jam-packed: an elderly woman had gotten on the bus with a large, square-ish cart full of cans (I've passed her on the sidewalk before; she's actually a recognizable figure around Harvard Ave/Street). Because she was up front with her cart, a young woman with a baby in a stroller couldn't use that front space, and was stuck in the back, right before the back steps. So people were cramming into the "downstairs" portion of the bus, unable to go up the step to the back of the bus.
That plus traffic from moving day? We were practically crawling. It was miserable. By the time I finally got off, I immediately went to the store and grabbed some soda and some candy because arg!! I Then had trouble changing out of my jeans; my calves were very swollen. I was very unhappy to see that only one incision didn't break at all; two of them had their scabs broken and torn, and the third one, which has been healing extremely poorly,* was oozing pretty badly. My legs are in the most pain they've been in for a while today; not only are they swollen and angry from today, but they were already sore this morning from physical therapy yesterday. I "graduated" to the next band strength at my appointment, and I did two and a half miles on the bike. Why did I push myself so hard when I knew what the rest of the week would entail? NO FUCKING CLUE.
Tomorrow, I have actual CM graduate student orientation in the morning until early afternoon, followed by TF orientation take two (for biology TFs only), and then TF lab safety training. So I'll finally register for classes tomorrow and afterwards, I'll pick up my Terrier card and my T pass.
The plan for the rest of the evening was to do my reading assignment for tomorrow, and to make a list of the classes I know I have to fit into my schedule (the pedagogy course, which is actually just something I have to register for--no set class date/time; the intro bio course I'm TFing labs for, so I can attend lectures; and hopefully orchestra). But the people upstairs are blasting music with heavy bass, and I want to take a broom to the ceiling. Or something more violent and less acceptable. Seriously, it's September 1st, and this is the Boston area. STUDENTS LIVE HERE.
* This summer, I had calf surgery to treat exercise-induced compartment syndrome. I'm finished recovering and I've started physical therapy, but I'll be dealing with swelling and numbness for some time longer, and my incisions (especially my left interior incision) have not all been healing very well.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Will be hitting the ground running
Starting Thursday, I'll officially be a graduate student. I'm not nervous so much as I am impatient about the whole thing.
I recently learned that I've been selected to be a Teaching Fellow this semester, for the introductory biology course. I'm not too happy about it, since it's my first semester of graduate school, and I was hoping to get used to my new life before I had to add something else into the mix. But as I've pointed out to my friends who've expressed surprise at this turn of events, I already have a lot of teaching experience. I've worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant (also for introductory biology), I taught summer science camp to kids ages 5-12, and until recently, I was an SAT teacher at Kaplan Test Prep. I'm not even a little bit worried about how capable I'll be as a TF.
Thursday is an all-day TF training, which looks as if it's going to be extraordinarily boring. Half of the day involves having various deans and higher-ups talk to us about teaching. Then we have to practice teaching during the second half of the day. That'll be followed by a barbeque (I think?). So, 8:30am-7:00pm will be fun.
Friday will be a little better; I don't have to be on campus until 10:00am. Then we have regular graduate program orientation, and by the early afternoon, we'll be registered for our classes. On Tuesday, we jump right in.
I'm impatient to start, not because I desperately can't wait to be so busy I can't breathe, but because at this point in time, I have absolutely no clue what my schedule will look like, and I also don't have my insurance information. Both of these things are frustrating, and not just because I'm out of the loop.
I'm recovering quite nicely from my bilateral fasciotomy to treat the compartment syndrome in my calves, but to ensure I have the best recovery, I need to go to physical therapy regularly, and I need to have my insurance straightened out. This coming week, I have my physical therapy appointments already set up for Monday and Wednesday. I'm glad I could get those two days, since Thursday and Friday are completely out for two reasons: I shouldn't schedule PT on the same day that I lose my old insurance and might not have the information for my new insurance, and also, I've got those orientations! Whoops.
Plus, because of some really awkward requirements, I'm somehow going to be first author on a paper from my old job. I'll be frequenting the lab in order to work on it in the best environment possible, but even if I weren't, that's a time suck.
Finally, I've met some other BU grad students through some friends, and one of them has convinced me that I should try out for the all-campus orchestra. Most of the flutes have left, which means this is the best shot I have at grabbing an excellent seat.
So, here's what I have to fit in this semester, my first semester of graduate school:
*) However many classes my (unknown) faculty advisor registers me for
*) Working as a TF (includes two lab sections and a weekly meeting; I'm also guessing office hours)
*) Orchestra, if I get in
*) Coculture paper for my old job
*) Physical therapy
There's a reason I bought a new mattress this summer: every minute of sleep I can get needs to be as restful as possible!
I recently learned that I've been selected to be a Teaching Fellow this semester, for the introductory biology course. I'm not too happy about it, since it's my first semester of graduate school, and I was hoping to get used to my new life before I had to add something else into the mix. But as I've pointed out to my friends who've expressed surprise at this turn of events, I already have a lot of teaching experience. I've worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant (also for introductory biology), I taught summer science camp to kids ages 5-12, and until recently, I was an SAT teacher at Kaplan Test Prep. I'm not even a little bit worried about how capable I'll be as a TF.
Thursday is an all-day TF training, which looks as if it's going to be extraordinarily boring. Half of the day involves having various deans and higher-ups talk to us about teaching. Then we have to practice teaching during the second half of the day. That'll be followed by a barbeque (I think?). So, 8:30am-7:00pm will be fun.
Friday will be a little better; I don't have to be on campus until 10:00am. Then we have regular graduate program orientation, and by the early afternoon, we'll be registered for our classes. On Tuesday, we jump right in.
I'm impatient to start, not because I desperately can't wait to be so busy I can't breathe, but because at this point in time, I have absolutely no clue what my schedule will look like, and I also don't have my insurance information. Both of these things are frustrating, and not just because I'm out of the loop.
I'm recovering quite nicely from my bilateral fasciotomy to treat the compartment syndrome in my calves, but to ensure I have the best recovery, I need to go to physical therapy regularly, and I need to have my insurance straightened out. This coming week, I have my physical therapy appointments already set up for Monday and Wednesday. I'm glad I could get those two days, since Thursday and Friday are completely out for two reasons: I shouldn't schedule PT on the same day that I lose my old insurance and might not have the information for my new insurance, and also, I've got those orientations! Whoops.
Plus, because of some really awkward requirements, I'm somehow going to be first author on a paper from my old job. I'll be frequenting the lab in order to work on it in the best environment possible, but even if I weren't, that's a time suck.
Finally, I've met some other BU grad students through some friends, and one of them has convinced me that I should try out for the all-campus orchestra. Most of the flutes have left, which means this is the best shot I have at grabbing an excellent seat.
So, here's what I have to fit in this semester, my first semester of graduate school:
*) However many classes my (unknown) faculty advisor registers me for
*) Working as a TF (includes two lab sections and a weekly meeting; I'm also guessing office hours)
*) Orchestra, if I get in
*) Coculture paper for my old job
*) Physical therapy
There's a reason I bought a new mattress this summer: every minute of sleep I can get needs to be as restful as possible!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Moving on from my first lab job
This week is the final week at my current job. I had my going-away party yesterday, which was a lot of fun, and this Friday is my final day.
I've been training my replacement, but I know that there will be things she needs help with after I leave. My boss is going on vacation for the month of August, so I've made it clear to my replacement that she's welcome to call or email me with any questions. While I have been training her as best I can, it's really not possible for me to teach her every detail about the job in four weeks.
I guess I'm mostly nervous about leaving the lab, where I've been for two years, and where I've gotten almost all of my training. I don't feel unprepared for graduate school, in terms of academics or lab work. It's more that I feel unprepared for the bureaucracy of it. I'm off to a mediocre start in that regard.
That is, I'm not sure exactly when I'm starting, or what I already should have signed up for. I got my health history forms after my yearly physical, and I'm waiting on my doctor's office to fax the signed forms back. I had a moment where I was significantly annoyed with the requirements; it said that I needed a vaccine that I had already gotten, but wouldn't let me waive it without actual reasons. But then, thankfully, a friend of mine pointed out that the vaccine was only required for students living on campus or in university-owned housing. I'm a grad student, suckers!
I'm also on the fence about purchasing a semester's worth of Charlie Cards from the school. I have another few weeks to decide, and I probably will buy the semester pass. I'm spoiled right now; my monthly pass is 45% off, and it's paid for pre-tax. I will only get 11% off the semester pass, and it's not pre-tax. It's quite disappointing. I would just walk to campus, but I've enjoyed the security of taking the T whenever I feel like it, and it'll be tougher to walk to campus during the first month or so. By the time I won't worry about walking to campus, it might be cold and snowy. I might as well just accept that I'm going to be paying for it, but even so ...
In the meantime, I'm looking forward to this week ending. Not because I hate my job; I'll definitely miss working here! But at this point, it feels like there's very little left for me to do over the next three to four days. Plus I have special rehearsals for an ensemble I play in once a year, on Thursday and Friday nights, on Saturday all day, and a concert on Sunday. Not a restful weekend for someone who's going to have surgery in a week. Since I'm just waiting for my surgery to be over with, it's hard for me to savor the rest of the week.
I won't forget my two years here, although this job hasn't always been easy or fun. Hopefully, the lab I end up in will be just as unique, with equally interesting research, and equally interesting people.
I've been training my replacement, but I know that there will be things she needs help with after I leave. My boss is going on vacation for the month of August, so I've made it clear to my replacement that she's welcome to call or email me with any questions. While I have been training her as best I can, it's really not possible for me to teach her every detail about the job in four weeks.
I guess I'm mostly nervous about leaving the lab, where I've been for two years, and where I've gotten almost all of my training. I don't feel unprepared for graduate school, in terms of academics or lab work. It's more that I feel unprepared for the bureaucracy of it. I'm off to a mediocre start in that regard.
That is, I'm not sure exactly when I'm starting, or what I already should have signed up for. I got my health history forms after my yearly physical, and I'm waiting on my doctor's office to fax the signed forms back. I had a moment where I was significantly annoyed with the requirements; it said that I needed a vaccine that I had already gotten, but wouldn't let me waive it without actual reasons. But then, thankfully, a friend of mine pointed out that the vaccine was only required for students living on campus or in university-owned housing. I'm a grad student, suckers!
I'm also on the fence about purchasing a semester's worth of Charlie Cards from the school. I have another few weeks to decide, and I probably will buy the semester pass. I'm spoiled right now; my monthly pass is 45% off, and it's paid for pre-tax. I will only get 11% off the semester pass, and it's not pre-tax. It's quite disappointing. I would just walk to campus, but I've enjoyed the security of taking the T whenever I feel like it, and it'll be tougher to walk to campus during the first month or so. By the time I won't worry about walking to campus, it might be cold and snowy. I might as well just accept that I'm going to be paying for it, but even so ...
In the meantime, I'm looking forward to this week ending. Not because I hate my job; I'll definitely miss working here! But at this point, it feels like there's very little left for me to do over the next three to four days. Plus I have special rehearsals for an ensemble I play in once a year, on Thursday and Friday nights, on Saturday all day, and a concert on Sunday. Not a restful weekend for someone who's going to have surgery in a week. Since I'm just waiting for my surgery to be over with, it's hard for me to savor the rest of the week.
I won't forget my two years here, although this job hasn't always been easy or fun. Hopefully, the lab I end up in will be just as unique, with equally interesting research, and equally interesting people.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Email woes
Back in March, after I accepted the offer from BU, I was given early bird registration for email. I was totally psyched, since I wanted to change my Facebook profile and display my change of networks. Yeah, not all that important. But as I continued to set up my account, I hit a roadblock. That is, I set up my username and password, and then couldn't log into BU's Gmail system!
Two months later, I tried again, and discovered that my registration had gotten my account set up for the regular Horde email service. To my dismay, the email client was even worse that the Tufts version.* Then I set up my BU Gmail, but then struggled to connect either account to my regular Gmail.
I finally have had some success (I think). Every time I get an email send to Horde, it gets sent to my BU Gmail, which then gets sent to my regular Gmail. The only problems for now? Every time I get a BU email, I first get an email from the Postmaster Bot telling me that I can't read the email. Then I get the email. I also can't seem to get Gmail to put a label on the incoming BU emails. For now, I'll just deal with the lack of labels. As for the spammy bot messages every time I get a BU email, I set up a filter that sends them directly to the trash. Booyah.
I was worried that I might have gotten emails with important information about starting this fall, but I mostly just had meeting reminders and all-BU newsletters in my inbox. Better safe than sorry, though!
* The Tufts version wasn't terrible, I suppose, but I didn't like it much. It never occurred to me to forward my Tufts mail to Gmail, even though I had been using Gmail since high school, before getting my college email. Now I know better, and I want all my email in one place!
Two months later, I tried again, and discovered that my registration had gotten my account set up for the regular Horde email service. To my dismay, the email client was even worse that the Tufts version.* Then I set up my BU Gmail, but then struggled to connect either account to my regular Gmail.
I finally have had some success (I think). Every time I get an email send to Horde, it gets sent to my BU Gmail, which then gets sent to my regular Gmail. The only problems for now? Every time I get a BU email, I first get an email from the Postmaster Bot telling me that I can't read the email. Then I get the email. I also can't seem to get Gmail to put a label on the incoming BU emails. For now, I'll just deal with the lack of labels. As for the spammy bot messages every time I get a BU email, I set up a filter that sends them directly to the trash. Booyah.
I was worried that I might have gotten emails with important information about starting this fall, but I mostly just had meeting reminders and all-BU newsletters in my inbox. Better safe than sorry, though!
* The Tufts version wasn't terrible, I suppose, but I didn't like it much. It never occurred to me to forward my Tufts mail to Gmail, even though I had been using Gmail since high school, before getting my college email. Now I know better, and I want all my email in one place!
Monday, March 28, 2011
About this blog
Who am I?
I'm a 24-year-old straight, white, Jewish atheist, middle-class ciswoman. I've lived in the Boston area my entire life, I graduated from college in 2009, and I started a cell and molecular biology PhD program in fall 2011, also in Boston. I live with roommates near my university, and I have several friends in the area whom I spend a lot of time with. I'm a runner, a former classical musician, and a passionate feminist.
Why am I writing this blog?
I decided to write this blog for three reasons. The first reason is that I'd like something to remember my time in graduate school, specifically the little bits of it. Sure, I'll remember things like my project and the general atmosphere of the lab. But I want to remember the hilarious day-to-day events, and the obnoxious little frustrations.
The second reason is that I think that the non-scientist crowd has a warped idea of what scientists are like. We're not all white dudes in lab coats and glasses, who make lots of money and are socially awkward. In fact, choosing academic science in order to get rich is sort of a mistake. I'm sure we're all varying degrees of socially awkward, so that's accurate, but for the most part, we're just awesomely regular people just trying to discover cool new things about the world.
The third reason I'm starting this blog is that my younger sister is going into television. I have no idea if she'll end up as a writer and/or show-runner, but just on the off-chance that she does, I'd like to have this blog so that she can have a glimpse into the life of a graduate student. Then she'll realize how AWESOME it would be to make a TV show about being a graduate student, based on my life.
Because really, I'd watch that.
So I'm just going to be invading everyone's privacy by writing about them?
I'm going to do my best to use pseudonyms, nicknames, and initials in this blog in order to protect people's privacy. While I can only be so vague while writing about people and places, I'll still try as hard as I can.
How long am I going to be blogging for, and how often will I post?
I will try to post once a week once the semester starts in late August. If I can keep this up throughout my graduate student career, it'll run for five or six years. Yes, I will be a graduate student forever ... on the same stipend. When I'm 30.
What kind of writing style/content will this blog involve?
I have a tendency to overuse footnotes and asterisks, and I'm also a fan of sarcasm, ALL CAPS FOR EFFECT (ACFE), and questions that end in periods (when mixed with ACFE, that leaves us with such gems as, "HOW DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND."). I also am a fan of swearing for emphasis/fun, and so while I do try to make my content interesting using PG-13 language, I have been known to drop the f-bomb. All the fucking time (WHOOPS).*
While this blog is about graduate school, it is also about my life. My identity, as I've demonstrated above, is multifaceted; I'm not just "a grad student." While this blog will mostly be about that aspect of my identity, it would be impossible to write this blog without making references to my family, friends, relationships, activities, and health. In fact, without all of those things, I won't make it through graduate school!
* DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE.
I'm a 24-year-old straight, white, Jewish atheist, middle-class ciswoman. I've lived in the Boston area my entire life, I graduated from college in 2009, and I started a cell and molecular biology PhD program in fall 2011, also in Boston. I live with roommates near my university, and I have several friends in the area whom I spend a lot of time with. I'm a runner, a former classical musician, and a passionate feminist.
Why am I writing this blog?
I decided to write this blog for three reasons. The first reason is that I'd like something to remember my time in graduate school, specifically the little bits of it. Sure, I'll remember things like my project and the general atmosphere of the lab. But I want to remember the hilarious day-to-day events, and the obnoxious little frustrations.
The second reason is that I think that the non-scientist crowd has a warped idea of what scientists are like. We're not all white dudes in lab coats and glasses, who make lots of money and are socially awkward. In fact, choosing academic science in order to get rich is sort of a mistake. I'm sure we're all varying degrees of socially awkward, so that's accurate, but for the most part, we're just awesomely regular people just trying to discover cool new things about the world.
The third reason I'm starting this blog is that my younger sister is going into television. I have no idea if she'll end up as a writer and/or show-runner, but just on the off-chance that she does, I'd like to have this blog so that she can have a glimpse into the life of a graduate student. Then she'll realize how AWESOME it would be to make a TV show about being a graduate student, based on my life.
Because really, I'd watch that.
So I'm just going to be invading everyone's privacy by writing about them?
I'm going to do my best to use pseudonyms, nicknames, and initials in this blog in order to protect people's privacy. While I can only be so vague while writing about people and places, I'll still try as hard as I can.
How long am I going to be blogging for, and how often will I post?
I will try to post once a week once the semester starts in late August. If I can keep this up throughout my graduate student career, it'll run for five or six years. Yes, I will be a graduate student forever ... on the same stipend. When I'm 30.
What kind of writing style/content will this blog involve?
I have a tendency to overuse footnotes and asterisks, and I'm also a fan of sarcasm, ALL CAPS FOR EFFECT (ACFE), and questions that end in periods (when mixed with ACFE, that leaves us with such gems as, "HOW DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND."). I also am a fan of swearing for emphasis/fun, and so while I do try to make my content interesting using PG-13 language, I have been known to drop the f-bomb. All the fucking time (WHOOPS).*
While this blog is about graduate school, it is also about my life. My identity, as I've demonstrated above, is multifaceted; I'm not just "a grad student." While this blog will mostly be about that aspect of my identity, it would be impossible to write this blog without making references to my family, friends, relationships, activities, and health. In fact, without all of those things, I won't make it through graduate school!
* DO YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE.
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