Scholarly
Today I took vacation time so I could spend the day at school. I feel so Student-y. I came to the department, pondered my class schedule for the next three years, met with my adviser for the first time, found my student mailbox (yes, halfway through the quarter - it was empty), wrote my takehome midterm, and made an appointment to meet the Dean (on the advice of Big Papa Cook, who has already schmoozed the Dean for me - I expect he will offer me a job on the spot). I'm using the computer lab for the first time! I put a document on my little piece of the university server! I am a Student! And I have so much time! I can work on my midterm, take a break, walk around, visit the drinking fountain, explore the building... I love it.
I forgot! I finally have a boss! She started yesterday, and I have already passed her a huge heap of stuff that was dumped on me, which makes me feel terribly lighthearted and also contributes to today's general feeling of reckless hedonism. Now we have to negotiate our working relationship while I train her to do stuff I sort of know how to do - it's going to be really weird. But who cares! I only work 25 hours a week now!
So I was glorying in my leisurely academic life this morning, and then my adviser informed me that unless I plan to take five years to complete the degree, I really ought to take 9 credits next quarter, and 12 credits in the spring, making my measly 8 credits this quarter look like a walk in the park. These are the considerations I have to consider while mapping myself a course through the degree program:
1) Do I want to make the effort to cram in all my core courses before next winter in order to be able to take the practice workshop along with my cohort rather than wait a whole extra year?
2) What concentration do I want to do?
3) How will I manage to spread things out so I'm averaging 18 credits a year in order to keep Dutch at the wonderful and cheap university daycare until she starts kindergarten in fall 2010?
4) How will I fit in a 400-hour internship?
5) When on earth will we have a second kid?
So many questions, and all subsidiary to the big one - What Am I Going to Do With My Life?
Maybe the Dean will know.
I forgot! I finally have a boss! She started yesterday, and I have already passed her a huge heap of stuff that was dumped on me, which makes me feel terribly lighthearted and also contributes to today's general feeling of reckless hedonism. Now we have to negotiate our working relationship while I train her to do stuff I sort of know how to do - it's going to be really weird. But who cares! I only work 25 hours a week now!
So I was glorying in my leisurely academic life this morning, and then my adviser informed me that unless I plan to take five years to complete the degree, I really ought to take 9 credits next quarter, and 12 credits in the spring, making my measly 8 credits this quarter look like a walk in the park. These are the considerations I have to consider while mapping myself a course through the degree program:
1) Do I want to make the effort to cram in all my core courses before next winter in order to be able to take the practice workshop along with my cohort rather than wait a whole extra year?
2) What concentration do I want to do?
3) How will I manage to spread things out so I'm averaging 18 credits a year in order to keep Dutch at the wonderful and cheap university daycare until she starts kindergarten in fall 2010?
4) How will I fit in a 400-hour internship?
5) When on earth will we have a second kid?
So many questions, and all subsidiary to the big one - What Am I Going to Do With My Life?
Maybe the Dean will know.
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