So, moving into a house with some people or rooming with someone in an apartment is...well...complicated. I don't exactly have a bed to take with me (my big full-sized stays at home until I move permanently. That thing is HUGE and HEAVY and difficult to maneouver) and while I have a desk waiting for me at my grandparents', I do not have a desk chair! Figuring out how to swing these things is a bit of a challenge, but I'm sure we'll figure it out. I'm so glad that my financial aid is going to cover not only tuition and books but rent as well. I'll still plan on working (hopefully as a graduate assistant!) so I can save up and pay for incidentals.
I'm still in awe that this looks like it could happen. I never thought that there would be any chance of affording this. I wasn't sure I'd even get in!
The only thing I'm worried about is staying on top of all that work. I'm doing the non-thesis track (Margaret...I admire you for doing yours!) because I don't know how I'd do that on top of my internship and my internship project and my certification exam etc. I'm determined to be organized and on top of things. I found an amazing planner at the university bookstore (and I can't find it anywhere else so I'm probably stuck!) that has the days in vertical columns with the goals for the day on the top and then an hourly schedule underneath, with an extra column on the side for goals for the week. I plan on having some sort of filing folder system for each class (four the first semester; 10 hours...ugh!) and of course my syllabi go on the wall like last spring (easy to find them and a quick reference that way!).
I'm thinking about a bulletin board or a marker board for big to-dos but I'm not sure. What do you guys think? How did you get through school/grad school?
2 comments:
Whew, it sounds like you are extremely organized, Kate! You'll be surprised by how easy grad school really is. I still remember being freaked out about all the work and responsibilities, but trust me, it's not NEARLY as tough as all your University profs make it out to be. I found it a lot like college, except with less work (really). Basically, by the time you get to grad school, (if you did a challenging undergrad) you've learned how to study, and they honestly can't make it that much more difficult. You just write longer papers and take fewer classes.
Enjoy your time in school!
Unfortunately I tend to fall back on my good memory and don't study too well. Sure, I had a pretty good GPA when I graduated but I could have done better. I had really poor time management skills in college which led to me getting a C in a couple classes that I should have gotten at least a B or even an A in. (That sounds bad...I did get more As than other grades though...) Part of the problem was missing a week or more in the spring semester due to sinus infections, which I hope will be different as a result of my surgery!
I have ADHD and so if I'm not hyper-organized, I'm a crazy wreck. The problem is that I've had really good ideas that weren't all-encompassing, so I may have had my syllabi on the wall and I may have had a spiral for each class, but I had nowhere to put all the papers associated with the class. I'm hoping that managing my time wisely will help reduce the anxiety inherent in my learning difference.
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