staying afloat

my winter study plans are in full swing. i'm actually lucky enough to get a week of paid holiday this upcoming week, which means i can focus on my winter class and my comps studying. to be honest, i thought i was off to a good start with studying for comps but i got caught up on other work last week (including having to hand in a final for my fall class, having A LOT to do at my job, having homework for my winter class, and having some family stuff going on) and all that meant that i fell a bit behind on comps studying. i know -- it's pretty disappointing.

still, i finally have all my materials in one place (in the physical world, that means it's all on one table finally; in the virtual world, i'm working on a prezi where all my notes can live and interact with each other). overall though, i think i'll be okay. two months from now, comps will all be over... i think.

my winter course has begun!

it's the second to last week of the semester and while many of my colleagues are working on final papers, i have already completed mine (though i do still have to present it on monday) and begun a new semester. that's right -- you're still writing your fall final papers and i'm already in my winter course. part of the reason for this overlap is that gse's semesters extend a couple weeks past those in the school of arts and sciences. since i'm doing a certificate at the fels institute of government (which is in the school of arts and sciences), some of my classes run on a slightly different schedule than my gse ones. my winter fels course(grant writing) is one of those cases.

to be honest, i planned to be exceptionally stressed out about this winter course, especially because i will be studying for my doctoral comps in tandem with this course. the course is comprised of 36 hours over 3 weeks with class sessions ranging from 3 hours (the bulk of sessions) to 8 hours (a couple of sessions run 4, 6, and 8 hours). today is the first day, an 8-hour session, and it has been quite fun and very educational.

the professor has a lot of real-life expertise in writing grant proposals to large foundations. one of the best parts of taking classes at fels is that every professor is a leader in the nonprofit world who brings a lot of real-life experience to their classrooms. our professor has also explained that she has designed this class for working professionals, so there's very little reading, but lots of real, applicable research and writing. i'm excited -- can you tell? even from the first class, i can tell that she's very interested in helping us to get our feet wet. yay.

comps group: take 1

though i'm just a few weeks past handing in my master's portfolio, i've officially begun preparing for comps. two weeks ago, i met with my advisor and she approved my comps questions. then last night, i met with a couple of cohort-mates who will be taking comps with me and we drew up a plan of action to sort the readings from the various classes we've taken over the past 3+ years and to study them with interest and depth.

our meeting was filled with (for me, anyway) a really wonderful blend of nostalgic and new energy. on the one hand, these are women with whom i began my doctoral journey and whose writings and thoughts have inspired me over the years. however, since most of my cohort-mates are part-time students, we have barely had opportunities to see or study with each other since our first year and so our paths have seemed to veer in different directions. being back together to take our comps is refreshing and energizing.

i am excited to learn from these inspiring women, to read and write alongside them again, and to remember dr. sipe's words: that we all have a legacy together. i'm sure i'll write more posts about comps over the next ten weeks, but as you can see, it has already become that perfect rwl doctoral studies blend of stress and excitement. one thing i've enjoyed about my cohort is that we all seem to tear through everything we're reading, picking it apart with passion and curiosity and making deep connections to our lives and work. even this initial meeting seemed to stir up this same blend among our now tiny group: we are all so excited to re-read and remember, but we're terrified about the time limitations.

last night, sitting together around a table and taking notes, we commented that it felt like it had been ages since we'd done this. and at the same time, we couldn't believe that we'd made it this far.

reading all the time

these past few weeks, i've had an overwhelming amount of reading to do for class but i've somehow managed to get it all done. in the past, i've said that i think students should take at least one day off from school work and i do generally follow this rule myself. however, there are some other steps i've discovered that i think can help us read more and read better, too:

moving breaks to the middle of the week
typically, when classes are done for a week, i breathe a sigh of relief and take the following day off. for example, i have class on monday and tuesday and so wednesday ends up being my "day off" from reading. however, wednesday sometimes filters into thursday and then i'm all of a sudden feeling very behind and completely clueless as to what i need to do. the best study trick i've found is to not use classes as the determinant for when the week starts and ends. rather, use some day further along in the week.

for me, this day is thursday. so, on tuesdays, when my week of classes is done, i try to grab my readings and bring them home. on wednesday, i spend some time getting a grasp on what i have to do for the following week and then i get started doing it. in this way, i'm always on board with the work i have to do and once i have a sense of how much there is, it's easier for me to plan for the rest of the week. that way, by thursday, i can take my "day off" from reading but still have the work on my radar.

reading for pleasure
you might be thinking, "i barely have time to read my school work; how the hell can i fit pleasure reading into this?" it turns out that pleasure reading is actually one important key to being a good student. first, pleasure reading helps you to maintain and at times (for example, my fall reading of the count of monte cristo) gain reading momentum. in other words, it's a great way to make reading a habit without being constantly bogged down with homework. second, pleasure reading is good for you mental health, so doing it actually strengthens your brain and makes you further prepared for the difficult school work you have to do. i have to say that ever since i made reading for pleasure a daily habit, i've actually upped my homework reading as well.