Gift

Graduate school was often a place where there was some regression to childhood - and that went beyond occasionally getting into the fetal position under a thick blanket. Rory's cohort had played games, watched TV shows, and dressed up as characters from when they were kids. They had bonded over shared points of cultural reference. 

So when Rory got this as a gift this holiday season, it was perfect. 

Rory had also discovered that graduate school was a time of not really understanding things or knowing what you are doing. Having this toy to play with and not really knowing how it worked was somehow reassuring to Rory.

Enjoy your break, Rory. It will be over soon.

Information

The librarian received a Magic 8 Ball from her Secret Santa at work. The note said, "In case you can't find the answers by doing research in databases, in books, or in other scholarly resources, you can always find the answers with this Magic 8 Ball.

The librarian was not amused. She displayed the Magic 8 Ball as a courtesy. She planned on disposing of it soon. 

Hooray

Rory was happy to have made it through another semester. Now, instead of working on his computer he let his computer do the work. The Netflix work. Good job, computer. Good job, Rory!

Grad School

Rory just finished a 30 page paper, a 20 page exam, and a 15 page reflection. Rory now has an awful hand cramp. And brain cramp. Poor Rory. Graduate school is hard.

Also, Rory is getting a graduate degree. Lucky Rory. 

Current Events

Rory liked to read the paper to keep up with current events. Doing that made Rory feel like an informed citizen. An adult. And reading an actual paper copy of the paper made Rory feel very retro. 

Lying

Rory didn't mind lying because it was grammatically correct.

Rest

Self-care is important. Getting good rest and relaxing are important and helpful in managing stress. Sometimes we don't do that. Or sometimes we wait too long to do that and then we get sick.

Rory was so tired after class and assistantship today. Rory decided to get some good rest and relax because those things are important and helpful in managing stress. The couch looked inviting. Maybe just sitting for a moment would be good. What a nice couch. Rory thought, "My couch is my favorite place in the world."

Then Rory thought, "I'm not very well-traveled."

Don't do that.

"I didn't realize you could tell I was on my cell phone," Parker said.

"I didn't realize you thought I was a moron," professor responded.

It was not Parker's favorite day in class.

Pumpkin

Parker waited all year for pumpkin season to come along. Pumpkin latte, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin air freshener, pumpkin pie, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin toaster pastries -- Parker loved them all.

Above all that, though, Parker loved carving pumpkins. Pumpkin carving was a means of creative expression for Parker. Being able to step away from graduate work for a little while to transform a gourd into a work of art  This year's design? Trumpkin. Parker hoped more people would recognize this image more than last year's Jack-o-Potemkin or the year before when it was Rumpkin Stiltskin.

Education

Blaine used the student development theory book to level out the table. It was the perfect height. Blaine was very impressed with this solution. 

"This is," Blaine thought, "The epitome of putting theory to practical use."

Librarian

A good subject librarian can be a grad student's best friend. You will find that if you ask a librarian for help finding information on a topic, that the librarian will often get more excited about the topic than you are. You will get more resources and ideas and support than you could have imagined.

That is because - librarians are magic.

Presenting

Parker has a big presentation coming up. Parker gets very nervous talking in front of groups. Parker feels a little nauseous before any kind of public speaking - even asking questions in class. Parker's Dad got a microphone for Parker to use when practicing presentations.

Parker thought it was dorky at first, but found that it works.

Parker now likes to narrate things around the apartment for the roommates.

The roommates thought it was funny at first, but have grown tired of comments like, "And in this room, we see the graduate students watching a movie and ignoring the growing pile of dishes in the kitchen and garbage which desperately needs to be taken out."

One time of the roommates asked to borrow the microphone. The plan was to hide it from Parker. Parker refused, however, saying, "It's a MYcrophone, not a YOURcrophone."

(pause)

Parker will probably have different roommate next year.

Assistantship

Rory didn't realize how difficult the internship with student conduct was going to be. Rory was happy to have remembered to wear a sweat band.

Rory also thought the internship supervisor dressed a bit formally and wondered if it affected how approachable judicial staff were to students and campus collaborators.

Rory decided not to ask the internship supervisor about this on the first day of the assistantship.

So tired...

Rory's cohort members weren't much help when Rory dozed off in class and the professor took a photo and Tweeted it out into the world.

"Thanks future colleagues!" Rory said. Or would have said if it weren't for that sleep thing.

Shhh.

Sometimes Rory talks too much in class. Rory doesn't leave space for other people to share their thoughts, ideas, and questions. Rory needs to speak less and listen more. 

Also, Rory needs to quit bringing a megaphone to class. 

Impostor

Rory hates it when they are the only one who doesn't know the answer to the question in class. Rory thinks, "Maybe grad school isn't for me. Maybe everyone else is smarter than I am. They are going to figure out I don't know what I'm doing. What am I going to do if they ask me to leave the program? What will my parents say? I can't move back there because my room is now a craft nook and the basement is where my grandma stores her pickled beets. I don't think I belong here."

Rory, don't worry. What you're feeling is typical. However, just because it's a commonly shared experience doesn't mean it feels good. What you're feeling is called "Impostor Syndrome." It's real. Everyone else experiences it sometimes, too.

Keep working at it, Rory. You're probably doing better than you think. And don't be afraid to ask for help.

Also, exactly how many beets does your grandma pickle?!

Power

Faculty members are magic and can make wishes come true. They can share new wisdom and insights with you. They can encourage you to share your own wisdom and insights. They can open doors and sometimes push your through them into new, uncomfortable learning spaces. They can give good grades to you when you write the paper at the last minute. 

But maybe the most important power of all is that faculty members can cancel class. 

(pause)

But I don't think that's really the most important power of all. Actually, I hope not many faculty members become faculty members for the power. That would be kinda messed up. 

Clearly they become faculty members because of the fashion culture embedded in that profession. I mean because of the students. 

Hey, Look!

Rory was getting ready to write that homework assignment. Gathered up everything that was needed. 

"I'm just going to check Facebook for a second."

Four and a half hours later, it was Rory's bedtime.

Rory needs to learn that homework is more urgent than a cute baby otter riding on a roomba while wearing a tutu with "Born to be Wild" playing in the background. 

Time is a limited resource, Rory.

Also, I don't think you should do that to a baby otter.

Gradlife Balance

This is Parker. Parker volunteers for everything. Parker always offers to be the note-taker in groups. Parker agreed to coordinate all the social, academic, and personal development activities for the cohort this year. Parker is the leader of 19 grad student organizations. 

Parker hasn't thought ahead through the semester - hasn't looked at how these obligations line up with their assistantship or coursework. 

That may have been a mistake, Parker.

A few things you can learn from this:

1. I don't know if work/life balance exists. I particularly don't know if work/gradlife balance exists. That said, it's better to choose a few things at which you can excel than to try and do everything.
2. Self care is important.
3. The art of saying no is one of the most important things any of us can learn.

Would you mind writing down that advice and developing a web site to share it with everyone, Parker? Thanks.

Week One

Rory is so excited for the first day of grad school. Got the books. Got the computer ready. Day one outfit all ready to go. It's going to be a great year.

Then Rory thought about the best way to make a great first impression. "Maybe," Rory thought, "I should wear sunglasses on the first day of class."

"And maybe," Rory thought some more, "I should sit on the desk when the professor comes in. That way the professor will know I'm relaxed and cool and ready to learn."

(Pause)

No, Rory. Don't do that. 

Trust me.