Full steam ahead: An end-quarter review of my first in-person year of grad school
Published:
I’m sure some of you will understand what I mean when I talk about the emotion of cleaning out the final item on your to-do list of the quarter. It’s a mixture of joy, satisfaction, relief, excitement and so many others that I cannot name.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a mid-quarter review highlighting the beginnings of my in-person experience of grad school, after spending my first year completely in the confines of my then-apartment. I wanted to take this present opportunity to finish that story, now that the busy second half of the quarter has passed.
Over the course of this quarter, I have met and had an in-person conversation with a new person for at least 50 days, after which I stopped counting. These conversations were rich and stimulating, even if they were first meetings and on subjects that only one of us had any knowledge on. Especially rewarding have been conversations where other people spoke to me about their interests or ongoing work, with excitement and passion in their eyes and mannerisms. I didn’t retain most of this information, but in those moments, I remember feeling incredibly alive.
The highlight of my quarter invariably has to be my prelim presentation, my first milestone of the PhD process. The presentation was an opportunity to learn about the work of other students in my cohort, as well as presenting my own. I met a lot of researchers within our department for the first time through this presentation, and received valuable feedback that I’m sure will help me become a better researcher.
Another important aspect of this quarter was teaching my first in-person class, an introduction to Human-Centered Design. It was a tricky experience to manage a hybrid course, with our students being split about 50/50 in-class and online. However, they found ways to succeed and do good work while managing the circumstances of the transition to in-person learning, and I’m incredibly proud of their work!
Overall, I can say in no uncertain terms that this quarter will be remembered as a success. I look forward to going full steam ahead for next quarter, and a relaxing break!
Jk, here’s my todo list for break. Wish me luck!
