Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Teacher Education Program Information Session!
Read through the website and want to learn more in-person?
Happy Thanksgiving!
Good morning! I am very excited for the upcoming Thanksgiving break, as I'm sure many of you are. A lot of my fellow Higher Ed cohort members are traveling for Thanksgiving, so I'm a bit worried about them considering this inclement weather we seem to be having today/tomorrow. My parents live in New Jersey only an hour away from Philadelphia, but I'm not going home until Thursday morning because I want to stay here and get some work done. Finals begin as soon as we get back to school on December 2nd. Eeeek.
I know this is going to sound cheesy and may even seem like a shameless plug for Penn GSE, but I assure you that it is genuine: in the spirit of being thankful, I wanted to say that I am so thankful for the opportunity to study at Penn GSE this year. Last year I was working in Miami, but teaching wasn't for me and I was so far away from my family and friends, so I was very unhappy. I can't even express how happy I am to be in the northeast this year and able to have this short break from school to catch up with everyone back home =)
I know this is going to sound cheesy and may even seem like a shameless plug for Penn GSE, but I assure you that it is genuine: in the spirit of being thankful, I wanted to say that I am so thankful for the opportunity to study at Penn GSE this year. Last year I was working in Miami, but teaching wasn't for me and I was so far away from my family and friends, so I was very unhappy. I can't even express how happy I am to be in the northeast this year and able to have this short break from school to catch up with everyone back home =)
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Meeting people in a new city
This week I've been doing a lot of thinking about my plans for next year. Since people from my cohort are from all over the country (and the world, for that matter), our "next steps" vary among those who wish to start working, those who are applying to Ph.D. programs, and those who are unsure of what they want to do. Location is also a deciding factor, as some of us want to stay in/around Philly, and others want to move back to where they are from originally, or even explore new areas/countries.
Right now I'm definitely going to work for a few years before thinking about more schooling. I also want to stay in the area since my whole family and most of my friends are in New Jersey, or at least the northeast area. However, that all depends on the job search, and I know that I may need to move and/or adjust my preferences depending on what happens after graduation.
Anyway, I was thinking about the difficulty adjusting to a new city in general, since even if I stay in Philly, most of the people who I've met will no longer be here. And, even though I've been living here since August, the time commitment of school and work have kept me from making many friends outside of the GSE community. I've heard of a few different ways to meet new people that could be helpful. I've never really tried any of them, but I wanted to post their websites and a bit of info about each of the three.
Meetup
Meetup is a collection of networking groups present in most major cities. "Meetups" are social outings that people sign up for and attend to meet new friends with similar interests. It is divided into different interest groups--for example, they have ones for fitness, politics, sports, outdoorsy things, etc.
Grouper
The way I would describe Grouper is online dating for groups of people. They match up 3 girls and 3 guys based on questions that you answer. You meet at a bar or restaurant and Grouper takes care of the reservation and the first round of drinks (each person pays $20 to sign up, so that includes the first drink and a service charge). I could see how Grouper would be a good way to meet friends, maybe something more. But it does seem like it could be awkward, depending on the group yours is matched up with. It's also very easy for plans to fall through, since you're working off of 6 different schedules.
Philly Sport and Social Club
I included this link because I have friends who have joined kickball leagues and other sports teams in various cities. I'm not especially good at team sports, but it would be a fun way to get exercise and meet people. This is something that I would try after reviewing the rules of kickball (bad memories from elementary school).
Right now I'm definitely going to work for a few years before thinking about more schooling. I also want to stay in the area since my whole family and most of my friends are in New Jersey, or at least the northeast area. However, that all depends on the job search, and I know that I may need to move and/or adjust my preferences depending on what happens after graduation.
Anyway, I was thinking about the difficulty adjusting to a new city in general, since even if I stay in Philly, most of the people who I've met will no longer be here. And, even though I've been living here since August, the time commitment of school and work have kept me from making many friends outside of the GSE community. I've heard of a few different ways to meet new people that could be helpful. I've never really tried any of them, but I wanted to post their websites and a bit of info about each of the three.
Meetup
Meetup is a collection of networking groups present in most major cities. "Meetups" are social outings that people sign up for and attend to meet new friends with similar interests. It is divided into different interest groups--for example, they have ones for fitness, politics, sports, outdoorsy things, etc.
Grouper
The way I would describe Grouper is online dating for groups of people. They match up 3 girls and 3 guys based on questions that you answer. You meet at a bar or restaurant and Grouper takes care of the reservation and the first round of drinks (each person pays $20 to sign up, so that includes the first drink and a service charge). I could see how Grouper would be a good way to meet friends, maybe something more. But it does seem like it could be awkward, depending on the group yours is matched up with. It's also very easy for plans to fall through, since you're working off of 6 different schedules.
Philly Sport and Social Club
I included this link because I have friends who have joined kickball leagues and other sports teams in various cities. I'm not especially good at team sports, but it would be a fun way to get exercise and meet people. This is something that I would try after reviewing the rules of kickball (bad memories from elementary school).
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Study Tips for Grad School
Happy belated Hump Day! I'm slowly emerging from the dark caverns of paper-writing. I've had 6 papers due within the last week, one of which was a 20-page research paper worth 35% of our grade. As of now, I have written and submitted 4 of the 6 (including the research paper) so I'm feeling a little better. After this week's struggles, I decided to make this blog post about grad school study tips. I don't consider myself an expert in this area by any means, but I have decent study habits and I worked at the tutoring center at my undergrad so this was something that we taught the students. I will say that grad school study habits are very different from undergrad, the biggest difference being that in grad school, procrastination is a luxury that is to be enjoyed with much caution.
Study Tip #1: Look at your syllabuses (syllabi?) as soon as you receive them and make a calendar of your assignments. Sometimes professors change due dates, but at least you can plan ahead. That way during the weeks where 6 assignments are due, you can start some of them during weeks when your workload is lighter.
Study Tip #2: Don't pull all-nighters! Maybe I'm just a baby, but I cannot function after getting no sleep. In undergrad it may have been possible to do this before a big exam or paper and then sleep all day, but with my GA and other classes, I can't afford to be groggy any day of the week. Regardless of your schedule, all-nighters in grad school are not a good idea. None of us are 18 years old anymore and can get by on 2 hours of sleeping on a library table followed by chugging sugar-free Red Bull (I never could do this, but props to those who can).
Study Tip #3: Plan out your writing and set page goals for each day. Again, this might be a personal thing, but I cannot sit down and write 20 pages in one day. I'd drive myself insane and the pages would all contain terrible writing, with a mini-panic attack occurring between pages 10 and 12. Especially for long papers, it's much less stressful to start earlier and write a few pages each day. Ideally, I like to reserve the night before for proofreading and no additional writing, but that's not always possible.
That's all I've got! I know that all of us have different schedules, lifestyles, and preferences, but these tips really help me. Now I'll get back to work...I have a short paper due tomorrow and then a midterm for my law class due at the end of the weekend.
Study Tip #1: Look at your syllabuses (syllabi?) as soon as you receive them and make a calendar of your assignments. Sometimes professors change due dates, but at least you can plan ahead. That way during the weeks where 6 assignments are due, you can start some of them during weeks when your workload is lighter.
Study Tip #2: Don't pull all-nighters! Maybe I'm just a baby, but I cannot function after getting no sleep. In undergrad it may have been possible to do this before a big exam or paper and then sleep all day, but with my GA and other classes, I can't afford to be groggy any day of the week. Regardless of your schedule, all-nighters in grad school are not a good idea. None of us are 18 years old anymore and can get by on 2 hours of sleeping on a library table followed by chugging sugar-free Red Bull (I never could do this, but props to those who can).
Study Tip #3: Plan out your writing and set page goals for each day. Again, this might be a personal thing, but I cannot sit down and write 20 pages in one day. I'd drive myself insane and the pages would all contain terrible writing, with a mini-panic attack occurring between pages 10 and 12. Especially for long papers, it's much less stressful to start earlier and write a few pages each day. Ideally, I like to reserve the night before for proofreading and no additional writing, but that's not always possible.
That's all I've got! I know that all of us have different schedules, lifestyles, and preferences, but these tips really help me. Now I'll get back to work...I have a short paper due tomorrow and then a midterm for my law class due at the end of the weekend.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Reminder for Ph.D. applicants!
REMINDER!
The deadline to apply for all Ph.D. programs for Fall 2014 enrollment is SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2013!
This means ALL materials must be received by the admissions office by that date.
All applications received by that date are guaranteed a faculty review of all materials.
If you have not yet taken the GRE, you must do so no later than NOVEMBER 22, 2013 or your test scores will not make it to us in time.
We always recommend that you submit your application and materials earlier rather than waiting until the absolute last day!
Any questions? Please email admissions@gse.upenn.edu
Monday, November 4, 2013
Haunted Houses, Cohort Bonding, and Paper-Writing
Happy Monday, everyone. While celebrating it being the middle of the semester, I realized that I have six papers due within the next 9-10 days. Yay! Needless to say, I won't be doing anything too exciting over the next week and a half, so I decided to post some pictures from this past weekend.
Friday night I went to a haunted house in Plymouth Meeting, which is a small town about 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia. I was pretty nervous since I get scared easily, and the haunted house was in the middle of nowhere and ended up being very well-done in terms of scariness. The scariest part was that all of the actors were at least 70 years old. One had emphysema and talked through a stoma in his neck, so that was even creepier. Here is the link to their website! I recommend going next Halloween: LuLu's House of Horrors
On Saturday night one of my friends from the Higher Ed cohort had a "Daylight Savings Party" at her apartment. It was a lot of fun to catch up with people from my cohort, especially those who I don't see too often. We took a cute "family photo" that I posted below:
After the party, I went back to my apartment to spend some quality time with my books, catching up on readings for class! Below is a picture of my sweet iPad pillow case. It's from the As Seen on TV store, and it's awesome. Makes studying a little bit more exciting.
Finally, I did work all day on Sunday (and Saturday afternoon too...and Friday night when I got home from the haunted house). But I also made dinner! Weird but delicious combination: roasted butternut squash and buffalo chicken pizza.
That's it for now! Have a great week =)
Friday night I went to a haunted house in Plymouth Meeting, which is a small town about 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia. I was pretty nervous since I get scared easily, and the haunted house was in the middle of nowhere and ended up being very well-done in terms of scariness. The scariest part was that all of the actors were at least 70 years old. One had emphysema and talked through a stoma in his neck, so that was even creepier. Here is the link to their website! I recommend going next Halloween: LuLu's House of Horrors
On Saturday night one of my friends from the Higher Ed cohort had a "Daylight Savings Party" at her apartment. It was a lot of fun to catch up with people from my cohort, especially those who I don't see too often. We took a cute "family photo" that I posted below:
After the party, I went back to my apartment to spend some quality time with my books, catching up on readings for class! Below is a picture of my sweet iPad pillow case. It's from the As Seen on TV store, and it's awesome. Makes studying a little bit more exciting.
Finally, I did work all day on Sunday (and Saturday afternoon too...and Friday night when I got home from the haunted house). But I also made dinner! Weird but delicious combination: roasted butternut squash and buffalo chicken pizza.
That's it for now! Have a great week =)
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