This year is a little easier to me, thanks to the great Chinatown here in Philly! I was able to eat almost anything that I wanted to, and everything tasted just like home! I guess good food does have some magical power of comfort.
As I have stepped into the Year of Snake, changes (big events) are anticipated to take place one after another. Next weekend is when we will have our Higher Ed. Comprehensive Exam. Surprisingly, I am not stressed out about it (yet). We will have a prep. session next Wednesday, and I should have more clues about the exam then.
Quite a number of my cohort members have started their job search, but I am still in the process of improving my cover letters. Part of me starts to feel a bit stressed with the thought of the job search process, but the other part of me seems to intentionally delay the process because I just cannot believe that we will all be graduating in less than three months!
One of the questions I typically get from prospective / accepted students is whether I like the one-year format of the program or not. Initially, I would find it super easy to say, "Well, I absolutely love the one-year time frame! I come in to learn, explore, further my skills and extend my network, and then I get back out into the professional field to apply and enjoy my professional life again, all within one year." However, I might just have forgotten the fact that there is another crucial step in between the graduate program and the professional job - the job search process, which can take up a significant amount of the already limited time we have during this rigorous program. That said, if I were to choose again, I would probably still choose to finish the program in roughly one year, by taking one or two courses in the summer prior to the Fall semester to leave some extra time for job search and continued enjoyment of Penn's wonderful resources.
As much as I look forward to graduating and finding a job in the very near future, I am feeling very sad with the thought of not being able to take classes with my wonderful cohort or working with my supervisor and other staff in the office then. However, on the flip side, this early sadness has indeed motivated me even more to cherish every opportunity with them. To me, it's been very sweet waking up (most of the days), knowing that I am about to do something that I enjoy doing, especially with the people that I truly appreciate.
Have a great week, everyone! Happy Year of the Snake!
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