It was such a relief to finish our Comps. after an intense amount of time spent sorting through materials, reading, reflecting, and writing! My brain was fried pretty well after the Comps, but it was also great to get a sense of how much I have learned and absorbed during the process. We won't find out the result of our Comps. until later, but I have definitely seen great improvement in my own critical thinking ability and my academic writing skills through this program so far. It was one of the main reasons why I decided to pursue a master's degree after several years of working because I wanted to gain more theoretical knowledge and some in-depth understanding of why practitioners do what they do on a daily basis in today's world. I have indeed felt more equipped through this program, and on top of it, the graduate assistantship has been helping me to continue to develop professionally and expand the valuable network. Sometimes, it is very fun to learn about the concepts and rationales of certain policies and practices in class (such as the Enrollment Management course I'm taking this semester), and immediately be able to observe or even carry out the practices at my assistantship right afterwards.
We had one week of classes after Comps. and before our Spring Break, which was also when I finally started my last course of the semester / program - Globalization and the Universities! As you may remember, I have been very excited about this class for a long, long time, and our professor is awesome! Dr. Ruby is so knowledgeable and experienced, and definitely has his own humorous and serious way of teaching this class and keeping us engaged from 9a.m. to 1p.m. on Fridays! Like most classes we have, there are tons of readings for this class. It is humanly impossible for anyone to start reading the day before classes and hope to have completed all of them, which I had learned last semester, so I did mine a couple days prior to the last class with my still-fried brain and exhausted body! :) Thankfully, that was the last course before our Spring Break!
That being said, even though I was hoping to do some studying, applying for jobs, and just getting things done ahead of time for after the break, it did not happen over the break. I was completely relaxing - sleeping, watching TV / movies, window-shopping, AND of course, finally spending some quality time with my husband, our extended family and friends! I felt refreshed and re-energized after the break, but also kind of felt guilty for not sticking to my plans.
Besides of feeling the "rush" from "loosing" one hour due to Daylight Saving, time has just been zooming by after the break! Some of my cohort members who started to apply for jobs early are getting into the phase of interviews, so I am definitely feeling the pressure. More and more project/paper deadlines are approaching, which also add to the pressure. Things are getting busier and busier at my assistantship during this time of the year, so the increased excitement and joy of more connecting with prospective and accepted students and more opportunities to learn on the job are also reminding me that time is fleeting here. I have been frequently asked about experiences as a current student, AND plans for the future upon graduation, so it is getting very real to me that I am graduating SOON! Guess what?! We have also received emails about RSVPing for participating in the GSE commencement ceremony, and tomorrow is the deadline for us to get our graduation regalia!
Phew! At this very specific moment, I am both looking forward to graduating and not wanting to graduate at the same time. There is definitely a feeling of approaching to a milestone right now, but everything is also rolling just like usual for many other people that are around me. I am learning to take more deep breath, and cherishing each day and each person around me in spite of the fast pace here.
Until next time, hope you are all well! :)
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