Well, it’s been a minute since I did a personal PhD update. I’ve been having so much fun with the Alice in Wonderland theme.
Since we go back at the end of August for the fall semester, I felt this would be a good time for a personal PhD program update. Of interest only to me and my family but I don’t care.
I have spent 2 years working as a research assistant. I’ve learned so much about conducting research, synthesizing the research that I found for the professor, finding different articles for the professor, writing reports, creating and editing tables in Word, proofreading, and creating surveys Qualtrics. I’ve even done data cleaning for statistical analysis.
I have been hemming and hawing and turning over in my mind NOT continuing for RA in my last year. Yes, there would be an extra sticker on my diploma for being an RA all three years but the commute was draining me. You might remember, that Mondays are RA days during the semester. This is 15 weeks of being on call Sunday night (hoping beyond hope there is no case), getting up at 0500, leaving at 0600, getting to the university at 0730, starting work at 0800, doing tasks until 1800, and then driving home, to be on call at 2100. Very long day. So long I often took Tuesday off in recuperation. Rinse and repeat the next week.
Well, I have scholarship money that needs to be used. After many conversations with my husband, with my mom (my mentor), my friends (who have been so supportive in this whole endeavor), and with myself, I decided not to work as an RA this last year. Because it is nearly time for the Big Write. I emailed the professor and the department RA handler of my decision last week.
I am at peace with that decision.
In preparation for the Big Write, and to get my head back in the class space, I took a summer session class about professional writing. This was an English class. I struck me as I was taking the class that it is the first English class of any sort that I have taken in my 4 other programs. This is because I have always tested out of any English requirement and I took AP English my senior year in high school. Considering I was the only health studies/nursing student, I really enjoyed the class and I would suggest it to anyone who needs encouragement and writing practice. It was all about creating a writing schedule and STICKING to it. I will definitely be taking what I learned forward into fall.
I hope to finalize plans to take my preliminary exam this month, again in preparation for the Big Write.
And then the fall semester starts in earnest on August 23.
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 