Hey. It’s been a minute since my last post. A lot has happened in the past 5 months and I want to update you on how my first semester went.

Welp. I survived the first semester of my PhD program.

If you’re also a grad student (or honestly anyone who made it through the past 5 months), give yourself a pat on the back. It hasn’t been easy out here.

My first semester flew by. So much of my time was spent simply adjusting to being a full time grad student in a pandemic. I often felt as though I had little capacity to do much else. As I reflect a little bit more, however, I realize that I was still able to do a lot of meaningful growth and learning. In the spirit of organization, I decided to break down my semester reflection into categories. Feel free to skip around or read straight through.

Classes

Per my school’s requirements, I took 5.5 classes this semester. Most of them were methods classes, but I did have one that directly related to my concentration. Overall, I enjoyed my courses. I learned something new in each one, and they helped me better narrow my own research interests. I definitely think that I could’ve done a little bit better in all of them, but I’m trying to give myself grace and remind myself that my pandemic work is not going to be my best work.

Going along with this sentiment, I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t do all of my readings. There were some weeks where I felt very motivated and read everything and there were some weeks where simply getting through a few articles proved challenging. I’m hopeful that I can move into my second semester with a little bit more of a strategy for finishing my work in a timely manner. I successfully started a paper 2 weeks before the deadline and found that the general writing process was a lot easier to do in chunks, even if it felt strange for me (typically I procrastinate and write everything pretty last minute).

Next semester, I get to choose 2 of my classes (woohoo!). I’m still deciding what I want my electives to be, but that’s part of my Winter Break To Do List. I also think I might have to overload again, but we’ll see how everything works out. I’ll update you as soon as I know.

Work

As many of you probably already know, I have a part-time job as a server at a restaurant. I continued to work there 2 days a week this semester. While there were certainly times I questioned whether or not I was making the right decision, I’m ultimately glad I did. Not only did I need the extra money, but it helped me remain connected to an important community I’ve been a part of for 3+ years. Additionally, I now have my dental and vision insurance through my job there, so I don’t think I’ll be leaving any time soon.

This semester I also got another part-time job working as a Project Coordinator. I’m really excited about this because it’s in the criminal justice (CJ) field and allows me to gain a better understanding of how a department within the broader CJ system functions. Another reason I’m happy about this job is that it allows me to keep my foot in the industry side of the world. One of my biggest concerns when entering this PhD program was that I would not be able to find a job because of the perceived gap on my résumé. Provided nothing goes horribly wrong, I should be able to have this job for the next 2 years. I’m confident that having this experience on my résumé will prove helpful in the long run.

This job also inspired me to start a basic Project Management certificate course on Coursera. I decided to do a little bit of additional learning to demonstrate that I possess these skills. At the time of this blog post, I’m more than half way through and really enjoying it!

Research

This has been a more recent development, but I’m really excited to report that I’ve been assigned my first research project at the institute affiliated with my concentration. I’m so fortunate that the faculty at my program are intent on helping connect us with research projects that generally match our research interests. I’ve started work on a project related to for-profit colleges, a topic that I’m really passionate about researching, especially given my previous work in college access. Though we are still in the beginning phases, it’s been amazing to see how research projects come together. I already have some assignments to work on over break, so I can’t wait to get into it more.

I also feel as though my research responsibilities are at a manageable level. Right now the expectation is 5 hours a week, with the option to do as much as 10 if needed. It might not sound like a lot, but since I will continue this work into the Spring Semester, it’s important that it remains a smaller commitment in light of my other responsibilities.

In the Works

Something that is currently in the works is my involvement with the Brandeis Justice Initiative (BJI). Per their website, BJI’s mission is to “facilitate engagement, learning, and reflection about liberal education for people impacted by, or vulnerable to, incarceration.” I originally wanted to get involved with them in TF/TA (Teaching Fellow/Teaching Assistant) capacities. Due to COVID-19, however, it looks as though this may need to be delayed until next Fall, or maybe even next Spring. However, they have other positions they are interested in having me help out with, particularly as it relates to partnership and program building. We are still working out funding, but I’m hopeful that we will find a solution soon.

Over the break, I will also be applying to Summer fellowships. I’ve concluded that I really only have the energy to submit one, maybe two applications this time around. I’m honestly not too worried because there’s still plenty of time for me to apply in the future. Additionally, I know that I can always find a productive way to spend my Summer. Work, research, and other opportunities will always be there.

Finally, a really important way that I will be spending the next month is resting. Part of this is includes doing things that help revive my spirit. It has been a really tough year in more ways than one. And I know that this healing needs to happen if I am to make it through next semester.

Thanks for reading to the end! I hope you enjoyed hearing a little bit more about what I’m up to and my reflections on this past semester. I wish you have a happy and healing holiday season with your loved ones (near and/or far). See you in the new year!

If you have feedback on anything I said, or the way I said it, please let me know. I am still learning and growing. I know that even if I had no intention of being hurtful or harmful in my writing, the impact might be different.