Prospective student web chat

Hi everyone,

Nothing too exciting happened this week, just the usual classes and graduate assistantship. We did host a web chat last night for the prospective students and it was really nice to see all the alumni and current students work together to answer prospective students' questions. We got food for our GA team (btw, Greek Lady has GOOD gyros), and built a base in the student lounge. As soon as the web chat began, we started typing super fast and answering students' questions left and right. Monica, our IEDP GA, got the most questions and was typing away the entire night. The session went really well; we had around 29 prospective students sign on to the web chat to ask questions. It is really interesting to think that this time last year I was in the same situation, trying to find out more information about schools and writing my personal statement. 

It's amazing how fast life moves on. You just gotta keep your head up and keep moving forward! Good luck to all those who are applying for grad school this year!

Gala and career center visit

Hi everyone!

The weekend was WONDERFUL. I had a chance to rest and just be a vegetable for a while, watching TV and going grocery shopping. I also had lots of fun at the Gradfest Gala last Friday. The theme was white sensation but they changed it last minute to include black (guess they realized how ridiculous wearing all white is). The venue was a bit small in my opinion but we made it work. It was really nice to relax and hang out with my cohort members for the night.

On Monday I went to the career center for the first time! It is never too early to get started on your job search! I brought my CV over to get looked at and to get some advice on career exploration. My counselor, John Tuton, was a super nice guy who went through everything I needed to know to get started. It was a different experience than my undergraduate career services because John ASKED me to come back and continue to work on job searching with him. I have never seen a counselor willingly invite the student back again for another appointment. That really meant something to me, and I have a feeling John and I will work something out and help me get the career that I want!


**ON THE SIDE NOTE**
Living in an apartment means cooking! I know how to cook a little bit, but I am still learning everyday and trying different things. I figure this is the perfect medium for me to showcase my cooking! Soooooo I will occasionally post a few pictures of my homemade food! It will be a random food journal for people to get some ideas for future apartment cooking!

Weingarten and two papers

This week has been total chaos. As per my TA's suggestion, I made an appointment with the Weingarten learning resource center to learn more about reading strategies. I knew I was going to get overwhelmed with the readings sooner or later so I decided to make a preemptive strike and make an appointment with a learning instructor. I talked with a learning instructor for about 30 minutes shooting back and forth our ideas of "reading" the right way. It was extremely helpful and relieved some of my stress immediately. The learning instructor gave me some invaluable advice to help me sort through my readings. It's is surprising to see how much impact the psychology of affirmation can do to one's mental health.

I had two papers due this week, each for a separate class. While I was writing and editing the papers, I realized that there is definitely a learning curve for ANYONE to pick up where they are and start writing these papers. It doe not matter if you are straight from undergraduate or from the workforce, these academic papers are a whole different monster. I am really glad that the professors are understanding of this fact and offer us the opportunity to redo our first paper after some feedback. This is extremely helpful for us to transition smoothly into the academic writing style again.

I finally turned in my last paper by Thursday morning and I am tired...It feels like a Friday but it is only Thursday morning. I have one more class tonight after work (from 4:30pm - 8:30pm) then I am home free to catch up on my sleep debt. zzzzzzzzz

We have another gradfest event this Friday, the Gala. Hopefully I will have enough energy for it.

Summer Pimm's Party

Hi everyone,

Just want to recap what I did this weekend. Besides ALL the readings and essay editing that I did (and I still have a lot more to do!), I attended the Pimm's Party with a few of my cohort members Saturday evening. Pimm's Party was one of the events hosted by GAPSA (graduate and professional student assembly) for all 12 graduate schools we have here at Penn. The attire required for that evening was formal attire so we all dressed up! The ladies all wore very nice dresses and I wore my full suit.

ON A SIDE NOTE, I haven't wore that full piece suit since college and the waist definitely felt a bit tighter...sad moment...

Back to the event, there were a lot of people at Wynn Commons, an outdoor quad area. We had a great time meeting other students from other graduate programs. I met one of my undergraduate friend who is now attending Penn Law school and a few more people from Wharton Business school. Overall the event was super fun, and it was nice to hang out with my cohort members. It's only been 3 weeks since we first met each other and yet I have this comfort level with everyone already. I am still getting phone numbers form people (because I am very slow at that) so we can hang out more later in the year.  I am also re-meeting (is this even a word?) some of my cohort members from when I first met them at the preview weekend back in March.

 I know that I will be stressed out and tired this year, but knowing that I have wonderful cohort members supporting me, I think I will be just fine.

First weekend of exploration

Hi everyone,

This is a quick turnaround since I forgot to publish my last post! (ooopsies) I want to talk about my adventures this past weekend when my girlfriend and her mom came to visit. We went to several Philadelphia hotspots and I would like to share with you all the experiences! (pics to come later!)


INDEPENDENCE HALL
We embarked on our adventure first to Independence Hall. I also took my parents to this place and I felt it was a very good introduction to the history of Philadelphia. We walked through the visitor's center to collect our tickets into the independence hall and walked around the perimeter. We visited liberty bell (SPOILER ALERT: it's smaller than you think!). and walked all the way to Betsy Ross's house (a bit of a walk, but worth it!). Independence hall always includes a tour and a speaker who explains the significance of the rooms inside. It is amazing to hear and feel the history inside the building where important documents were signed so long ago (Can you guess which document I am referring to?).

CHEESESTEAKS
After our walks and tour of independence hall, we decided to take a bus down to the two famous philly cheesesteak places, Pat's and Geno's. With high expectations, we got to the place hungry and eager to compare both places. The lines were a bit long (though it does move fast). My girlfriend and her mom went to Geno's while I went to the Pat's to get our hoagies. I must say...Pat's truly tries to make it as simple and streamlined as possible. They posted some tips when ordering and definitely helped me order my first philly cheesesteak (mushroom pepper cheeseteak wit provolone). After I got my cheesteak, I proceeded to walked across the street to Geno's only to find my girlfriend and her mom frustrated. Apparently Geno's service was a bit mean and the selection of cheeseteaks were also limited. After tasting both cheesesteaks, I could not declare an immediate winner. I would definitely have to revisit Pat's and Geno's a couple more times to get a true sense of whose cheesesteak reigns supreme. But for now....Pat's gets my vote :D

Whew, this is a long post...bear with me!

FRANKLIN INSTITUTE
On Sunday we went to the Franklin Institute, and let me tell you, it is a WONDERFUL PLACE. For those who want to satisfy their inner geeky child, Franklin institute is the perfect place for you. It has hands on experiments (I made paper!). to interesting exhibits like History of Spies. I loved the place and felt at home with all the kids when exploring the different gadgets and exhibits. I especially liked the sports science exhibit where they tested your jumping, throwing, and reaction times. The planetarium shows were cool too, though I usually fall asleep in those because they turn off the lights! (and the chairs are usually so comfy). Overall I would HIGHLY recommend this place to anyone with a curiosity for hands on science. Now I am determined to visit the other science centers!

LOTS of readings

Hi everyone! It's been a good two weeks since I have moved in to Philly, and the weather is absolutely beautiful. The cohort is super nice and I have met so many friends already. :D

Now time for the reality check. The honeymoon period is over, and the readings and assignments are due next week! Every class requires a lot of reading, and you definitely have to time manage in order to finish all the readings before class and have enough time to write papers and hang out with your cohort. I have made the teensy mistake of putting off readings for a class until the night before only to regret it while I was reading them until 1:30 AM in the morning. The readings are definitely manageable, and most topics are very interesting, but it does take a lot of time to truly digest the information. So take your time and read smart!

Everyone will tell you at the beginning to find a friend (or two) who you can talk to constantly. I definitely believe in that because I know when the classes get really stressful (and I can start to feel it already, slowly), I have someone who knows what I am going through and willing to talk to me.

Another advice I also have during this time (I know, so early in the school year!) is to visit the career center and discuss your plans for the future. As for me, I want to be a practitioner in the Higher Education so I will be looking for a job immediately after graduation. Therefore I need to orient myself with the newest updates regarding job prospects and other opportunities. Going to the career center earl will definitely help you realize your goal early on. If you are like some of my friends who are more interested in academia and research, then you definitely should be looking into talking to professors and joining their research team. Most professors here at Penn are always working on small projects and need research assistants.