iSchool Journey Blog
http://ischooljourney.blogspot.com
Visit my blog to read more stories from my directed fieldwork and graduate school adventures at the iSchool!
The true story of a full time graduate student at the iSchool
Flexibility- If you want to be a student at the UW Information School; then you must be flexible! This is a challenge for the iSchool. Course websites, registration, and online courses all require flexibility. Students do not have the option to change these systems. For me personally, I simply learned to be flexible and roll with the punches!
Change- Some things change and other things stay the same. The Information School taught me this lesson over and over again. One email, then another email and followed by another email explaining changes in the course schedule, registration, and portfolio requirements. This never ending cycle of change may one day lead to a better iSchool. I personally, didn't mind all the change, because I learned the previous lesson of flexibility early in my iSchool career. I didn't let the changes and challenges stop me from studying what I wanted and reaching my goal to become a librarian.
Patience- Working with others in the iSchool taught me patience! I waited three months to get into a required course this last quarter. In the end I got a spot. I was also patient in waiting to enroll in Nancy Pearl's class. I think patience is one of the best rewards of being a graduate student. I learned to be patient with all kinds of people and services: administration, the financial aid office, professors, students, and city buses. It is not easy being patient, but patience is an important value of life.
Endurance represents a lesson I learned with creating this portfolio. I worked for weeks to create it and to tell my story. When it was completed, I submitted it to my adviser and she praised my work. My adviser has watched me grow and always encouraged me to never give up. A few weeks after turning in my portfolio, I was informed that a professor (second reader) had requested major revisions to the portfolio before it could be accepted. This evaluation was hurtful. I was shocked and disappointed. I cried for three days. I did not understand why my work was insufficient. After meeting with the professor, I was determined to revise and make my voice even stronger. I realized that revision was the ultimate test if I was to graduate. This painful experience taught me to stand up and try again. I hope that this revised version of my portfolio adequately tells the true story of a full time graduate student at the iSchool.
Change- Some things change and other things stay the same. The Information School taught me this lesson over and over again. One email, then another email and followed by another email explaining changes in the course schedule, registration, and portfolio requirements. This never ending cycle of change may one day lead to a better iSchool. I personally, didn't mind all the change, because I learned the previous lesson of flexibility early in my iSchool career. I didn't let the changes and challenges stop me from studying what I wanted and reaching my goal to become a librarian.
Patience- Working with others in the iSchool taught me patience! I waited three months to get into a required course this last quarter. In the end I got a spot. I was also patient in waiting to enroll in Nancy Pearl's class. I think patience is one of the best rewards of being a graduate student. I learned to be patient with all kinds of people and services: administration, the financial aid office, professors, students, and city buses. It is not easy being patient, but patience is an important value of life.
Endurance represents a lesson I learned with creating this portfolio. I worked for weeks to create it and to tell my story. When it was completed, I submitted it to my adviser and she praised my work. My adviser has watched me grow and always encouraged me to never give up. A few weeks after turning in my portfolio, I was informed that a professor (second reader) had requested major revisions to the portfolio before it could be accepted. This evaluation was hurtful. I was shocked and disappointed. I cried for three days. I did not understand why my work was insufficient. After meeting with the professor, I was determined to revise and make my voice even stronger. I realized that revision was the ultimate test if I was to graduate. This painful experience taught me to stand up and try again. I hope that this revised version of my portfolio adequately tells the true story of a full time graduate student at the iSchool.