| | Just one more week to get through this hellish term, and this overall year. Last week was perhaps the hardest week of the term since both of my term papers for seminar were due. I turned one in during the last class as we communally presented each of our 2-page, singled-space research proposal. I thought it was a solid one, however in class then again separately in his office hours, he was lukewarm at best about it. I didn't secure that signature for a qualifying paper. Santa encouraged me to read (surprise!) over the summer.
On Wednesday, we had our last official seminar for our last core class. It was optional where a few people presented and everyone awaited comments from Prof. Nukes. Only about one-third of the cohort showed up. The presentations were going, Prof. Nukes was interrupting and offering suggestions. It hit four o'clock at after hearing everyone else's presentation, I decided that I was in no shape to present. I didn't even have a powerpoint. Nukes wanted theory, I had primarily empirics. The end of seminar (by extension, the end of the core classes) was very anti-climatic: people leaving their separate ways, a majority of the students absent. This was totally opposite of the first seminar with Prof. PoliSci.
Afterwards, I went to an end-of-the-year party with one of the departments across the campus that I have taken a class this past winter term. There, they had an actual presentation of all the graduating seniors (with little speeches) as well as those grad students who accomplished the emphasis (with little speeches). The food was great, free, and plentiful. It was a good break from the anxiety felt from the last seminar I attended beforehand. There, they insisted on taking pictures.
The next day, I had TA class and sections with Prof. Smiles. Afterwards, I went home to finish Nuke's paper. I haven't been sleeping lately because of this paper as well as Roland Garros. With the time difference, play would begin around 5am local time. Friday, the Department had its own end-of-the-year Hawaiian-style party. The tables were arranged in two vertical rows. The food was also plentiful. It felt like Thanksgiving dinner, grad students have their own table while the "adults" have their own. It felt like a weird family, people coming together, catching up, saying goodbye. It is a rare thing to get a majority of the department together, it is probably even a rarer thing for it to get along. I would eventually finished that horrid paper, just in time to catch the women's championship match in Paris.
Saturday, I went to the PhD/MA graduation. Surprisingly, it was held indoors. I would assume that they would like to take advantage of the weather, but as the Chancellor said, at least it won't be hot. I didn't understand the order of the procession of the schools -- not alphabetical, not by geographical location on Ring Road. Luckily, my school was first. It was weird, at first, the Chancellor asked all graduates to rise where he then verbally "conferred" their degrees to everyone. Then, the graduates lined up, waiting to get on stage. I recognized one of the graduates, who then the neighbors happily cheered. I didn't realize that that was her family who was in for the ceremony. Then I looked at the kids where one of the daughters was a carbon copy of her mom. For PhDs, you walk up with your advisor, face the audience, slightly bend as they place a "hood" on you (a sash), turn around and give her/him a hug, take a picture, and the walk away. I didn't realize how important it really is to choose an advisor who you get along with. You have to choose an advisor who won' t strangle you with the hood; then you have to be on a comfortable level when you can actually hug them and take a happy, smiling photo with them. There, I remember hearing Profs. Me, Nukes, and Susan Sarandon hooding their own students. However, I don't remember one of them giving a hug, which is kind of awkward. It would be even weirder if you had two advisers "hood" you and they don't get along. I sat back, watching those Ph.D and masters candidates finish while grading papers for my TA. Their journeys ended as mine inched another year closer towards some ending. |
| | Posted 6/8/2009 9:47 AM - 7 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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