Preparing for the fall semester

[Catlovers141]

I'm starting my MSW program this fall and I'm feeling really anxious about it, and sometimes when I feel anxious I tend to want to prepare (or over-prepare :/ ).  I'm not sure how to feel more prepared.  I wanted to look over the books that I was going to be assigned before classes start, but the lists have not yet been posted.  I've thought about managing time and even bought a schedule book and already wrote down important things that I already know about, like exam dates and breaks.  But I still feel like as soon as classes start I am not going to do well.  Anyone have any suggestions or can commiserate?

[Threeboysmom]

Following

[Lifesaver]

I can't really say that I'm nervous, but I am anxious to get going and meet my classmates and professors.

 

My advice to you (this is my second masters) is to keep up with your work. I know that keeping up with schoolwork is especially hard with online classes; at least it was for me, and I only took three during undergrad/grad 1. Don't leave your assignments for the last minute. They're probably going to be longer than you're accustom to and professors demand a little more substance to your submissions. I skated by in undergrad. I barely studied, didn't proofread anything, etc. In graduate school I changed all of those habits and became a much better student and it definitely paid off. If possible, I suggest doing the bulk of your work in a library. There are a lot of distractions at home and you may not accomplish your best work there. I did most of my work in my school's library and studied primarily in Starbucks in groups.

 

Don't worry about not having a book list. You likely wouldn't be able to do much with it without a syllabus. I can't speak for all professors, but in my experience, only portions of textbooks are assigned and they aren't always assigned in order. I know I would be a little miffed if I read all of the wrong chapters trying to prep, lol.

 

I'm sure you'll be fine. Don't stress out.

[Threeboysmom]

Great advice ^^^

[pdwilks]

Ditto, Lifesavers information. Relax, because come Sept we are going to be rocking the books and internships like mad people. Your notebook or schedule book will become a lifesaver then. 

 

I've had a short summer class for Human Bio which took up some of my summer, I'm more than ready to get going. This is the first summer in three years I've more or less not been in school full time. My garage is getting cleaner though so there is an upside to this.. haha.  With my internship starting one month before school starts due to 5 weeks of orientation it will help with keeping me occupied. I'm excited to get started, meet everyone and see some friends from undergrad who are in the same program. 

 

Pam

[mildmannered]

I'm starting my MSW program this fall and I'm feeling really anxious about it, and sometimes when I feel anxious I tend to want to prepare (or over-prepare :/ ).  I'm not sure how to feel more prepared.  I wanted to look over the books that I was going to be assigned before classes start, but the lists have not yet been posted.  I've thought about managing time and even bought a schedule book and already wrote down important things that I already know about, like exam dates and breaks.  But I still feel like as soon as classes start I am not going to do well.  Anyone have any suggestions or can commiserate?

So I had the "luxury" of starting my studies off in the summer since I am an advanced standing student. Since it was only one class at a time I feel that I was able to get a small taste of what grad school was like and I really appreciated that. I have the same feelings of wanting to be anxious and prepare to make sure that I stay on top of everything. One of my best investments was the IStudiez app (silly name great app). It really helps me stay on top of everything school related.

 

I think the nerves will leave once you start up. The biggest change from undergrad to grad school is the level in which instructors want you to be familiar with the text in relation to their teaching style. One professor I took taught from an anti-racism anti-oppression lens. So even if I completed all of the readings ahead of time, I would have missed out on themes that she wanted the class to  key in on.

 

So my best advice is to just take a step back, breathe, take some pride in the fact that you got into your program and believe that you wouldn't have been accepted if you couldn't handle the work. You've got this!

[Threeboysmom]

So I had the "luxury" of starting my studies off in the summer since I am an advanced standing student. Since it was only one class at a time I feel that I was able to get a small taste of what grad school was like and I really appreciated that. I have the same feelings of wanting to be anxious and prepare to make sure that I stay on top of everything. One of my best investments was the IStudiez app (silly name great app). It really helps me stay on top of everything school related.

 

I think the nerves will leave once you start up. The biggest change from undergrad to grad school is the level in which instructors want you to be familiar with the text in relation to their teaching style. One professor I took taught from an anti-racism anti-oppression lens. So even if I completed all of the readings ahead of time, I would have missed out on themes that she wanted the class to  key in on.

 

So my best advice is to just take a step back, breathe, take some pride in the fact that you got into your program and believe that you wouldn't have been accepted if you couldn't handle the work. You've got this!

Thanks for the encouragement.

[Catlovers141]

Thank you all for your responses.  They are all very helpful and encouraging!

 

I didn't really think about looking more at the APA guide, and I have never heard of Zotero so I will definitely check that out.

 

What some of you have said is right; a lot of this will have to be done once the classes actually start, and the anxiety might dissipate when classes start too.  I was talking about this with a friend, and we kind of agree that the anxiety will be better when I start.

 

I know a lot of this anxiety is excessive -- undergrad was not a breeze for me but I did not especially struggle either.  I am especially worried because my program is full time and I will also be working full time, but my classes are online so I can do classes when they fit in my schedule (and I am motivated and good at time management so I feel confident that I will keep up with my classes even though they don't take place at a designated time).

 

One suggestion I wanted to bring up, since others also seem to be experiencing anxiety, is about cooking and healthy eating.  I live alone and was worried about having time to cook, and worried that if I didn't have time I would eat unhealthy things like ramen or buy unhealthy microwave meals.  I can't believe I didn't think of this (maybe because I haven't been living on my own for very long), but the week before classes start, I'm planning to take a day off from work and spend it cooking a lot of different meals and filling my freezer with a bunch of healthy meals that I can take out as needed during the semester.  Last night I went through a few cookbooks and found a lot of meals that could be easily frozen and heated up again later.

[Lifesaver]

Ooooh, I didn't even think to suggest familiarizing yourself with APA. That's some rockin' advice. We used MLA in undergrad and APA in grad1, and it ws not the easiest of transitions. My professors were extremely knowledgable about APA and could pick out the tiniest error from a mile away. Many also ran our papers through APA computer programs designed to pick out errors. And let me tell you, nothing got past those. My friend and I contemplated going halves on the program to have for ourselves, but we never got around to it. Anyway, definitely get to know it if you aren't familiar with it yet.

 

Cooking will likely fall by the wayside from time to time. I worked full time through my first masters and went to school full time, in class. I ended up taking the three hardest classes in my program all at once during the same semester, and that nearly broke me. I ended up having to drop to part time at work temporarily just so I could get through the semester. I was getting very little sleep and definitely not eating very healthy. I definitely didn't have a spare minute to even think of going to the gym. I lived off of Lean Cuisines and mac n cheese. I've done a lot of crockpot cooking over the years, which I definitely suggest. You throw whatever you want in there in the morning and by the time you're home for dinner it's all ready to go. They even make crockpot liners now, so you don't have to sit there and scrub the thing afterwards for 20 minutes. You can use Pinterest for good crockpot recipes.

[pdwilks]

Interesting about the APA program. What is it, I would like to check it out?

 

As far as knowing APA, I agree it helps, but I will say for my summer class I was having some frustrations dealing with APA writing style. I asked the professor what her opinion was and she said that each professor in individual in how they interpret APA or wants students to write like. Read the manual and then ask each professor what they are looking for is going to be your best bet.

 

There are cookbooks for cooking once and eating for one month. In this case team up with some other students who are in the same boat and do group cooking. I know my son is going to make some breakfast burritos and put them in the frig or freezer and eat as he wants.  Chili Casserole- Chili, corn tortilla, and cheese (lots) put together, heat and eat. Can make your own tv dinners by using some frozen veggies, bbq chicken.

Find someone who has a BBQ (traeger) works well and grill up a dozen chicken breasts, slice them up, put into separate bags and freeze, can eat as sandwiches, on salads or in dishes.  Buy a big amount of ground beef and cook it all up adding only pepper and onions as this is works well with most recipes, drain fat and bag into baggies and freeze. Use for pasta sauce, homemade chili, etc.   Make some homemade chicken soup for those cold days or days when you aren't feeling so hot. 

 

A small panini grill or George foreman grill cooks up chick breast in a jiffy. A crockpot is a godsend.

Pinterest is amazing for recipes of all kinds.

 

There is one draw back to all this cooking - you might have more visitors for dinner...

[pdwilks]

This came across my Facebook today and it seems like it might work good for you or at least provide some ideas to make the week easier.

 

Prepping on a Sunday for the week, storing ingredients in a baggie in the frig or freezer.  Adapt if you are not Gluten free.

20 Gluten Free Slow Cooker Freezer Packs from Costco for $150 {Watch Me Assemble Them in Less Than 2 Hours!}

Read more: http://www.5dollardinners.com/gluten-free-slow-cooker-freezer-packs-costco-meal-plan/#ixzz3ATbhL4AU

http://www.5dollardinners.com/gluten-free-slow-cooker-freezer-packs-costco-meal-plan/