Waiting out the summer

[circlewave]

Now that the stress of applications, decisions, visits and enrolling is behind us, we've got a little chunk of time until Fall semester starts. I've gotten a few emails from the department about registering for courses and health insurance, but is there something else I should be doing to prepare? Talking to professors or preparatory work and that stuff? Or just sit tight and try to enjoy the free time?

Edited May 5, 2015 by circlewave

[1Q84]

My main project will be to refresh my language skills so that when I make use of resources in the program to get ready to meet the requirement, I won't be trying to catch up in the midst of a busy semester.

[ProfLorax]

Netflix.

[Dr. Old Bill]

I had hoped to take a summer course, but it looks like my funding won't kick in until 22 days after the course starts. Bummer. I will be gradually moving house from the end of this month to mid-June, however... We've decided to carry two rents for June, which sucks for MANY reasons (okay, mainly financial...), but it will allow us to make a slow transition during a fairly hectic time.

 

Since I'll be starting a full-time GAship on June 22nd, I won't get too heavily invested in anything serious. I thought about maybe trying to learn the rudiments of Italian, but we'll see. I've got a copy of Rosetta Stone, so I might make that a sub-goal for afternoons in July and August.

 

Already registered for my fall classes, and am excited as heck about all three...

[dazedandbemused]

Netflix.

 

Seriously y'all. You have the next 5-7 years to feverishly read and write. Spend the summer doing whatever you've been wanting to do, but couldn't find the time.

[silenus_thescribe]

Seriously y'all. You have the next 5-7 years to feverishly read and write. Spend the summer doing whatever you've been wanting to do, but couldn't find the time.

 

I find myself having mixed emotions on this. What I think I'll spend time doing is reading many of the literary works I imagine will in some part play into my main areas of research, such that I have a good groundwork laid down. I've had some ideas for potential papers that I've been sitting on for some time, and doing any reading that ties into those could give me a boost in advance.

 

One the one hand, I very much want to enjoy my summer window (about a month and a half), because I know grad school will be a new challenge. But on the other, given that I'd like to have some leg up in preparing for future research, I feel that getting some reading done could prove helpful. My goal is to do reading that is beneficial for future research in a non-stressful way.

 

EDIT: I forgot to say, though, it's nice to read perspectives like those from dazedandbemused and ProfLorax. I think part of why I and I imagine many others feel like we need to spend the summer prepping is because the effects of the app season are still somewhat wearing off -- particularly that feeling of, "I'm not good enough, I need to have more on my CV" (although that for me is a fairly persistent feeling, app season or not).

Edited May 6, 2015 by silenus_thescribe

[ProfLorax]

EDIT: I forgot to say, though, it's nice to read perspectives like those from dazedandbemused and ProfLorax. I think part of why I and I imagine many others feel like we need to spend the summer prepping is because the effects of the app season are still somewhat wearing off -- particularly that feeling of, "I'm not good enough, I need to have more on my CV" (although that for me is a fairly persistent feeling, app season or not).

Right! I remember that feeling, especially since I was coming in as a rhetoric student... who had never studied rhetoric! I did read a few articles thought would be helpful, but then I spent my summer teaching, buying a house, moving across the country, settling in my new home, and then, finally, Netflix! But I can't stress this enough: you will have so many opportunities to build your CV once you're in grad school. This week alone, I submitted THREE proposals for the major conference in my field (facilitating a workshop, speaking on a panel, responding on a panel) and submitted a review for publication. That's potentially four new notches on my CV! In a week! Once you're immersed, so many openings pop up. The most important thing, I think, is to pay attention for those openings because you'll have to jump on them or even create them (I also just heard this week that I received funding for a reading group that I started!). Once you're in grad school, everything moves so fast. I think your plan of reading in a non-stressful way is great, but maybe also read some stuff for fun (yeah yeah I know we all love our field, but sometimes, a vampire sex novel really hits the spot) and veg on some TV. As someone who is a grad student and the mom of an infant, I can't stress this enough: take advantage of those rare, blissful moments when you have no deadlines to do something totally pointless, and therefore, totally wonderful.

[circlewave]

the effects of the app season are still somewhat wearing off -- particularly that feeling of, "I'm not good enough, I need to have more on my CV" (although that for me is a fairly persistent feeling, app season or not).

 

I think this is mostly what I'm feeling. When apps were going on, there was always something I could have been doing - "I've got free time? I could look over my writing sample again; I could revise my statement of purpose; I could reach out to a couple professors" and so on. I keep feeling like I should be doing something, but if I actually stick with that feeling and look into it more, I never actually know what that 'something' is. Maybe I just need to remember how to relax

[toasterazzi]

The summer before I started my program, I didn't really do anything school-related. However, I did work as much as I could. I don't know everybody's financial situations in here, but I knew I wouldn't be getting paid until the end of August. That meant that I needed to gather up as much money as possible for moving, bills, etc. So that was pretty much my primary focus.

[Dr. Old Bill]

On the "reading in a non-stressful way" comment...

 

Neal Stephenson's new novel Seveneves comes out on May 19th. The timing couldn't be more perfect for me. His work is typically very intelligent and extremely well-written...but it has an escapist quality as well. And that's an escape I'm looking VERY forward to.

[echo449]

Hanging out with my partner before we go off to our separate programs, and trying to do a lot of readings in psychoanalytic theory since this that is like my biggest theoretical blindspot. I've been trying to relax with netflix, but I have a hard time actually veg'ing tbh. 

[windrainfireandbooks]

I am ecstatic to be spending the majority of my summer in the UK. During that time, I am hoping to sneak in some non-stressful-but-related-to-my-research-interests readings that I have been putting off because of work but have been dying to sink my teeth into. And I will be doing some Shakespearean acting and novel writing as well. 

Edited May 6, 2015 by windrainfireandbooks

[__________________________]

The summer before I started my program, I didn't really do anything school-related. However, I did work as much as I could. I don't know everybody's financial situations in here, but I knew I wouldn't be getting paid until the end of August. That meant that I needed to gather up as much money as possible for moving, bills, etc. So that was pretty much my primary focus.

Yep.  I'm basically trying to hoard away as much cash as possible right now, since I'm probably facing a summer of unemployment in a new city, renting a room while throwing money at month of an old lease while I take a summer course.  My program doesn't start until late September and my current job (public school teacher) ends the first week of June, so I'm a little worried.  Oh, and I need to buy a new laptop, since the one I currently use belongs to the school district for which I work.  

 

I'm also taking an intensive language course to brush up on my Latin (which is basically free, so that's nice) and maybe putting together a reading group with one of my new professors.  Am I overestimating my capacity for money scrounging and academic ambition?  Most likely.  But that's okay.  Right?

 

For reading, I guess my recent routine has been just alternating between contemporary Italian philosophy, Philip K. Dick novels, op-ed pieces and twitter feeds on news and recent protests, and Portlandia on Netflix while telling myself I'm gonna get back to the pile of medieval English and Latin poetry I have in my office.  That is, when I'm not pretending to design Othello lesson plans and catch up on grading.  Minus the grading and lesson plans, I suspect this will continue to be the tune of my free time for the coming summer months.

Edited May 7, 2015 by mollifiedmolloy

[brown_eyed_girl]

I've also been thinking about this lately. I did email my POI and a first-year student in my specialization and got some advice from them - my POI recommended I read selected chapters of several books, and sent me the syllabi for his courses in the Fall so that I can start doing some of the reading if I want to in advance. The student I talked to basically told me to relax and enjoy myself. The biggest thing I'm concerned about is language study. I need to do some serious work this summer in order to pass my first language exam, since it's been a while since I took classes. I could definitely brush up on other academic areas and have some knowledge gaps, but in general I feel decently prepared for my courses and have a sense of how I would catch up if I feel behind. Languages, on the other hand, are the kind of thing that really require sustained effort and time. And, like some of you, I'll also be working until August 1 for financial reasons, and then moving cross-country... no time for lolly-gagging here! 

[WriteAndKnit]

Read a bit, work/take classes as needed, and spend quality time with netflix.

 

My cat isn't used to me being around so much, so she's gonna have to get used to the company.