Today was the first part of grad student orientation at the SU iSchool. To summarize such a day is pretty much beyond me, but at least a couple of moments stick out in my mind. During the PhD advising session, Jeff Stanton recommended to my cohort that we should become habitual writers, keep a research journal, and make every effort to write regularly. This is advice I’ve heard before, but this time it applies to me instead of my classmates. Earlier in the evening, another faculty member was pointing out some less obvious differences between private sector employment and academia: reflection is valuable in research, but doesn’t tend to fly when billable hours are a concern. It’s something I hadn’t thought of - I will actually be encouraged to take time to think.
So this is how I will spend the next few years: learning, teaching, reading, reflecting, thinking, and writing. I feel privileged to have this uncommon opportunity, excited to undertake this new adventure, and determined to make the most of the experience.