At the start of the third week of school, I don’t quite feel that I’ve gotten the hang of things yet. I don’t think I ever realized how much my time management has depended upon having many constraints. Constraints make it easier to prioritize and plan; one can only do X while not occupied with Y. My time is constrained, of course, but much less so than while I was at Michigan. There’s as much or more work to be done, but fewer appointments to make, and more long blocks of time to use as I will. It’s an interesting new configuration for me, and I’m trying to figure out how to handle my time all over again, just after I had mastered it in another context.
After a couple of weeks of classes, I’m feeling almost as comfortable on the Syracuse University campus as on the Central 40. It’s the same kind of world, but completely different in many ways. For example, the squirrels here are lithe and sprightly, mostly black and grey varieties instead of the fat, audacious red squirrels on the Diag. But that’s a trivial comparison; on the important criteria that contribute to the quality of the school, a top institution is a top institution, and wants very much for its graduates to become a credit to it. As a new PhD student, I continue to find moments where I feel completely inadequate to the demands of the role. At those times, I try to step outside of my momentary existence and take a deep breath; I know I can do this, and do it well. I just need a little more time to find my footing.