Everything I have anticipated since April, no January, is here! I have started courses and my assistantship at GSE Admissions & Financial Aid. Here are some notable first impressions:
Faculty and Academic Governance with Matt Hartley. Matt taught our first class through a case study and engaged everyone in the discussion. He was able to encourage everyone to participate and found value in every comment that a student made. I'm excited for the multi-room role play he has planed for us toward the end of the semester!
Professional Development with Pamela Felder. As someone who is very young, I value having the chance to focus specifically on my professional development. This course connects my assistantship to my readings, other coursework and most importantly to my future! What I really like about Pamela so far is her openness and her comprehensive approach to professional development. We have only had the course once, but I can already tell that it will be immensely important for advancing my career.
The Food Downstairs. My assistantship is in the GSE building where all my classes are, but that is not the end of how convenient life is for me right now! There is also a little cafe area and lounge on the first floor with good coffee and inexpensive snacks. This could be dangerous! there's also a lot of good food around Philly. my favorite so far has been at Sidecar Bar & Grill near my house because they have an incredible and reasonably priced burger, the kind that comes with good fries!
The Cohort. In our cohort of about 50 students, we have people from all over the country and beyond. We have people interested in everything from college sports, civic engagement, race in college to admissions. There are people right out of their undergraduate degrees (like me!), and there are people with ranging years of experience. In less than a week of knowing these people, I am already certain that they will teach me so much. Also, we have lots and lots of happy hours, which are a great way to exchange information and have fun with the cohort.
The Assistantship. Because admissions is the area I would like to go into after my time here at GSE, I am incredibly grateful to be working my assistantshipright here in GSE Admissions & Financial Aid. Lindsey and I, under the direction of Alyssa D'Alconzo, are working hard to coordinate information sessions, campus visits and more. It is early yet, so most of our work is in the formative stage, but it is going to be crazy soon as everyone starts applying and visiting campus. I am excited and look forward to meeting potential students. Lindsey, my fellow Graduate Assistant here, is great! We understand one another's obsession with getting the perfect planner, excellent pens for the office and generally just succeeding at everything we do. She has a blog too, so check it out! Good times!
The South Street Bridge. One of the first things I do in the morning, on the short walk to school/work, is look over my shoulder at the beautiful Philadelphia skyline. I have always had a very strong sense of place, an inclination to be affected by the space that I am in, and I can't imagine a more perfect city to be in right now. And, when I walk home at the end of a long day, that skyline is right in front of me. It has not been long, and yet I already know that crossing the South Street bridge is going to be one of my favorite ways to start and end the day. It is beautiful and refreshing all at once.
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