Work Life Balance & Umbrella(s)?

“People on the East Coast own multiple umbrellas. What is with this phenomenon?" - me. 

Lindsey, my fellow GA, is originally from Colorado, but she lived in Boston for 7 years before coming here, so she already knows. She has a small umbrella that she carries in her bag every day and at least one other more substantial one that she brings for heavier rain  (I don't think I have seen that one yet). Some East Coast people probably have different ones for different outfits. I have never heard of this owning multiple umbrellas thing, but I may just have to get with it. I only have one umbrella. It is big and I bought it right here at the book store. Apparently there are different kinds of umbrellas for different levels of rain. Who knew?
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Anyone that knows me knows that I have a minor work-life balance problem. Long after the clock strikes 5, I can be seen scrolling through and responding to work emails. While I am aware that if you don't draw a line between work and home you can end up working literally all the time, I also want to be reliable and prompt. But, I have to step back and remember that there is life outside of work. This year, I have committed to making the work-life balance a major priority. If you think about it, being able to let work go at the end of the day is an important step in professional development. As Lindsey said at the end of a long day here, "no one ever died in admissions." It's true. So, I am working on trying to remember that as I go through this year.
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I have to say this: There are A LOT of assigned readings for my courses. It is difficult to find the time to do all the reading. This weekend, I will not be doing anything but reading and doing a couple of written assignments for next week's classes. I need to get organized about this. My work and school day runs roughly from 9-5 every day except Thursday. I could read after school and work and take the weekends off or relax after school and work all weekend. It is hard to decide. At my undergraduate instituition, I took classes and worked about 27 hours a week, but found a rythm that worked for me. That is what I need now. I underestimated how difficult it would be to find a rhythm, but I know I will soon.
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When I write these blog entries, I cannot help but think about Carrie Bradshaw. I must disclose that this is in part due to the fact that I have been watching Sex and the City every night for a couple months; I downloaded the whole series and am almost done with Season 6 now.
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I have to reiterate how wonderful Matt Hartley's class on Academic Governance is! Before the course met, I was probably the least excited about this course. It was the one where I thought to myself, " I don't know that it will be interesting, but I probably need to understand the stuff." Well, rest assured. Matt is one of the most engaging people I have ever met in my life. he teaches using case studies that make all of the students think about what it would be like to actually be in the governance dilemma we are learning about. If you get a chance to take a course with Matt Hartley, do it.
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Planning. Planning. Planning. The On campus Information Session is coming up, and so are a lot of campus visits. Lindsey and I are working hard to make sure that all prospective students get the chance to learn a lot about Penn GSE. It is going to be such a fantastic year meeting with all of you!