New Semester

Yuck. School. Why am I still subjecting myself to this? Oh right, because I can't get a decent job with a Bachelors...

At least my program doesn't suck too bad. Brief update on my classes this semester:

Project Research Seminar: we call this "How To Be a Grad Student Class".  It's sometimes useful for keeping us on track thesis wise but other than that it's kind of a waste of time.  At least it only meets some weeks

Managing Public Service Organizations: This class is actually in the NYU Wagner School of Public Service and Public Policy.  I had to apply to take it since it's not in my 'school' at NYU (Applied Psych is in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development).  This class is the first time in a long time where I feel out of my element, unprepared, and not able to beat everyone.  It's like being back at TJHSST all over again but without all of the science.  The class has a lot of useful information but it's not necessarily interesting.  (It's a required pre-requisite for a much more interesting class I want to take next semester).  On top of that we have a semester long group project that meets for an hour after class every week.  Everyone in my group is at least 5 years older than me and has professional working experience in the Public and Nonprofit sectors.  They all had so much to contribute about organizations we could study in NY for our project and connections they had from all of their years working in the field and I have nothing. Nada. Zip.  I just moved here I don't know any organizations we could study and I've never held a real job.  They looked at me like that little sibling that tags around with the older sibling and the other big kids.  It's required that groups assign roles to everyone and guess what super important role I was assigned... note taker.  How sad. I am going to try to embrace my noobie-ness and do what I can to bring a fresh perspective to the group, hopefully I will learn a lot in the process

Evaluation Methodology in Behavioral Sciences: Thank God this class comes right after the previous one so right after having my self esteem torn to shreds all morning I get to have my self esteem boosted all afternoon by this class.  I have taken at least three versions of this class plus I lived it when writing my thesis so I know this material like the back of my hand, I'm familiar already with half of the assigned articles, I know all the answers, and don't have to pay attention much.  Some would call that boring but I call it refreshing and ego boosting.  Not to mention it's a required class so there's not much I could do about it.

Child Development and Social Policy: This class is also very intense.  It is actually more oriented towards PhD students so it's more difficult AND it is taught by the (somewhat famous) professor who runs the lab I work in.  He pretty much holds the future of my thesis and thus my graduate career in my hands so I have to do well in this class.  The readings are more difficult than in most classes I've come across and there are a lot more readings but they're SO INTERESTING.  Children's rights...social policy governing and protecting children's rights, child development, international cooperation.  It's the stuff of dreams for me.  I would love to base my entire career off of the information in this class.

My lab is the same as last semester, studying elementary education initiatives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  It is still interesting and I still have fun using syntax coding to solve problems with the data because I'm an N-E-R-D.

I guess school itself isn't that bad, If I only went to classes and had no homework I would love it to pieces. but I guess only 1.5 more years and then I can finally start my life.