Sunday Q and A

Q: Is it wise to schedule a mid-quarter vacation?

A: This is a tough one that really depends on personal style and commitment to the idea of a mid-quarter break. I would advise that if at all possible students should limit vacations to quarter (or semester) breaks and/or other scheduled time off from school — the decision, of course, is entirely in the hands of the person considering the vacation.

I am heading out on a mid-quarter vacation next week. I planned very carefully for this time off. First, I was sure to schedule it around a holiday — a holiday that falls on my regular class day. That means I won’t be missing any critical class time, nor will I have any readings or papers due that week. Second, for both of my classes, I had to work hard to get myself to a point where I could actually take time off and not have to drag a ton of homework with me, or worry about writing a paper in the middle of my “me” time. As mentioned, getting to this point involved setting goals and deadlines and sticking to them, as well as working ahead to complete assignments before the due date.

I also have two major research papers due at the end of the quarter, so it is not like I’ll be heading out completely homework free (I really don’t think any mid-quarter vacation could ever be completely sans-homework). I plan to bring along some articles and my trusty notebook for reading and note-taking on the plane, over coffee, or during some general down time. For the most part, I can rest easy knowing I do not have to spend all my time tethered to my schoolwork.

Fielding questions about graduate school, education, media and all things in between. Got a question for “Sunday Q & A”? Send it in!

Sunday Q & A

Q: What are some of your favorite research tools?

 

A: Aside from the usual suspects (ProQuest, ERIC, and the like), one of the best — and in my opinion, hidden — research tools for the part time graduate student is barnesandnoble.com. Yes, seriously. Oftentimes I will receive recommendations for books, or stumble upon something in a bibliography that I think may be helpful for my research. As a part time graduate student, I do not always have time to get over to the library, so I make use of the internet library services to the fullest degree. This has its pitfalls — sometimes the library online descriptions are sparse, and not terribly useful for helping me decide whether or not I want to check out a particular book. So enter barnesandnoble.com. The website has very nicely detailed descriptions, occasionally they offer previews of a book, and they have reader reviews, which I tend to find quite helpful as well.

 

Fielding your questions about graduate school, education, media and everything in between. Got a question for “Sunday Q & A”? Send it in! (Sunday Q&A logo Ó Renee Albert 2008)

Sunday Q & A

Q: Why did you choose education as your field of study?

 

A: This was not an easy decision. My undergraduate degree is in graphic design, and I knew I wanted to continue research in media, design, and issues of representation. At first, I thought communication was going to be the more appropriate field for me, but also knew that the education field was rich with research opportunities in this area. And in the back of my mind, I thought that some day I may want to teach (I come from a family of teachers — I guess it is just in my blood).

 

So when weighing the two programs, I thought carefully about my future goals. I knew that from my experience working in the education field, I enjoyed working with students and it was something I wanted to continue doing. The education degree was in line with transferable skills to my present job, as well as opportunity for me to branch out and research issues in my interest area.

 

Fielding your questions about graduate school, education, media and everything in between. Got a question for “Sunday Q & A”? Send it in! (Sunday Q&A logo Ó Renee Albert 2008)