Senator Blogger

Hey everyone, I just want to quickly announce that our own Milano Grad School Blogger, Tushar Gogia, has been elected to The New School student senate. It will be great to have one of our own fighting for our interests! Here is what Tushar promised during his campaign, so let’s hold him to it:

1)    To build a student government that is reflective of student choices/opinions,
2)    Ensuring that administration takes into account the viewpoints of students before making decisions that impact student life, and
3)    To facilitate better communication between students, faculty and administration across all 8 schools

Congratulations Tushar!!

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My Return

I really wish I could attribute my recent absence from this blog due to an adventure in an exotic foreign land but alas reality is that I just had a head on collision with second semester of graduate school.

In Fall 2008 when the time came to register for spring classes I valiantly signed up for 5 course. During my undergraduate years I usually took between 5-7 classes a semester. I thought- how bad could 5 grad school courses really be? (Especially since one of those was a language audit). A lesson I learned the hard way – if a graduate level course has the word ‘LAB’ associated with it, then approach with caution.

Two weeks ago, registration for Fall classes started at Milano. Experience has taught me to get as much advice from as many people as possible. Being in small school professors, administrators and students are fairly accessible. Hence getting  different perspectives about classes/professors is easy. Before registering for classes I not only spoke to my faculty advisor but also to other students who have taken the classes I was interested in. This I believe gave me a much more holistic perspective on choosing classes.

Having said that I hope to have an easier, more manageable course load in the fall, which hopefully means more time for blogging (and looking for that dream job post-graduation).

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A Spring Update from Laura

It’s definitely spring, finally… but it is rainy and COLD today. Which I suppose is a good thing, since  bad weather motivates me to stay inside and study. Only 3 more weeks until finals, here at Milano, and today I made an inventory of every project, paper, test, poster, etc. etc. that I have yet to finish. This semester has been a lot less hectic for me than Fall semester in terms of schoolwork, but I’ve been working more at my internship which will become a full-time gig for the summer. I’m relieved to have something lined up already for the summer, so I can simply concentrate on finishing my work over the next few weeks.

One of the most important things I have been realizing is that I need to take good care of myself so that I can work at my best ability. It may seem simple, but it’s funny how it has taken me THIS long to realize the things that keep me at my happiest. First of all, I believe that exercise is essential to any sane person’s schedule- at least it keeps me sane (sort of… lol). I’ve been working out at the McBurney YMCA on 14th St. (thanks to our New School discount) which allows me to de-stress, relax and get fit! It also gives me a chance to spend time at yoga with a school friend or in the weight room with my boyfriend. Workout buddies are definitely a motivtion! My health is also something that used to suffer in undergrad, since I would stay up all night writing papers and then go to work or class. I was sick at least twice a month, I swear. Maybe it’s just my body getting older or my maturity kicking in, but I have been trying to follow a (more) regular sleep schedule. It seems to be helping even though I have been getting sick more often than I’d like to… (I blame germs from the subway). But overall, I’m forcing myself to focus on school and myself, because I won’t be able to get anywhere in this crazy world unless everything is in sync.

Happy Spring Everyone!

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The Excel Spreadsheet of Doom

Well, internet, you may have heard there was some ruckus going on at the New School lately, and I can report this: most of us were honestly so crazed about Lab that after our question “OK, but CAN WE USE THE MEETING SPACE?” was answered, my compadres and I really didn’t have time to raise our heads from computers long enough to get a read on that situation.  I will just say that I am an advocate of nonviolent protest and am likewise concerned whenever I see what appears to be a very aggressive physical law enforcement response.   It is really not affect to say that the Lab people have been too busy to notice much else.

So I’ve been mighty quiet lately but that is owing to a few things.  First off, um, LAB.  Secondly, I’m really trying to take better care of myself during this round, so doing things like going to yoga, Carnegie Hall, Central Park, watching movies, reading poetry, and meditating amidst the sorry scene of my living room have somewhat taken precedence over writing.  Not to mention the fact that this time I’m in a new place which is this: I just don’t know what to say.  There.

Saturday, as on most days this term, I schlepped Bagzilla, my beloved (est.) 47-pound bag bearing my laptop, chargers, water bottle (which is always empty by the time I get to Milano after a day at the office), Advil, some notes, a deteriorating calendar, and assorted daily effluvia to campus and our group met.  Yadda yadda yadda, I realized I had to grapple with Excel to come up with some numbers for this project.

Now here is the thing.  I have NEVER claimed to be any sort of economist.  This isn’t owing so much to math anxiety as much as, well, more of an interest in and natural affinity for WORDS.  (Please, economists, don’t hate, congratulate, and we’ll all be just fine.)

So I spent Sunday trying to figure out how to generate numbers that were actually meaningful to our project, and then realized I was doing it wrong, and then saw my colleagues’ work, and sort of tweaked some things, but frankly?  I’m still not sure on this math. 

So what has been lovingly christened The Excel Spreadsheet of Doom is out there in google group land, and better numeric minds than mine shall hopefully make more sense of it.  In the meantime, I am trying to muster the strength physically, emotionally, and mentally to push through to the end of the term.  I’ve had some rather sad moments over all of this lately, even wondering what I could have to look forward to other than lab, and then someone reminded me, this ends SOON.

It is supposed to be gorgeous this weekend, so after a Friday of work and lab, spending a spectacular Saturday enjoying, somehow, some part of this weather is really eagerly anticipated.  Another?  I realized I should start trolling for a really amazing, cheap summer vacation destination so I have some great incentive.  So far, hanging out with the sea turtles and monkeys in the Costa Rica rainforest is sounding fabulous.  We’ll see.  Also?  FROGS!!!  (I love frogs.)

-Kristen

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