There's planning to go to ACPA when you're a grad student.....and then planning to go to ACPA as a professional. Two VERY DIFFERENT things, as I'm learning this week. Let's chat.
Example One.....I am leaving on Saturday. It is now Thursday night and I have meetings for the first half of tomorrow and 2 events to attend tomorrow night. I just got out my suitcase today and it remains on my bed, completely empty. I have a very shady idea in my head as to what I intend to bring. Somehow I need to find the time to pack, when the grad school me would have been all packed by now minus the essentials.
Example Two....I have an incredibly large list of work related things to get done before I leave. Some I absolutely HAVE to get done, some I just really WANT to get done. Either way, there is not enough time in the day tomorrow to get everything finished before I intend on leaving my office to finish some last minute errands. The grad school me had everything completed and organized, tabbed and labeled, and ended up taking the day before the conference OFF because I was just that good.
Example Three....My apartment is an absolute disaster. There are shoes EVERYWHERE - literally in each room except the kitchen. Clothes are strewn about, my sink is full of dishes, my coffee table has a bunch of random things, my bedroom is a wreck. I really would like to clean tomorrow so I can come back to a relatively decent home, but let's not forget what Examples One and Two told you already about my to-do list. The grad school me would have already cleaned.
Example Four....I HAVE to do laundry tomorrow, especially since a few things I would like to take with me are dirty. And then I'd also be coming back to a gigantic amount of laundry, as I'd have what I already left here PLUS what I would be bringing back. The grad school me would be ironing my clothes already and placing them gently in my suitcase.
Example Five....I am more worried than I expected about leaving my building and staff for five days. I understand that this is NOT a big deal; they are adults (including the residents, despite what they make me believe certain days), they know how to do their job, they know what to do in an emergency. I'm just a little mom-like at this point and I'm having some anxiety about leaving them all alone. The grad school me didn't have these worries - I just shut the window and locked the door behind me, then dragged my stuff out of my apartment building.
The good thing is that I already have an idea for what sessions I want to see.....I already know what I'll be doing in my free time.....I already have made some plans with old friends from grad school. I might be ahead of the game in DC, but here in CollegeTown I am so far behind. My early bedtimes as of late are definitely not helping and I have a feeling that tomorrow could be a very late night. And of course instead of doing things now I am sitting here posting this, because as much as I want to get things taken care of, I still enjoy the good old feel of procrastination.
My goal is to try and blog regularly duing the conference. I did a decent job of it last year, but we'll see if I can actually pull this off.....
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
"I don't need to pay a therapist to give me crap. I have a roommate that does it for free.”
Quote from Calista Flockhart's character Ally McBeal from the sitcom of the same name. Remember that dancing baby? I never watched that show but even I remember that baby. Calista Flockhart dates Harrison Ford and they just got engaged, as my people.com newsfeed tells me. (What can I say - I love celebrity gossip. It's guilty pleasures like this that make my day.) Roommate conflicts are all over this place these days, and I think this is fitting - especially for today.....
Tonight I spent an hour and a half helping to mediate a roommate conflict....one that transpired because no one was communicating and everyone stopped showing respect and common courtesy. It was one of the most frustrating things to deal with and just reminded me how much of a difference there is working with traditional first year students.
This was one little roadblock in my busy week of meetings and ACPA preparations. I am SO excited to attend this conference as a professional! I've already spent some time looking at the online conference schedule and figuring out what sessions I'd like to attend. There are so many that are interesting to me, making for a busy (and long!) conference if I end up attending all of these! I've planned in some sightseeing time as well and can't wait to meet up with some of my grad school friends that are now scattered at different institutions. I'm definitely excited for the socials, especially my grad school social as I've heard that a few of my old professors will be in attendance! Definitely lots of fun to be had!
Meanwhile back in the real world I'm working on my end of the year report and keeping up to date on my budget. I'm trying to get through my training presentations and remind myself that the next month is going to FLY by. I realized that I need to start working on RA evaluations and also find the time to plan a meeting for my new staff next year so we can meet and greet.
I'm starting to try and brainstorm fantastic end-of-year activities. I've already got something in mind for my hall, but I'm hoping to do something special for my staff. I've always given them little treats along the way (just because, for birthdays, holidays, etc.) and I feel like I need to do something nice as a final send off. I'm considering cooking dinner for them, especially since a lot of them will probably run out of money on their meal plans near the end of the year. I'd also like to do something else....probably write them little notes thanking them for being a part of my first year and being fantastic. I have a few seniors who will be graduating and even though I didn't know them during their whole time here, this is an important event that needs to be recognized. I haven't quite figured out what I can do to honor this event, but I'm working on it. Something meaningful that doesn't cost a lot of money....
Tonight I spent an hour and a half helping to mediate a roommate conflict....one that transpired because no one was communicating and everyone stopped showing respect and common courtesy. It was one of the most frustrating things to deal with and just reminded me how much of a difference there is working with traditional first year students.
This was one little roadblock in my busy week of meetings and ACPA preparations. I am SO excited to attend this conference as a professional! I've already spent some time looking at the online conference schedule and figuring out what sessions I'd like to attend. There are so many that are interesting to me, making for a busy (and long!) conference if I end up attending all of these! I've planned in some sightseeing time as well and can't wait to meet up with some of my grad school friends that are now scattered at different institutions. I'm definitely excited for the socials, especially my grad school social as I've heard that a few of my old professors will be in attendance! Definitely lots of fun to be had!
Meanwhile back in the real world I'm working on my end of the year report and keeping up to date on my budget. I'm trying to get through my training presentations and remind myself that the next month is going to FLY by. I realized that I need to start working on RA evaluations and also find the time to plan a meeting for my new staff next year so we can meet and greet.
I'm starting to try and brainstorm fantastic end-of-year activities. I've already got something in mind for my hall, but I'm hoping to do something special for my staff. I've always given them little treats along the way (just because, for birthdays, holidays, etc.) and I feel like I need to do something nice as a final send off. I'm considering cooking dinner for them, especially since a lot of them will probably run out of money on their meal plans near the end of the year. I'd also like to do something else....probably write them little notes thanking them for being a part of my first year and being fantastic. I have a few seniors who will be graduating and even though I didn't know them during their whole time here, this is an important event that needs to be recognized. I haven't quite figured out what I can do to honor this event, but I'm working on it. Something meaningful that doesn't cost a lot of money....
Sunday, March 15, 2009
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Quote from Winston Churchill, British politician who was Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II. Primarily famous for his leadership skills, but also did a ton of other things during his life.
My 2 weeks of silence encompassed getting ready for spring break, closing down my hall, and then reopening it. While I definitely appreciated the time off, it was weird to be able to lounge around without a holiday occurring.
My hall is slowly filling with the sounds of students reuniting, music blaring, and people running up and down the hallways. I'm not sure I'm ready for the week to begin and start having to attend meetings, teach class, and deal with all the randomness of the life of a residence life professional. The good news is that we have 2 months left of the semester. This year has completely flown by and I'm starting to realize why some people stay for years and years in this position - it's so easy to have time just fly by and not realize what's going on. I can't believe that all my kids are about to finish up their first year of college and head home for the summer.....this has been a whirlwind experience.
One of the more fun parts of this job (at least in my opinion) is preparing for training once we return for the fall. I've always loved being a part of training, even when I was an RA and got to help out once I had been there a year. It was so odd in the beginning of the year to have to be someone who just sits and learns instead of having the ability to teach others. Now I've been assigned lots of sessions for this upcoming year, and I'm finding myself having to relearn more things than I thought. In the end I know it'll make me stronger in my position, but right now it's almost a bit of a pain in the ass. At least this will keep me busy and involved during training, and will indulge the diva inside of me - I definitely LOVE being on stage :)
I'm starting to think more and more about next year and what it will be like. I'm excited for my staff and to be able to get a lot of my opening tasks completed before the end of this year or at least over the summer. I'm already trying to think about some programming initiatives I can bring to the table and what we can do to get students excited about our community. I'm trying to do a little inner searching as well, thinking about what sort of experience I want to get out of my second year of work and how this position is preparing me for where I want to go next and what I want to do (both of which are major unknowns for me). I'm looking at some leadership opportunities within the office, hoping that I'll be able to show to everyone that I have what it takes to accomplish what I want. I think I need to really get myself in gear for these last two months and finish on a strong note so that I can look back on the not-so-great times but know that I pulled it all out in the end.
....which means less sitting around daydreaming and more action. Less being lazy and more taking initiative. Less thinking and more doing. And most importantly, much, MUCH more caffeine.
My 2 weeks of silence encompassed getting ready for spring break, closing down my hall, and then reopening it. While I definitely appreciated the time off, it was weird to be able to lounge around without a holiday occurring.
My hall is slowly filling with the sounds of students reuniting, music blaring, and people running up and down the hallways. I'm not sure I'm ready for the week to begin and start having to attend meetings, teach class, and deal with all the randomness of the life of a residence life professional. The good news is that we have 2 months left of the semester. This year has completely flown by and I'm starting to realize why some people stay for years and years in this position - it's so easy to have time just fly by and not realize what's going on. I can't believe that all my kids are about to finish up their first year of college and head home for the summer.....this has been a whirlwind experience.
One of the more fun parts of this job (at least in my opinion) is preparing for training once we return for the fall. I've always loved being a part of training, even when I was an RA and got to help out once I had been there a year. It was so odd in the beginning of the year to have to be someone who just sits and learns instead of having the ability to teach others. Now I've been assigned lots of sessions for this upcoming year, and I'm finding myself having to relearn more things than I thought. In the end I know it'll make me stronger in my position, but right now it's almost a bit of a pain in the ass. At least this will keep me busy and involved during training, and will indulge the diva inside of me - I definitely LOVE being on stage :)
I'm starting to think more and more about next year and what it will be like. I'm excited for my staff and to be able to get a lot of my opening tasks completed before the end of this year or at least over the summer. I'm already trying to think about some programming initiatives I can bring to the table and what we can do to get students excited about our community. I'm trying to do a little inner searching as well, thinking about what sort of experience I want to get out of my second year of work and how this position is preparing me for where I want to go next and what I want to do (both of which are major unknowns for me). I'm looking at some leadership opportunities within the office, hoping that I'll be able to show to everyone that I have what it takes to accomplish what I want. I think I need to really get myself in gear for these last two months and finish on a strong note so that I can look back on the not-so-great times but know that I pulled it all out in the end.
....which means less sitting around daydreaming and more action. Less being lazy and more taking initiative. Less thinking and more doing. And most importantly, much, MUCH more caffeine.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
“College is like a fountain of knowledge - and the students are there to drink”
I don't know who said the above quote, but dammit if whoever it was isn't write. Read on for more details.
We are entering in what I consider the most wonderful time of year in student affairs.....conference season.
People are all atwitter about their plans; what conference they are attending, how they're getting there, and who they're going to see. Spring just carries an infectious energy to it, especially now as a new professional, because not only does conference season give you the ability to stretch your professional development abilities, it's also the time to get out of being at work :)
I got hip to conference season 2 years ago during my first year of grad school when I went to the NASPA/ACPA joint conference. It was an amazing experience and I realized that I enjoyed nothing more than being able to be around a ton of other people that love doing the same other things as me. Last year I was at ACPA as a placement candidate and that worked out incredibly well, as I managed to keep my sanity and still have fun while interviewing what felt like non-stop. This year I'm heading back to ACPA again, looking forward to going to some sessions (I didn't get to go to any last year) and also enjoying be back in DC again. I'm branching out and going to another conference a little later in the spring, but I'm presenting! Something else to add to the resume.
Meanwhile I am also looking forward to spring break and closing up my hall. Everyone in my hall has suddenly lost all sense, and alcohol is flowing freely. They are shocked when they are written up, and I suddenly get flooded with emails asking how they can appeal such a charge. With such cut-and-dry situations, I wonder what they think they can possibly appeal - not only are they underage, but they're in a dry residence hall. The only thing that minimalizes the annoyance of having to follow up with all of these students is the amusement that I get in listening to their sob stories. I don't think I have a sympathetic bone left in my body.
We are entering in what I consider the most wonderful time of year in student affairs.....conference season.
People are all atwitter about their plans; what conference they are attending, how they're getting there, and who they're going to see. Spring just carries an infectious energy to it, especially now as a new professional, because not only does conference season give you the ability to stretch your professional development abilities, it's also the time to get out of being at work :)
I got hip to conference season 2 years ago during my first year of grad school when I went to the NASPA/ACPA joint conference. It was an amazing experience and I realized that I enjoyed nothing more than being able to be around a ton of other people that love doing the same other things as me. Last year I was at ACPA as a placement candidate and that worked out incredibly well, as I managed to keep my sanity and still have fun while interviewing what felt like non-stop. This year I'm heading back to ACPA again, looking forward to going to some sessions (I didn't get to go to any last year) and also enjoying be back in DC again. I'm branching out and going to another conference a little later in the spring, but I'm presenting! Something else to add to the resume.
Meanwhile I am also looking forward to spring break and closing up my hall. Everyone in my hall has suddenly lost all sense, and alcohol is flowing freely. They are shocked when they are written up, and I suddenly get flooded with emails asking how they can appeal such a charge. With such cut-and-dry situations, I wonder what they think they can possibly appeal - not only are they underage, but they're in a dry residence hall. The only thing that minimalizes the annoyance of having to follow up with all of these students is the amusement that I get in listening to their sob stories. I don't think I have a sympathetic bone left in my body.
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