had a busy library day today, tried to motivate myself by fully embracing some kind of warm autumnal academia spin off

yearly reminder that if anyone needs personal statement advice i’m happy to help! i’m going into my third year of undergrad politics and history joint hons, and am more than happy to help out with any history/social sciences/humanities related statements. if anyone needs grammar checks or help cutting down statements for any other subjects i’m happy to take a look at them too! feel free to message x

Classics is pre-law if you read enough Cicero.

08.01.19 ~ 13/150 Days of Productivity

Second day back at Cam & a full day of revision to be done!

Honestly finding it quite hard to focus because it’s rather monotonous, but has to be done. Getting increasingly worried for mocks as I run out of time. But we struggle through!

Listening to London Grammar while working

~Scribbles x

04.01.19 ~ 10/150 Days of Productivity

Trying to revise & plan a holiday is impossible & stressful I don’t recommend.

Finished a book on the growth of stability by our main man Plumb. Need to do a lot tomorrow to catch up though (plus pack to go back to Cam!).

I’ll see ya’ll tomorrow!

~Scribbles x

I’m like:

Doing a Ph.D. is a really scary thought. Especially in humanities and social sciences. Especially in today’s job market.

Here I’m going to speak a little about my approach to Ph.D. applications, why I chose to do what I did, and how I put it all together including examples.

1. The Doubt

After coming out of my Master’s degree, I already had a year of research set up, so I didn’t have to think about jobs like all of my friends I had made during that degree. I watched many of them struggle to find a job offer. Some were successful in attaining a job in Cultural Resource Management, a couple got smaller jobs in local museums, but for the most part it induced a lot of stress to have come out of a Master’s degree with no prospects.

How I imagined my future at that time: I knew I didn’t want to work in a museum, I knew I didn’t like Cultural Resource Management, I knew that after all this hard work I didn’t want to end up underpaid somewhere doing data entry.

A Ph.D. has always been something that I wanted. Ever since entering the Anthropology discipline, I imagined myself working towards becoming a Professor.

Here’s what I was told when I started to consider a Ph.D. Program:

• “Don’t do it” (said by someone who already had her Ph.D.)
• “I wish I had gone into something with more money, even after my Ph.D. its been difficult to find stable work”
• “If you’re doing a Ph.D. in social sciences, ONLY go if you are fully funded, otherwise it is not worth the financial debt”
• “Most people don’t get in their first try, that’s why people apply to 10+ schools”

Coming up with a plan: After hearing this, I came up with a couple different options. Plan A: Apply to Ph.D. programs, if I get into one my first try and it’s fully funded then I’ll do it. Plan B: Find a job in Environmental consulting, I could put my GIS experience to use, make some money, and then try again for a Ph.D. later down the road if I wanted. Plan C: Move to Japan and live out my weeb dreams (I’m part Japanese and have a lot of family there so this wasn’t as crazy as it sounds).

I was genuinely okay with any of these options. They all involve things that I enjoy, none of them are bad options, none of them would feel like “failure” if I ended up not getting into a program. I think this step is very important because it forces you to figure out what you care about, and allows you to be open to change if plan A doesn’t work out.

2. Choosing a Program to Apply to

I knew that I didn’t just want to apply anywhere. Getting a job outside of a PhD is already hard enough, and I wanted the school that I chose to reflect the work that I would put into it. As much as we want to think that name brands don’t matter when it comes to education, it sure as heck does help when it comes to opportunity and being selected amongst 100′s to 1000′s of applicants. Therefore, why not shoot for the stars? What’s the harm in trying. For this reason, I decided to only apply to schools that:

1. Had a prestigious name
2. Had a program that supported what I wanted to study and allowed for cross-disciplinary research (Digital Archaeology focused on SE Asia)
3. Had an advisor that had done research paralleled to mine (whether that included SE Asia or just Digital Archaeology in general).

I started research into programs with the Ivies and went down from there, also cross-comparing programs that had been ranked as best schools for studying Anthropology.

At the time of researching, the programs that stood out the most to me were:

• Stanford (ideal because it was close-ish to home, fully funds their Phd students for 5 years, has opportunity for additional funding, had professor working with digital archaeology in Asia)

• Harvard (had professor working in Digital Archaeology though it wasn’t in my preferred region, also has good funding, and its Harvard)

• U Chicago (traditionally one of the top schools for Anthropology, however I had heard that a lot of this is because of “legacy” professors, and not much has come out of the department in recent years. Did not have someone specifically in my region of focus)

• ASU (Also considered one of the top Anthropology schools, but funding is often fought for between students)

• UC Berkeley (Had professors studying Asia, but it is a public school and also has limited guaranteed funding)

I sent e-mails to advisors that I thought I could support my research (this was probably around May, when applications are due Sep-Dec).

• Hello Professor______,

• My name is _______ and I am interested in applying to ________’s Doctoral program in Archaeology beginning in the fall of 2020. I would like to inquire whether you are accepting graduate students for this period, as my research interests align well with your research. I received my B.A. in __________ from _________ in 2017 and am currently _______. [Enter what you’re doing now, and any relevant experience that shows what you’re interested in researching]. [Enter something about their research, and why you’re interested in working with them/why you think you would work well with them]. I am eager to continue along this path and I feel as though your experience with _______could provide an interesting opportunity for future research. I would also be interested in working with [enter any other faculty that have similar interests, this shows that you’ve done some research into the program and the school in general] For your convenience, I have attached my CV here. If you have the time, I would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you further about the program and future research.

• Best,

• Full name

I also researched the financial aid provided to incoming Ph.D. students. After doing this, the only schools that sounded good to me were Stanford and Harvard.

Yeah, I know, only applying to Stanford and Harvard was a “big risk,” but this is how I thought about it:

• I don’t want to commit to a Phd program for 5+ years if it’s not fully funded, doesn’t have a big name, and isn’t going to guarantee opportunity after graduating.

• I wanted an environment where I knew I could be happy under immense amounts of pressure  (California by family, Boston by friends).

• If I didn’t get in, I had back up options that honestly sounded really fun to me, so I was okay with pursuing those instead.

• I didn’t want a Ph.D. just to have a Ph.D., I wanted a degree that would set me apart from others so that I could give myself the best chance for success afterward. I wanted one that, if pursued, could lead me to become a professor.

So I applied to 2 Schools.

I got scolded for this by many people… but whatever…I got in, so ha. Why spend money and time on an application for a school that you don’t really want to go to? :P

3. Applying to a Program

What an application looks like:

1. At least 3 recommendation letters:

Mine were:

• Undergraduate Anthropology Advisor who has been helping me throughout the years with grant applications, etc. She knows me well, can speak well to my accomplishments. She is also a very well decorated anthropologist.
• Undergraduate Professor of Geography who can speak to my GIS coursework. I’ve been updating him with my whereabouts and successes since graduating, so we have kept in touch regularly since taking his course.
• My Master’s dissertation advisor (he stressed me out submitting his letter 3 hours before the deadline >:| )

It’s good to have your recommendation letters come from people within the academic world. These people can write on your ability to achieve your research goals, your drive, etc. It’s okay to have maybe one letter from a workplace environment, however, it’s best to get as much street cred as you can from these letters, and this comes from Professors that know what they’re doing.

2. Curriculum Vitae (C.V.): This is important because it shows everything you’ve accomplished up to this point. This is how mine was set up:

• Full Name, Current Position, Email, Phone Number
• Education: University Name, City, Degree in ____
• Publications: In Edited Volumes, Journal Articles, Manuscripts in Preparation
• Conference and Workshop Participation: Papers, Presentations
• Grants, Awards, and Fellowships:
• Research Experience: Project Roles, Fieldwork
• Teaching Experience
• Additional Employment History
• Leadership and Extracurriculars
• Skills/Languages

A C.V. is a list of EVERYTHING you’ve done in your career, unlike a resume which is tailored to the specific job that you’re applying to. If you’d like a specific example, send me a DM. 

3. Personal Statement: This is where you tell them why you want to be there and what makes you qualified. Why should they consider you?

Personal Statement Example

      1st paragraph, introduce the program and your research interests: I am applying to _____ for admission to the Ph.D. program in Anthropology with a focus in Archaeology. My research interests are to explore [the consequences of ….. on the environment and human responses to environmental change] in [region of the world], and how these actions of the past can be visualized through the use of remote sensing and GIS applications to archaeology.

      2nd paragraph, why you’re interested in what you’re doing: I learned the value of digital applications in archaeology through my undergraduate and master’s degree. [Digital archaeology] is appealing to me because [………]. I first became interested in [example of why you’re interested in the topic/what inspires you].  After witnessing this, I began to seek out opportunities to partake in similar research.

    3rd and 4th paragraph, what makes you qualified to pursue this degree?: I have many research experiences that qualify my pursuit of a Ph.D. dedicated to using digital methods in Anthropological research. [Talk about your undergrad experience, do some name-dropping of professors you’ve worked with], [why did these experiences inspire you to take the next step?], [how are you where you are now because of them?]

   5th paragraph, what are you doing now?

   6th paragraph, why this school in particular?: This is where you name drop the professor you are interested in working with, talk about how their research aligns well with yours by mentioning specific things that they’ve done such as theoretical approaches. What are you interested in doing that would fit well within this program? Are there any facilities on campus that you are particularly eager to work with? Show that you’ve done your research.

   7th paragraph, what do you plan to do after you get your Ph.D. from this institution?: With goals of continuing archaeological research in ________ and expanding off the networks that I have established in _______, ________’s doctoral program in Anthropology is the ideal match to further my career as a Digital/Landscape Archaeologist. The Ph.D. in Anthropology at _______ allows for _________[reasons why you like the program]. Ultimately, my postgraduate goals are to remain in academia by continuing research and gaining a university faculty position. My foundation in archaeology gained in my undergraduate, graduate, and ______experiences have equipped me with a unique set of abilities to offer to ______’s Anthropology graduate program, and I look forward to the opportunity to exchange ideas with faculty and students alike.

Have your resume and statement looked over by as many eyes as you possibly can. It took me a good 6-10 revisions before settling on something that I liked.

4.Let the professors that you’ve been in contact with know

This puts you at the front of their minds when application review comes around. They’ll be like “oh yeah, this person messaged me about this.”

I hadn’t spoken to the professors that I reached out to since those first few exchanges back in May, so sending this message was very valuable to remind them of my existence.

This email can be as simple as: Hi Professor ____, I hope you have been well since we last spoke. I am writing to inform you that I have submitted my application to _______. Since our last chat I’ve been [whatever you’re up to now that’s relevant]. I look forward to hearing from _____ soon. Best, Me.

5. Productive Waiting

Yay, you’ve submitted! That was hard, but you made it through. Time to start diving into those other plans you’ve been thinking about. What will you do if you get into your top school? What will you do if you don’t get into your top, but you do get into your 2nd or 3rd choice? What if you don’t get into any of them?

Remember that none of these options are bad, and in this world, you have to be open to change and welcome it. A Ph.D. is a really long commitment, and it doesn’t have to happen right away.

If you get in, accept only if:

• It has the research you’re looking for
• It has an advisor that’s supportive of what you’re doing
• It’s transparent about what it offers its students
• The current students are happy with the culture of the program and quality of life
• The location is something you’re comfortable with (for me having family nearby was a very important factor)
• The money you are offered is enough to live the lifestyle you need to maintain good mental health
• There is an opportunity for networking and expansion of your research outside of the university

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions at @aal.archaeology on Instagram or DM here! I’m happy to share my documents with you.

Happy writing!

-Lyss

Hello Everyone! 

I have revived my Tumblr to find many messages asking “what do I do next” when it comes to Archaeology/Anthropology. So I thought I’d create a post explaining what I went through to get to where I am now, and hopefully give some information to those who are pondering on the next steps to take in this truly wonderful field of study. 

Quick academic about me: 

• Undergrad: Ivy League, Major: Anthropology-Geography, Minor: Religion
• After Undergrad: 1 year of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) & Substitute teaching
• Graduate School: England MSc in Archaeological Information Systems
• After Graduate: 10-month long research grant in Cambodia
• Now: (USA)  Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology, Archaeology Track

I come from a low-middle class family, all of my academics have been funded through financial aid or through grants that I’ve applied for. A lot of the time school and research can get expensive, but that doesn’t mean you have to be wealthy to pursue it!

Per usual, please feel free to DM me at any point with questions (here or IG @ aal.archaeology), I’m always happy to help to the best of my ability. Success in this field is really dependent on networking!

I’ll set this up based on the various landmarks of my academic career: 

1. Undergrad

Themes: Ask for help, build your resume, write down everything

No matter where you are going to school, it is so so so important to use the resources around you. Becoming a professor is HARD work, and each one of your professors went through a lot to be able to stand in front of you and teach you. They’ve likely had years and years of research experience, which is probably still happening behind the scenes of teaching and grading papers. More often than not, professors want to help you, they want students to be excited about the research they’ve worked so hard on, and they want to do what they can to help you achieve your career goals. 

Therefore, if there’s a class you’ve taken or a professor whose research you’re interested in, tell them. This is how I got my first experience with archaeology (before I even knew that I wanted to do archaeology). I randomly took an Anthropology class that sounded cool, and after the first class, I was like WOW I love this topic so much and I really want to know more about it. I went up to the professor that was teaching it, told her I was really interested and asked if she knew of any research opportunities available. She then hired me as a student researcher in her lab to do data entry for one of her archaeological projects in Mesoamerica, and after working for her for a few months, she asked me if I wanted to go with her and her team to Mexico for fieldwork. 

         (my timeline at this point: 19 years old, end of Sophomore year)

From this experience, I learned how to apply to grants within the University and funding outside of the University, and was able to FULLY fund my research experience in Mexico. During this fieldwork, I got to work with 3000-year-old artifacts, do archaeoillustration, and eventually got my own chapter published in the book that my professor wrote about the research that was done.

After I got back from Mexico, I started exploring archaeology further. A new professor entered the department who specialized in “digital archaeology,” and his research involved tracking looting patters in Syria using satellite imagery. I thought this was crazy so I then went up to him and asked if I could help him with his research. (the common theme throughout this entire process is just asking for help). From this experience, I learned that I loved the possibilities that technology brought to the study of archaeology, everything from 3D modeling to identification of sites in satellite imagery to spatial mapping in GIS. With this professor, I was able to form an “internship” with him, and continued doing that and other minor projects within the department. I ended up modifying my major to incorporate coursework from the Geography department and created my own “Digital Archaeology” major.

        (my timeline at this point: 22 years old, Senior year)

As graduation began to creep closer, I had been able to get a good amount of lines on my resume. I had:

• research assistant/ data entry
• fieldwork in mesoamerica
• x2 internships with digital archaeology prof
• multiple “small” projects around the department i.e. making posters, painting 3D prints of bones,
• all of the coursework I had done on GIS/ relevant digital experience
• started a drone club at my school (it flopped, but it still counts as a line on the resume!)

All of these lines became useful when starting to think of jobs and the “next step”

UNDERGRAD HIGHLIGHTS & TAKEAWAYS:

1. Ask for help, your professors are there for a reason, it will almost always lead you to new opportunities. These relationships last well beyond your graduation and definitely come in handy later, make it count!
2. Write down EVERYTHING that you do. Did you help out with a conference? Write it down. Did you do a couple hours of data entry? Write it down.
3. Follow your leads! I started my anth journey in Mesoamerica and ended my undergrad in Near Easter digital archaeology (and I entered college wanting to do astronomy?). Change is natural, let it happen.  

2. Gap Year Between Undergrad and Grad School

Highlights: Job applications, field school, CRM, uncertainty

Something that I was always told during my undergrad was that you really need to do a field school and some CRM to be taken seriously post-grad. This shows that you actually want to be an archaeologist outside of the classroom environment. Field Schools and CRM give you valuable experience such as: excavation methodology, report writing, grant applications, teamwork, leadership, etc. 

I started applying for jobs probably about 5 months before I graduated and ended up securing a job at a CRM company in LA. They liked how much I had done during my undergrad, but they really wanted me to have a field school under my belt before I started working for them. Because I had already graduated and didn’t need course credit, I was able to do my field school at a discounted price (these things really do get expensive, and this was a difference of about $2k). I think this worked out in my favor waiting until the summer after I graduated because it saved me a lot of money in the end. 

After my field school was done, I started work that September inCRM. This job ended up being nothing like what I thought it would be, to be honest. I was an Archaeological Field Technician that was part-time/on-call, meaning I only got work when they needed someone to go monitor a construction site. I only got work once every month, sometimes every couple of months, so I was making hardly any money. I realized this quickly and decided to become a substitute teacher to supplement the CRM job. I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you end up in the same situation. Not only does subbing fill up all of your non-working days, but it also gives you the flexibility to choose when you can work and gives you teaching experience that you can put on your resume. That CRM experience can be really important, so it’s good to stick it out long enough to quit.

      Why didn’t I like CRM? For me, my job was very sparse, included driving long hours to a construction site, sitting there all day in case archaeological material popped up, and then driving home. Sometimes it was just walking back and forth across a massive field full of cow poop looking for arrowheads, and often it felt like I was just clearing land so that a big building could be erected. I was really missing the research component to all of it. The pay was also not great. 

GAP YEAR HIGHLIGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS:

What I got from this year was very valuable, even though it wasn’t necessarily that fun, however. 

• I got the experience I needed in CRM
• I got some teaching experience (also volunteered to mentor clubs and research at local high schools during this time)
• I started doing some networking (I found some alumni that were doing work that I wanted to be doing and reached out to them)
• and most importantly, I realized that I really do love school and wanted to go back for my Masters

So I started looking into Masters’s programs. This is kind of a scary thing especially in the US because school is expensive. I still really wanted to do Digital Archaeology, and I couldn’t find a single program in the US had a focus in this topic, and especially couldn’t find one that I was willing to pay for. 

The UK, however, had plenty of Digital Archaeology programs, and the programs were only a year long and a fraction of the price in the US. I decided to take a chance and apply, got in, and then suddenly I was moving to England. (in hindsight I really didn’t spend much time at all making this decision, but it worked out in the end). 

3. Masters Program

         (my timeline at this point: 23-24 years old)

I chose the program I applied to based on its focus on the techniques that I wanted to use, namely, remote sensing, GIS, and 3D modeling. I really wanted a degree qualification that spoke for itself, and therefore applied for an MSc in “Archaeological Information Systems.” 

I had done some networking during my gap year and connected with an alumnus who was doing research in Cambodia using digital methods, and she offered me the opportunity to join her fieldwork. I agreed to join her in Cambodia during my degree, and also applied for a research grant for the year following my master’s degree to continue fieldwork in Cambodia. 

I used this opportunity to fuel my dissertation topic and focused all of my writing and coursework throughout my grad school experience around Cambodia. While I was surrounded by people studying Roman architecture and Medieval Studies, I spent my time doing independent work and building a network in Cambodia. 

This program was a great experience for the most part, I was surrounded by beautiful medieval architecture and had a great community throughout. I personally didn’t really like the UK school system compared to what I had received in the US, however. This was largely because of the way coursework was set up. (If you want to know more just DM me).

MASTERS HIGHLIGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS:

• Follow networking opportunities, and find someone doing what you want to do (or close to it) and let them help you take the steps to get there
• If you’re going to do grad school, do it in something you know you love. Don’t waste money on a program that isn’t right for you.
• Make sure that the program you apply to allows for flexibility so that you can do research on what YOU want, not what THEY want.

Halfway through my Master’s degree, I received word that I had been accepted for the research grant (Fulbright) and would spend the next year living in Cambodia doing independent research.

4. Gap Year Between Masters Program and PhD

If you’re planning on a Ph.D., I think its a really good idea to do something before applying that relates to what you want to be studying. This shows that you’re dedicated to your research and to a life in academia, and have the ability to produce something from your work. 

My master’s degree was nice because 1) it was short, only a year-long, and 2) allowed me to focus research on what I was interested in. This gave me the experience I needed to lead into a year of independent research.

This year of independent research was definitely contingent on receiving the grant in the first place, and I think that I would have started job searching again had I not received it. However, the small things I did leading up to applying for it really helped in qualifying me to receive it. 

     I had:

• All of the undergraduate research experience
• CRM experience
• teaching experience
• fieldwork experience
• a master’s degree that focused on the region 
• established a network of people in the country beforehand
• a couple “publications” from fieldwork 

This grant fully funds me living in Cambodia, and has allowed me to participate in cultural exchange with some amazing people here in addition to allowing me to partake in archaeological fieldwork across the country. 

Again, I cannot stress enough how important it is to network. If you like something, find someone else who likes the same thing, send them an email.

Networking got me my experience in Mesoamerica, Digital Archaeology, my CRM job, my research experience in Cambodia, and so so much more. All because I sent that first email.

5. PhD Applications

I applied to 1 school. I got in. Its a really good school. I’m still in shock. 

However, I think I really did set myself up for success in this one. 

The biggest advice I can give in the world of Academia is:

1. NETWORK
1. Talking to people who have gone through what you’re going through are the BEST help. They can mentor you through these experiences, offer you new opportunities, or lead you in the direction of someone else who can help.

1. PLAN AHEAD (but be open to change)
1. Okay, so you’re applying to grad school. What do you want to focus on while you’re there? What do you want to do with the degree when you’re done? Do you want to start working? Do you want to do more research? What opportunities are out there for research funding? What is the job market looking for? Is there anyone in my network that can help me get there?
2. None of these have to be concrete plans, they just have to exist in some shape or form so that you have the ability to latch on to one when the opportunity arises.

If you’re doing something that you love doing, you’ll find a way to make it happen. All opportunity comes from the amount of effort you put into getting it!

Thanks for reading and best of luck on your studies!

Also Happy Anthropology Day! :) 

-Lyss 

Grad Students going back to school this Fall!

What has your university told you about the upcoming term with COVID? Will you be on campus? Online? 

Mine (North America) has not made any final decisions yet, but it looks like undergrad will be online and grad school students will be on campus? Thoughts?

Edit** 5/27 update: We were sent a housing application yesterday

In honor of Mental Health Awareness month, we’ve recorded a podcast episode titled “Sad Grad Hour” talking about our worst periods in academia and research, and comment on what we learned from these experiences and how we got through them.

Every feeling you have is valid, especially during this time of social distancing, join us in becoming aware of how your environment is affecting your mental health.

You can contribute to the discussion by sharing your stories or advice you want to give to others! [email protected]

Twitter & Ig: @idigitpodcast

Join the discord at: https://discord.gg/J8TXnr

Join the I Dig It Discord Server!

https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fi-dig-it.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2F003-sad-grad-hour-mental-health-awareness-month&t=YmQyNzgyMGEwOGYwM2ViMDViYTIxNmNkNWZlNTEzOGY4YjA0NTU1NCwyYzkzNGUyNjkxNWY3MjZlZGI2OGJhZGJlOWU5YzkwN2NkYjk0MTUw

A Podcast is in the works! 

Here is a list of topics to cover, please let me know if there is anything else you’d like to know! It does not have to be exclusive to archaeology, and can also generalize education/ grad school/ etc.

Feel free to contribute any other ideas as well! Or if you are interested in joining in on the production! I’ve started a community of mostly archaeology friends on Discord,let me know if you’d like to hang out!

-What is Archaeology? So you wanna be an archaeologist? 

-Different types of Archaeology, Different  Professions in Archaeology 

-Undergraduate Degrees in Anthropology and Archaeology 

-Networking through your undergrad degree 

-Grant and Scholarship applications 

-Time Management of coursework 

-Pros and Cons of a masters degree in Anthropology/Archaeology 

-Grad School Applications for Masters Degrees (US vs. UK) 

-Favorite things about our time in UK Masters degree 

-Jobs in Archaeology outside of Academia 

-C.V. for Humanities degrees and Academic Job searching 

-Research in Archaeology between degrees 

-Networking after and during your degree 

-Ph.D. in Archaeology/Anthropology? Pros and Cons -Ph.D. Applications  

-Choosing your program 

-After Ph.D

13.04.2022—been focusing on one essay all week, taking a bit of time tonight to work on something else to reset my brain✨ hope you all are having a good week

07.04.2022—mid sem season in full swing

27.05.2022—this week has been intense, and there’s no reprieve coming soon. got a new laptop tho

A few weeks later, but your girl has finally graduated! I made it. School was frying my brain and I was sick and tired of the administration, the people, the faculty…beyond over it. I was ready to leave as soon as I got back Fall 2016. But beyond that fact, I grew as an individual and picked up new skills and met tons of people in the past two years of undergrad, which I will never regret. Hopefully someday curate into something big, something cool. But nevertheless, its over, and I am very hype for the next chapter: T A I W A N. Click that link to see my new blog and read more on what I am doing there.

I will still be posting here, but I will dedicate this blog more to personal stories along with other random posts I decide to write along the way.

So get ready, for another long written post of adventures to come. I have exactly 3 weeks until departure and here are some things I need to accomplish before I leave:

• Build a computer for my mother
• VisitArtechouse
• Attend a Bicycle spinningclass
• Visit the Doctor
• Visit the Dentist
• Visit the Eye Doc
• Obtain my Driver’s License?
• Backup my files
• Create Hair Product Mixture
• Invest in Travel Credit Card?
• Buy a new camera?
• Update Website

“A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers” - Helen Keller

04/05/2020, Monday.

Academical situation:

On the 21st April, I passed my last exam! On-line testing was better than I thought. It was quick and I got my grade confirmed (as the exam was only a part of a bigger one). Registering Physical Chemistry II grade meant registering my last undergraduate exam. Yes, I am done

I intend to apply for grad-school at the same university, many more exam to go. But, I closed a chapter. I am sad… Not because of the closing, not because of the changing… No… I am sad because I haven’t felt the joy of it, I haven’t felt different or relieved or anything…

Updates are on their way! Italy has entered phase 2 today, universities have high autonomy and during last week tons of meetings were made to decide and organise the following steps. I, a common student, have to wait few more days. By the end of the week, I will know what the future holds for me

Will I be able to enrol in two post-grad courses? Will I have to wait till autumn (and loose time)? Who knows.

While waiting for both updates and thesis correction, I keep up with on-line classes.

Personal situation:

I did 7 weeks of solitary isolation, it went extraordinarily good! I am surprised! Had ups and downs, but -overall- I am satisfied about how I adapted my routine during a difficult time. Especially due to the fact that I spent my study hours at university, and relaxed at home. Radically changing my habits has been a big turn

Today I saw S., we considered the risk (extremely low) and agreed upon seeing each other. My lonely time has come to an end! Seeing each other means -as well- that I can train at his place, with weights! Time to set up a new routine ️‍♀️

During quarantine, I listened to many podcasts (in italian)! They are my new passion, If anyone has suggestions on interesting ones (in italian, english or french) they will be welcome

“Being alone has a power that very few people can handle” - Steven Aitchison

15/04/2020, Wednesday.

Academical situation:

It is unlikely university reopens in this academic year. Officially, everything is closed till 3rd may. After that date, who knows? 

In these weeks, I rolled up my sleeves! I finished writing my thesis, sent it to my supervisor and I am currently waiting for the correction. The work is not finished, but the “creating from zero” part is behind me!

While waiting, I had my last exam scheduled on the 21st april. It’ll be held online, on a specific platform and I have to sign a from declaring that I am not cheating. Yesterday, I started revising and I hope everything goes on smoothly

In parallel, I am following online first year second semester postgraduate lectures (only two of them). I hope to be able to undergo the exams, even if now I can’t be sure! It does depend on bureaucratic matters, not me…

Personal situation:

I am on my 5th isolation week. I am doing solitary quarantine! It is not bad as it may seem, nobody interrupts while I work! And I can concentrate truly well. I do not feel lonely, but -of course- I have down moments! I may not be an extremely social person, but staying alone for 5 weeks is not good either

I created a new routine: I don’t get up late, kept my week day usual alarm (7h45 a.m.). I try to have my work done in the morning, or - in general- in the first part of the day. Thus, when I am done I know I can dedicate myself to my hobbies! 

The activities I want to do range from gaming to cooking, from reading a book to cleaning the house. I try to be flexible and do what inspires me in that moment. I still train, every other day. Home workouts are hard and makes me exhausted but satisfied! On rest days, I practice yoga (25-45 minutes, depending on my energies level). I made great progress with my flexibility and I am proud ‍♀️

After dinner S. and I watch a couple of a tv series episodes, we both have Amazon Prime Video and we manage to start at the same time, that way we are sync even if we live in different houses! We just finished  “The Man in the High Castle”, I highly recommend it

“Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed” - Terry Goodkind

20/03/2020, Friday.

Another month passed by. It feels like everything stopped, but a lot has changed.

Academical situation:

On february 24th italian universities closed due to Covid-19 spreading. Official reopening on april 3rd, but the date is likely to be postponed because the situation appears to be critical. 

As a consequence I was unable to undergo my last exam (physical chemistry II - laboratory). Formal indications are: it is not possible to take exams from remote, as cheating can occur. As soon as the structure reopens, exams are scheduled. At the moment I do not have a date, most likely mid-april ⏳

Graduations is delayed as well. As previously, no approved date, june is a possibility. If that was definitive, I would be unable to attend first year second semester postgraduate courses and labs. I do not want to lose time… I do not want to wait till autumn…

What am I doing? Temporarily left aside my exam, I am concentrating on writing my thesis and following online classes (I refuse to fall behind)

Personal situation:

Rigid lock down began on march 2nd. I decided not to go at my family house, I stayed alone in my flat. It was the right call because I got ill, yes, it probably was the famous virus (I had the typical symptoms, in a light form, and in november I had myself vaccinated against flu).

I felt poorly for 7/8 days, even had fever on thursday the 12th. But now I am good, it has been 4 days since symptoms disappearance. I saw noone and followed certified indications (those communicated by official organisations). 

I do not find difficult to be in self-imposed isolation, the worst enemy is boredom. Since I got well, I’ve been doing yoga. And I am searching an at-home-training in substitution of gym one. ️‍♀️

How are you dealing with the situation?

Do you have any suggestion on at-home activities I could try? (New organising methods, smart-working techniques, home workouts, yoga classes, books… Recipes as long as they are light)

“You don’t have to do this, you get to do this” - Tom Kubis

27/02/2020, Thursday.

Physical chemistry II: On Friday 21st I passed physical chemistry II, theory

I was nervous and scared before my exam, as usual! Still need to do laboratory part: it was supposed to be on friday 28th… Guess what?

University is closed the whole week! Cause: coronavirus precautions

I do not have a new date yet. But I need to study like due date hasn’t changed because if it is postponed for too long I’ll have to split my time between study and thesis

Thesis: it has been two weeks since I was in the lab. I officially finished my samples, no more synthesis for me. Now I “just” have to write it

Self-care: gym is close as well… Slightly mad. Positive aspect? Yesterday I did yoga for the first time in moths! Turns out I lost flexibility! ‍♀️

“Things come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle” – Abraham Lincoln via Tina MiModels

07/02/2020, Friday.

One month had passed since last post. I started writing a few times but never finished, I thought I had nothing to share… I realised not posting had a negative influence on my productivity! I am aware it’s stupid, but I am generally more encouraged if I think about sharing my day

Catching up:

Physical Chemistry II: I started four weeks ago, not giving 100%… I kept postponing “real studying” and kept reading my notes over and over. It seemed like every day I had better tasks (chores, thesis assignments). But now the time has come: due date 21st february! It is so close

Good news are that I find the topic extremely interesting and I have my productively anxiety (about time!)

Thesis: I haven’t started writing yet. First I want to close the exam; that way I can focus on one task at a time! It is still not clear on what my thesis is about… Polypeptoids are the main topic, of course, but we have to decide on which aspect I should focus

Needless to say: the situation makes me distressed.