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This is what distraction looks like:
Hey everyone! Ok, I know I am way overdue for my NYC adventure details... I promise they are coming! And pictures will come along with them. That's actually the hold-up--I have a lot (a lot = about 250). Patience, dear grasshoppers, and all things in due time. :o)
In other news, there has been so much happening here! I thought I'd share a whole lot of everything starting with announcement of the 6 new MSI specializations. You can check them out here: http://www.si.umich.edu/about-SI/news-detail.htm?NewsItemID=589. I think it's pretty cool because the new specializations are covering areas that you can really get into deeply through coursework and practical engagement but they haven't been stand-alone specializations yet. They really address the issues that students are interested in, not to mention that employers are looking for this also. I have to say, I am totally geeked for the program to be making this change because I think it's a smart move. But I'm also bummed because I'll graduate before I can try some of it for myself!
Which leads me into my next update. Offers are coming in and all I have to say is, holy moly how on Earth am I supposed to make up my mind??? Yowsers! Out of respect for each place I've applied to and interviewed with (and still interviewing in a couple of cases), I won't divulge the details at this point until I've made my final decision. It's going to be tough though and I'm really glad I was able to help organize and go through January's negotiation skills workshop because it's coming in handy now. :o) My main concern in negotiation at this point is getting enough time from each place to weigh my options and make a good decision. It's hard to ask a place to wait longer but it's necessary for me to make the best decision.
Also, if you've been looking at the online course catalogue lately, you'll notice that it's being updated somewhat frequently. Hang tight and just enjoy the browsing experience! :o) As is stands right now, it's pretty close to what it will end up being in the fall but still subject to change. The good thing is that the new foundations are listed now, so you can definitely see those. For incoming Fall 2007 MSI students, I have some words of advice--take your foundations early in your studies. They're called 'foundations' for a reason--because they really do create an actual foundation of knowledge. Aside from this extremely helpful factor of having a good foundation in the information field, completing these courses during your first year really frees up your schedule in your second year (or following years, for part-timers). A lot of people come into the program and change their minds A LOT. Getting the foundations completed helps you to understand the field as a whole and that's a really good thing to have as a perspective. Ok, I'm getting off my soap box now... :o) And here's the link to the online course catalogue: http://www.si.umich.edu/courses/.
Visiting Days is also coming up--exciting times! If you're an admitted student and you're able to come to Ann Arbor, March 24-26, I highly highly highly super duper extremely recommend it! If you lost your RSVP link, send me an email (maryaw@umich.edu) and remember to put the words "School of Information" and/or "Visiting Days" in the subject line so that it doesn't get tossed in my spam filter. I'll send you the link again so that you can let us know you're coming. If you're a little worried about cost, don't forget that SI will cover your lodging expenses while you're here. Yes! It's for real! I didn't believe it either when I was admitted, but it's a really nice gesture and helps a lot for those of us who need things in my previous blog entry (The Financial Aid Game). :o) If you can't stay through Monday 3/26, also don't worry about it--I would say the most important day is Sunday 3/25 when you will have the most information sessions and outings with student groups at SI. I've been organizing the student volunteers and it's looking like a really great event; everyone around here is very excited to meet the newly admitted students. :o)
So, other than all of this, I am suffering from some rather distracting distractions, what with the job offers and all. Homework is frustrating because all I can think about is making a huge life decision... But my usability evaluation group project is coming along really nicely--we are totally rockin' it, if I do say so myself. :o) The group is very motivated and we stay on top of our work and get things done early; I think I would say it's one of the most successful collaborative experiences I've had since I've been here. My new archive internship is also going really well--I'm trying to blast through it and get it complete or nearly complete before the semester is finished! :o) I really enjoy working with my mentor and the staff up at the Bentley Library on North Campus. I'm learning a lot watching them do what they do as archivists and I appreciate their proactive approach to incorporating technology into their archive system. My external cognate is also coming along--I finally have found my niche in that class by doing the information research for each week's film genre. And I feel really good about having my Course Tools online project site set up for everyone else because sharing all of the great resources I've found means a lot more to me than simply finding so much information and keeping it for myself. I need to work on my final paper research, though, which is proving more difficult. My biggest obstacle is finding enough time to glue myself to the interior of the graduate library, actually. ;o)
Hmm... well, I guess that last statement should really be my cue to do some homework, eh? ;o) I've been very good at procrastinating today--the weather is warmer, the snow is just about melted, and the days seem longer with the earlier Daylight Savings Time. Losing sleep really sucked, but the daylight is awesome!!! I also got my first business website up live on the Web today for my sister's new restaurant. Hip, hip, hooray! But dealing with the terrible usability of her hosting service made me really glad that I will be able to enact change for the better when I graduate.
Ok, I'm really going to wrap this up now. :o) I got caught up on my emails today, so if anyone sent me something this weekend and I didn't get back to you, please feel free to send it again. My email 'crashed' late Saturday and I didn't get it back for about 24 hours so I don't know if anything was lost. Many pardons! (Thanks be to my new MacBook that I bought today to replace my Dell--now I can get my PC fixed, finally!) Until next time, fearless readers!
-maw :o)
Posted by maryaw at March 13, 2007 12:33 AM
