PhD First Semester Recap
Happy New Year!!
2022 was an exciting but tiring whirlwind and I am so grateful to make it through another year.
This is the first time in a long time that I’m not entering the new year with a curated list of goals and wishes that I hope to force myself to complete before the year ends.
For once, I’m committed to easing into this year. I took some time after the first semester of my PhD program ended to try to process all the things I experienced in 2022, and it led me to my word of the year: BALANCE.
Last year was full of change and I was so determined to ignore the stress that came with it, so I kept it moving. That was an awful idea. Doing so left me more worn out than I have been in a really long time. I can honestly say that 2022 may have been my most exhausting year yet. I cannot let this year be more of that.
With that being said, I’m sharing some of my highlights and low points of 2022:
Highlights of 2022:
- Interviewing and accepting my spot into my #1 choice PhD program- This was the only thing I wanted out of the year and sometimes I still can’t believe it happened!
- Moved into my city apartment- I had been commuting daily to work, but I decided that it was no longer feasible to do so when I started classes. Just the thought of being stuck in traffic as a first semester student was enough to make me move within reasonable distance. I didn’t want to be the student who was always running late and I also didn’t want to sacrifice sleep to wake up in time to commute.
- Bought the pink couch of my dreams for the aforementioned apartment- About 2 years ago I added a pink couch to my pinterest board. In 2022 I bought one. It will always be one of my favorite purchases and something I’ll associate with the first semester of my PhD.
- Trip to Puerto Rico- The only plane ride I took last year was to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was my first time there and I was so happy to finally see San Juan in person. I ate, walked, and got some quality rest. Knowing that I would be starting my PhD a few months from the trip, I wish I would have either planned to stay longer or made efforts to take a trip elsewhere.
- Turning 27- Birthdays are always something I look forward to and this one was no different. My birthday occurred at a critical point during my first semester, but I was still able to celebrate and that’s all that mattered.
Low Points of 2022:
- Leaving a job I really cared about to start my PhD- I found my career path through my clinical research experience at my previous job. Like most PhD programs here in the U.S., I was not allowed to continue working. I wasn’t ready to leave the department where I was so supported, although it was for a good reason.
- Adjusting to being a full time student again- This was the hardest adjustment. My entire academic career has consisted of me balancing a job, sometimes two, and working essentially full time, if not more. When I saw that my teaching assistantship was approximately 20 hrs/week, I thought it would be a piece of cake for the first semester. I was so WRONG. My TA-ship wasn’t difficult, but certain aspects made it more time consuming than I imagined. I didn’t have a set routine for a while and that made it challenging.
- Finding a routine- It took me a few weeks after the start of the semester to realize that I didn’t rest at all over the summer. I should have taken meaningful breaks throughout, but I was focused on so many other things. Around midterms, I realized I needed to try to stick with even just doing the same few things every day even if I couldn’t commit to a daily routine. I hope to do better with this moving forward.
- Not prioritizing self care- I was stressed, anxious, and did not prioritize my wellbeing. I walked into my very first semester without being rested, and it was such a huge mistake. If you are reading this and starting grad school, I am begging you to take time off for only rest and leisure. It was so difficult to find self care methods that worked for me when I was already in a deficit.
2022 and the first semester of my PhD were wonderful, and through the stress I am extremely grateful that I get to do this. I learned valuable lessons during the fall, and I’ve made changes since then.
Cheers to 2023 and I hope this year brings more highlights than low points for us all 🙂
