back in the saddle

I am so not ready for spring semester. Of course, spring semester started on Tuesday (well, with the snow day it started on Wednesday).

I’m gearing up for a crazy month at work next month, with 1 open house, 1 faculty candidate visit, and 2 speaker series presentations. One of the presentations is from a UConn MPA alum who helped out in Newtown after Sandy Hook. I’m pumped about that, but all those events mean that I’ll be running around like a madwoman coordinating logistics, etc.

I also got to write the annual appeal letter for the department! I’ve always wanted to dabble in development, so I was super excited to actually write it myself.  Those one page requests for donations seem pretty short and straightforward. Well, I was wrong. After several weeks, revisions, and input from multiple colleagues and faculty members, that damn thing is finally done. Now I really respect what fundraising professionals do. It ain’t easy, yo. I get to stuff envelopes all week, but hopefully all the hard work will be worth it and we’ll rake in some serious cash!

Because of snow I only had two classes last week-Financial Management for Public Organizations and Policy Analysis.  I can tell I’m going to love Policy Analysis–it’s with one of my favorite professors, and the material is super interesting. Basically, we’ll get to learn how to analyze and propose solutions to public problems using economics and other frameworks. Financial Management has promise–the course is about managing money for public and nonprofit organizations (as the title probably told you). I’m not naturally inclined towards finance, but I know these skills will be useful once I leave UConn and embark on my career. Plus, I’ll get to listen to another semester of my professor’s deadpan jokes.

Clearly I’m only writing to procrastinate from my two problem sets already due this week.

Oh, how was winter break you ask? Let’s just say two words: Netflix (watched 5 seasons of Parks and Rec, rewatched 3.5 of Supernatural, and also something else I forgot) and Boston (Fabulous New Year’s with three of my favorite people in the world. Also bubble tea.). Also work.  But that goes without saying.

Maybe I should just plan my trip to Baltimore….

Work work

Grad school is a lot of work, yo. The new Britney is basically my theme song for the weekend.

The past month has been super busy for me with M&Ms: midterms (econ two weeks ago, stats tonight, finance on Monday) and memos. Memos are my program’s equivalent of papers–they’re basically aimed at teaching us how to write professionally. Let me just say that I miss academic writing sometimes!

I’ve been doing well in most of my classes grades-wise, and I feel confident about the exam I took tonight.  Let’s hope this trend keeps up for my finance midterm!

My grad assistantship also keeps me busy. I help coordinate events, like open houses and speaker series.  I’m also helping out with the MPA 40th Anniversary Gala and the search for a new faculty member.  I’m only there 15 hours a week, but I feel like I cram 40 hours of work into that 15 hours.

Finally, I made some life decisions this week! I decided to apply for a certificate in public finance and budgeting. I came in to the MPA program thinking of focusing in nonprofit management, but over the past few weeks I’ve come to realize that my employment outcomes will probably be better if I do public finance. UConn has the number 7 ranked public finance program in the country (in terms of MPA programs), and the public finance grads tend to do better job wise.

Even if I take this path, I can still work in the nonprofit world or in government, and I can still help people.  I’ll just be more marketable.  And I can always do the grad certificate in nonprofit management after I finish my MPA if I decide it’s something I need.

 

 

Grad school!

I am officially done with week 2 of graduate school! I basically dove right in last week and have been going nonstop ever since.

For those of you who haven’t talked to me lately, I’m pursuing my Masters in Public Administration (MPA), which is like a hybrid of an MBA and a Master’s in Public Policy. Basically, I’m learning skills that will help me pursue a career in the public sector, whether in government or in nonprofits.

So why did I choose this degree? My liberal arts education gave me a great foundation for my career–strong writing skills, presentation skills, research and analysis skills, etc. However, through my AmeriCorps VISTA service, I realized that I needed more quantitative skills in order to move forward in my career. It was also the right timing to go back to school in my personal life.

Right now I’m taking four courses:

• Public Budgeting and Finance
• Intro to Public Policy
• Quantitative Methods (ie STATS)
• Analytic Tools for Public Problems (ie MICROECONOMICS)

Since I haven’t had any math in 6 years, save for when I was prepping for the GRE, it’s been a little tough. I know it’s going to be a lot of work, but I’m ready. Much readier than I would have been if I’d come straight out of undergrad.

I’m also working 15 hours per week as a graduate assistant/work study student .I’m mainly coordinating events, like open houses and the department speaker series, but I’m also helping screen applicants for a senior faculty search. Come winter I’ll probably help out with recruitment for students for the program. (Yes, my VISTA Leader skills translate! That was a relief).

In other news, my family vacation to Disney World rocked! I got Minnie Mouse ears. They’re sequined. And awesome. The end.

Transitions

I got my graduate assistant paperwork in the mail yesterday, and filled out my first 1-9 and W-4 in almost 3 years–since I filled out my last Kimball forms. I’m official, bitch!

It finally started to hit me that I’ll be leaving NHEAVP soon.  This year has really flown by, and I’ve grown so much both professionally and personally. Part of me wants to stay on for another year to see the great plans we developed this year come to fruition. The other part of me knows that I need to move on to this next adventure.  I finally got used to waking up early and spending 8 hours in an office, and I have to prepare myself for schoolwork.

It helps that I have plans moving forward, and that I don’t have too much to worry about financially because my graduate assistantship gives me a stipend and tuition waiver (plus, 2 ed awards). I also just used a chunk of ed award to pay my fee bill and dropped $400 on textbook purchases and rentals. That’s basically all I have to spend this semester for school.

Things are definitely changing for the better, and i’m so excited to start school!

UNRELATED: Check the new layout!

Miss me?

Yes, I went off the grid there for awhile. Between recruiting at work, suffering some serious anxiety, and attempting to amp up my fitness routine, my blog fell by the wayside.  Here’s some quick updates as to what’s been going on with me:

• Interviewed over 50 candidates and selected 15 VISTAs for our 7 host sites!
• Selected my two successors as VISTA Leader! 
• Watched way too many episodes of the Real Housewives (New Jersey and OC)
• Got way too in to Instagram
• Became addicted to Candy Crush Saga (I’m stuck on level 201)
• Facilitated an orientation
• Made a sweet tie dye t shirt at our end of service event
• Celebrated a 100th birthday!
• Registered for grad school classes (best registration ever–did it during the middle of the day and got all my classes with no freezing or cursing)
• Cried about how awful the Mets are 
• VISTA missed my pay day
• VISTA finally paid me 
• Overheard a hostage situation in my neighborhood (Well, from far away)
• Watched my sister graduate college and my brother graduate high school
• Got a flat tire and purchased a whole new set of tires!
• Went to a German dancing festival 
• Marathoned the Office on Netflix.

Now you’re caught up.  Feel better?

Grad school updates!

Now that my office has a 2 hour delay…here’s some updates about my grad apps!

I got into Brandeis two weeks ago for the Master of Public Policy Program! Because of my AmeriCorps affiliation, they offered me a $20k merit scholarship…which covered only about half of tuition. I was super pumped to get in, but I knew I couldn’t afford to move to Boston and take out any more student loans. Sadface.

THEN…the UConn MPA saga. At open house, grad students told me that the admissions committee was meeting on March 4th and notifying applicants that day. March 4th and 5th passed, no answer. I went to a class on March 5th, and the program director told me they were meeting March 6th and notifying applicants THAT day.

So when March 6th passed with no word, I immediately assumed I didn’t get in and had a major meltdown at home.  I basically didn’t sleep and woke up at 5:30 in the morning. For those of you that know me, you know that I NEVER EVER WAKE UP THAT EARLY .

I called UConn in the morning yesterday and got no answer, and I assumed that they were giving me the dip.  I called again like a crazy person in the afternoon and finally got answers!

I was accepted into the MPA program with a graduate assistantship! I get a full tuition waiver + stipend, meaning I can save my 2 Segal ed awards for another day.

Also, the Department of Public Policy campus is RIGHT NEAR A NOODLES AND COMPANY. I’m in heaven.

ETA: My sister got into the MSW Program at UConn and my brother passed his Eagle Scout Board of Review! This has been a really good week.