A little lame, but worth the effort

I was just reading this article in the Chronicle when I had the idea to create a blog chronicling MY graduate school experience. I think this new generation of graduate students are going to have a whole different set of problems and opportunities than previous generations of graduates. Plus, for my own benefit, I would love to look back and remember these years. I have a tendency to forget the hard times and look back only with nostalgia. I already can only remember having barrels of fun during undergraduate school and have forgotten the stress that most definitely went along with it too. (What was stressful about undergraduate work? I honestly can't remember. And it was only two years ago - pathetic!) So to fix this problem and to remind myself of all the exciting things I'm learning, voila! I've created a blog.

If there's a community of fellow English graduate student bloggers.... I haven't found you yet but I hope to soon. I'm interested to read/hear about other's experience as well.

So that I can look back and laugh at my naivety, here's a list of my idealized graduate school expectations:

1) I begin graduate school fully prepared to be the best of the class and to immediately know what is going on in my classes. (This idealization has already self-destructed.)

2) I receive all A's and my professors love my writing. (Hasn't totally been annihilated yet, but that's probably because I haven't received any grades at this point)

3) I quickly get a position as a TA and love my experience teaching freshman (Not giving up on this one yet)

4) I decide on the topic that I want to specialize in (not sure if its the same one I stated in my letter of intent..... we'll see.)

5) I develop close relationships with my professors and fellow graduate students

6) I attend conferences where I read my papers and am recognized among the community of English scholars.

7) I achieve the requirements necessary to qualify to write a Thesis (3.7 GPA and approved Thesis proposal)

8) I graduate with high grades and with a job in line for teaching literature or composition at the college level. (Probably not going to happen in this economy, but you never know!)

9) As a back-up plan instead of teaching - I create my own tutoring business where I help students with composition, literary comprehension, college preparation exams and college planning. (Doesn't that sound like fun?)

10) And lastly, because I like even numbers, my husband (who will be a *hopefully* successful attorney at this point and has single-handedly paid off all my student loans [haha!] ) and I live happily in our dream home, enjoying life and family and the essential good book.

There's my highly idealized, picturesque dream for what graduate school will be like for me. I'm prepared to face numerous deviations, so here it goes!