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!