Ok, well part of it is this frigid cold...I mean really, shouldn't the whole city just shut down if it requires people to walk around in this? But my cheeks would still be red even if it were 50 degrees. After blogging last week about how awful it was to look for a job and blah, blah, I have a confession to make. Not more than three days later I was offered a job. And not just A job, but THE job I really wanted. I kind of got a jump on the whole "job-search" process and applied for a job in November with the University of Minnesota's Cancer Center - Biostatistics Core. And yes, feel free to note that I applied in November and was offered the job in late January - it was a LONG process, but well worth it! My official title will be "Research Fellow" and I will serve as a statistical consultant (after some training) for researchers associated with the Cancer Center. And let me tell you, they do some AMAZING research - www.cancer.umn.edu/about. I will start the job in mid-June (after a little necessary vacation when I graduate) and I could not be more excited!
So, since I can no longer complain about the process, I figured I would give a little insight.
(1) Start early, particularly if you have some strong opinions about where you want to work.
(2) Make connects and build relationships with people NOW and throughout your graduate school career - one of my references is a world-renowned researcher and I'm sure having his backing was very helpful in getting this job!
(3) Use your resources. Barb Laporte, of the SPH Career Services, commented on my blog from last week offering to help me with the process. Now I have to admit that I really didn't know anything about the Career Services Center until that point, but I hope you will take advantage of what they offer. She is very willing to help with resumes and cover letters AND even mock interviews. She is available for email review of your resume and/or cover letter (blaporte@umn.edu) and for appointments as well. The Career Resource Center also has books and DVDs to help with the process! Lastly, she said she loves to provide moral support - which is sometimes the most important part! Even if you don't choose to use these great services, enlist a favorite professor or roommate or friend to help...if you are anything like me, it's a little hard to "sell yourself" but it is necessary, particularly in the current market. But you can do it!
Now that we all have had week one of classes under our belts, shifted our course schedules ( I had to play the Drop/Add game) , and acclimated to student life once again, it's time to move on to more important things: Breaking the World Record for longest game of TWISTER.
This saturday, February 2, Intermedia Arts (www.intermediaarts.org) is having a gigantic fundraiser gala event featuring a gaggle of artists, musicians, and scores of fantastic events. One of these will be a giant game of twister in which they are turning their entire theater space into a giant twister board, and I have been asked to be a 'featured player' to partake in this marathon of a game.
Is 'World Record Holder' something you can put on your CV?
Check out the evets at http://www.intermediaarts.org/pages/special/love_rox.php
St. Paul Winter Carnival
Daily from January 23 - February 3
Price: free
Go to www.winter-carnival.com or call 651.223.4700 for more information.
Word of the Day, Tuesday January 29, 2008 (dictionary.com):
sylvan \SIL-vuhn\, adjective:
1. Of or pertaining to woods or forest regions.
2. Living or located in a wood or forest.
3. Abounding in forests or trees; wooded.
noun:
1. A fabled deity or spirit of the woods.
2. One that lives in or frequents the woods or forest; a rustic.
Week at-a-glance (weather.com):
Wed Jan 30
Partly Cloudy
3°/-3° 20%
Thu Jan 31
Mostly Cloudy
13°/5° 20%
Fri Feb 1
Mostly Cloudy
25°/17° 10%
Protect Your Plants From the Cold
Sat Feb 2
Few Snow Showers
26°/6° 30%
Sun Feb 3
Mostly Cloudy
28°/20° 10%
Mon Feb 4
Few Snow Showers
28°/16° 30%
Protect Your Plants From the Cold
The start of term should not have taken me by surprise--I have been anticipating it for at least a month. And here we are, in the second week. The second week of my final semester as a Master's student. Hopefully. And by hopefully, I mean that I hope I can get my master's project off the ground in order to graduate by May, survive three courses, work approx. 25 hours per week, while flying all over the country. I'm currently on my lunch break, to briefly catch you all up on my spaztic life.
My Master's Project has in fact been approved!
Would you like to know the title of my master's project? [and too bad if you could care less...:P...]
A gender comparison of tobacco use and psychosocial risk factors among urban youth in India
If you are curious to know more, see the extended entry for a portion of the proposal - minus tricky details....
I had a great procrastinator's weekend - including having a wonderful time ice skating for Nicole's bday....I haven't done that in 12 whole years....! Here's [are] a few snapshots to serve as evidence that I still make room for fun amid the craziness of grad life....
It's nice to be back! I mean who really needs free time to catch up on good TV shows, going out with friends and just working 40 hours a week? I mean, I was totally bored. Really, I did do some cool stuff over break. One, I bought a MacBook laptop. This is a big deal because a) that was all the money I had b) I've been a PC girl till now and c) it's a freaking laptop! Now I can look as cool as my classmates with my slick white MacBook. I do really like it though. It is cute. Another thing I've accomplished during the time off was starting boxing lessons. I've joined the Uppercut boxing gym in Northeast Minneapolis for a few weeks and am taking classes there. It's seriously about the most intensely fun thing I've ever done in my whole life. It's aggressive but you really have to think about what you're doing. I have by no means really 'gotten' it yet but it's so fun I'll keep it up for sure. It's about all I think about and all I want to do. Maybe someday I'll spar...
CLASSES! It's started again. This has been one of those semesters where my schedule has depended on external factors. I've ben trying to get a field experience set up. I was offered a position at the Minnesota Dietetic Association where I'd get to be a part of actual legislation and policy processes. And proper nutrition is something I feel very strongly about being accessible to everyone. Then, I have an interview with MOAPPP (Minnesota Organization of Adolescent Pregnancy Planning and Parenting) which is in the sexual health realm and a true passion of mine. I am really interested in both but I feel like it's going to end up being a logistical reason I have to make a choice. I (somewhat stupidly) decided to take 9 credits this semester while working 32 hours a week and getting an internship.
The 9 credit situation was sort of accidental but I have to run with it. I need to take Community Health Assessment (and want to because it might be the last class I have with my whole cohort) and Biostats. It's too early to quite tell how they're going to go but Biostats is not a class that facilitates a whole lot of discussion but I know the info will be relevant. The exciting thing that happened to me yesterday involved my friend Ann that always finds interesting lectures to attend. She invited me to a viewing of a movie called 'Homo Sapiens 1900' which is about the history of Eugenics. It sounded really cool so I went and it was such an interesting subject and discussion!! It can be taken as a Public Health course or a history course. So I decided to take it. It is working in conjuncture with the exhibit at the Science Museum called 'Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race.' It seems like it would be most relevant to take this class now. So, this semester, I have 9 hours of class of Thursdays. I will have to remind myself that it was totally my choice. I think the Eugenics course will be so fascinating that I won't even notice, though.
Wish me luck on my internship decision next week! I'm off to Memory Lanes blowing alley tonight where they set up a little stage on the lanes and bands play. Tonight it's the Hasbeen.
It's nice to be back! I mean who really needs free time to catch up on good TV shows, going out with friends and just working 40 hours a week? I mean, I was totally bored. Really, I did do some cool stuff over break. One, I bought a MacBook laptop. This is a big deal because a) that was all the money I had b) I've been a PC girl till now and c) it's a freaking laptop! Now I can look as cool as my classmates with my slick white MacBook. I do really like it though. It is cute. Another thing I've accomplished during the time off was starting boxing lessons. I've joined the Uppercut boxing gym in Northeast Minneapolis for a few weeks and am taking classes there. It's seriously about the most intensely fun thing I've ever done in my whole life. It's aggressive but you really have to think about what you're doing. I have by no means really 'gotten' it yet but it's so fun I'll keep it up for sure. It's about all I think about and all I want to do. Maybe someday I'll spar...
CLASSES! It's started again. This has been one of those semesters where my schedule has depended on external factors. I've ben trying to get a field experience set up. I was offered a position at the Minnesota Dietetic Association where I'd get to be a part of actual legislation and policy processes. And proper nutrition is something I feel very strongly about being accessible to everyone. Then, I have an interview with MOAPPP (Minnesota Organization of Adolescent Pregnancy Planning and Parenting) which is in the sexual health realm and a true passion of mine. I am really interested in both but I feel like it's going to end up being a logistical reason I have to make a choice. I (somewhat stupidly) decided to take 9 credits this semester while working 32 hours a week and getting an internship.
The 9 credit situation was sort of accidental but I have to run with it. I need to take Community Health Assessment (and want to because it might be the last class I have with my whole cohort) and Biostats. It's too early to quite tell how they're going to go but Biostats is not a class that facilitates a whole lot of discussion but I know the info will be relevant. The exciting thing that happened to me yesterday involved my friend Ann that always finds interesting lectures to attend. She invited me to a viewing of a movie called 'Homo Sapiens 1900' which is about the history of Eugenics. It sounded really cool so I went and it was such an interesting subject and discussion!! It can be taken as a Public Health course or a history course. So I decided to take it. It is working in conjuncture with the exhibit at the Science Museum called 'Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race.' It seems like it would be most relevant to take this class now. So, this semester, I have 9 hours of class of Thursdays. I will have to remind myself that it was totally my choice. I think the Eugenics course will be so fascinating that I won't even notice, though.
Wish me luck on my internship decision next week! I'm off to Memory Lanes blowing alley tonight where they set up a little stage on the lanes and bands play. Tonight it's the Hasbeen.
Hello everyone! I made it back from some time in Wisconsin and lots of time sleeping to start my LAST semester as a master's student at the U of MN. And let me just say...it is COLD! I know it will be warming up this weekend, but the endless, freezing walks between classes and my RA are getting really old. I had a wonderful break but I think I'm ready to get back at it. I just have two classes this semester and the remaining credits to make me full-time are for working on (and hopefully completing) my master's thesis/plan B project. I got a good start on it last semester and seem to be plowing along, on track to graduate in May.
With my "spare" time I also need to look for a job, which is proving to be a daunting task. I feel as though it is early enough that I can be a little picky in what types of jobs I want, but when it comes down to it, I'm scared. If there was a well-paying "Professional Student" job, I would be all over it. Being a student has been my life for the past 20 years, I think I have it down. But in May, I will be done with school and (hopefully) starting my career. My mind is filled with doubts... sometimes I am convinced I know nothing about statistics. Other days, I feel well qualified to take on anything (in particular, I thought that a few days again when I saw that the University of Minnesota's Biostatistics program is now rated #5 in the country, WOW!) I can't be totally useless if I graduate from this program, right???
I'm sure you will hear more about my job hunt throughout the semester. For right now, I'm going to go back to work on a project for my RA and my plan B...no more lazy weekends!
Hello everyone and happy new year. I'm back from my winter break which I spent in Ohio and Wisconsin. I actually got myself stuck in Wisconsin, but to tell you about that lets go back to last year.
I went to Ohio for my friend's wedding, and for his bachelor party (on Dec. 28th), one of the groomsmen decided that we should play broomball. For those not familiar with this game, broomball is like hockey, only without he skates, played on ice, and instead of puck there is a grapefruit-sized ball, along with sticks with stubby plastic ends that you strike the ball with. When I found out that we were playing this game, two days before the wedding, I had a bad feeling. I told my friend Scott as we were driving to the game "I know somebody is going to get hurt." So ten minutes go by in the game and it's fun. The ball is rolling my way and I wind up to slap it towards the goal. I swing, and in my follow-through my feet slip out from under me (it is ice, believe it or not it's slippery) and as this happens I feel a distinct pop in my right knee. I hit the ice hard, get up quickly trying to shake off the fall, but in doing so I know something is wrong. I limp off the ice and my knee swells quickly.
Now I'll summarize. The knee had been dislocated and popped back into place, in the process chipping some bone. I was on crutches for my friend's wedding and new years (not to mention percocet), rehabbed at home in Wisconsin, and was finally able enough to drive myself, nearly a month after the fall, back here to the cities. Also during that time, my mom fell and broke her wrist and needed surgery, and the Packers lost in OT to the Giants in the NFC Championship. How do you think I feel?
So it could have been a better winter break, but I do feel recharged for this, my final semester. Oh yeah, I should mention I passed all of my classes last semester, just in case you doubted me. Now all that is left is three classes and my master's project. The three classes are the following:
PubH 6020 - Social and Behavioral Science
PubH 6741 - Ethics: Practice and Policy
PubH 6726 - Medical Device Industry
And of course there is the Master's Project Seminar that meets every other week, just to make sure we're not falling behind. Next week when I have more of an impression of these courses I'll write about them.
Until then, I'm going to keep working on the master's project before these classes and a job search start to demand more of my time.
Good to be back. See you around the blog.
Well, it's that time again when we must turn off the televisions in the evenings, say 'no' to happy hour invitations, and muster up the self-discipline to crack the books open and study! study! study! Today was like jumping into a freezing lake: SHOCKING!
I'm taking the following classes:
Mass Communication & Public Health,
Children's Health: Issues & Policies,
Healthcare Systems and Public Health, and
Masters Thesis
Next week I begin rehearsals for a series of performances at the National Theater of Budapest come early March, which is very exciting, but juggling work, rehearsals, and school work definitely takes its toll...
This week our research team is currently working on abstract submissions for the Internation AIDS Conference in Mexico City in August, in addition to the American Public Health Association's annual conference in October. I'm excited to attend these truly great conferences.
I am having the best long break ever. After the continuous craziness activities for my youth group at church during Christmas, I am basically just enjoying my school-free life now. I have done lot of excessive sleeping and relaxing these days. I also done lots of shopping over the break and now I am in somewhat in a guilty stage for spending too much money on unnecessary purchases.
Well, to be honest with you, I am not that all school-free; although I want to think I am, but indeed I have plenty of things to catch up. Like other second year student, I have to work on my master project and find a field experience very soon. On top of that, I still need to finish my Phd application and other summer internship applications. Also, perhaps you already know that I am also involved in many other organizations; therefore, more work keep filing up. I don’t think anyone is as busy as a graduate student; especially like me, I don’t know how to say no to things. I think my two weeks of relaxing is terminated today and I am ready charge these tasks. I am having severe symptoms of senioritis and it is very hard for me to work these days, but well, I will have to push myself extra extra hard.
That are my updates for now; I hope everyone is enjoying this long break before another semester arrive. Sleep and go out as much as you can now before the break is over. See you all later.
Last modified on Monday Jul 02, 2007