Saturday, March 15, 2008

The 2nd Year Slump

It's the end of the quarter and finals are next week. I'm deep in the 2nd year slump. Apparently, this condition is so common that a phrase has been coined to describe it. To me, being in grad school is like being on a hamster wheel. The work is never ending, and when I take a break, I feel guilty. Anyway, I have felt the slump on and off this year. Most of us are plagued with the nagging feeling that grad school may not be the right path, but for some of us, the nagging feeling is louder and more difficult to ignore. I'm working on my qualifying paper right now, and my adviser is pleased that I seem to be on the right track and moving along just fine in the program. However, there is this nagging feeling inside of me that wonders if academia is the life that I want. I'm not sure if the never ending cycle of teaching, researching, and publishing is the life for me. While teaching and doing research is important, I'm not sure if this is the way that I want to leave my mark on society.

In happy news: I made coconut cupcakes and brownies last week. They put a smile on everyone's faces. Ever seen the movie 'Stranger than Fiction'? Well, there is this character that quit law school to open up her own bakery. Actually, I think she failed out of law school because she spent so much time baking for her study groups. There is this little part of me that wonders if I'd be happy and fulfilled by baking yummy goodies that will put smiles on people's faces. Anyway, I'm on a mission to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipe, so let me know if you have a good one for me to try.

Last night, my friend Chris and I went to see the UCI Men's Basketball team play UC Santa Barbara in the Big West semi final game. We won, so tonight we will be playing Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Championship game. If we beat Fullerton tonight, we will go on to the NCAA tournament, a first for UCI. This is exciting, and one of my current students plays for UCI, so I have a personal connection to the team. Tonight, my friends and I are going up to Anaheim to cheer on the Anteaters. Keep your fingers crossed, and think happy thoughts for UCI!

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