This week was orientation week - the week before my first week at the University of Auckland as a postgrad student. I was only there for about three hours but, wow, it felt so different to being an undergrad! There were so few of us spread out inside the tiniest lecture theatre, and the majority of the English Induction attendees were either in the wrong place (all the MCW-ers who clearly hadn't read their emails properly, which is probably why they are doing creative writing rather than literature...) or were lecturers or past students there to talk to us about what this year entails.
I am aware that a fair few of this year's honours students weren't present, as a friend of mine forgot to show his face. Yet, the sum total of the attendees will probably be quite equal in amount to them all. I feel like I am back in primary school with one small class of twenty or so students that are stuck together for the entire year. And, no, I'm not dreading that fact. I am looking forward to it so very much I think I might burst. The past students seemed so cool; if only I'd started a year early!
And of that tiny bunch, three were gingers! My obsession with that fiery hair colour really needs to be kept under control or I will probably make no friends this year. I am strongly considering dying my hair ginger, though. Almost a costume or a uniform of quirky english honours students, or so I feel.
There were only two fellow English honours students I recognised in that lecture theatre. One I have spoken to briefly before and have seen frequently in my courses, the other I have seen occasionally but I don't believe we have ever spoken. They both seem far more intelligent than myself, but I just need to keep telling myself that if I can make it into this programme, I must be able to succeed at it! Positive thinking.
Don't even get me started on the crazy things we heard about one of the papers in which I am enrolled! According to an email I received recently, English 777 'Pedagogy and Performance' is "a class whose design and assignments you co-create" and the English postgraduate advisor mentioned a certain kickboxing ring that would turn up at some point during this semester for this same paper. Watch this space! It is things like this that make me very glad that I couldn't do Linguistics Honours and chose to stay back at Auckland for at least one more year.
This is the gigantic chocolate brownie I got from Strata Cafe - a cafe specifically for postgrad students like me! They give 25% off to postgrad students with a special sticker so I need to get this sticker ASAP! :) :)
Now I should probably get back to the one downside to honours: reading. Lots and lots of reading.
Oh well, I better get used to it!
次回まで,
Caitlin
I am aware that a fair few of this year's honours students weren't present, as a friend of mine forgot to show his face. Yet, the sum total of the attendees will probably be quite equal in amount to them all. I feel like I am back in primary school with one small class of twenty or so students that are stuck together for the entire year. And, no, I'm not dreading that fact. I am looking forward to it so very much I think I might burst. The past students seemed so cool; if only I'd started a year early!
And of that tiny bunch, three were gingers! My obsession with that fiery hair colour really needs to be kept under control or I will probably make no friends this year. I am strongly considering dying my hair ginger, though. Almost a costume or a uniform of quirky english honours students, or so I feel.
There were only two fellow English honours students I recognised in that lecture theatre. One I have spoken to briefly before and have seen frequently in my courses, the other I have seen occasionally but I don't believe we have ever spoken. They both seem far more intelligent than myself, but I just need to keep telling myself that if I can make it into this programme, I must be able to succeed at it! Positive thinking.
Don't even get me started on the crazy things we heard about one of the papers in which I am enrolled! According to an email I received recently, English 777 'Pedagogy and Performance' is "a class whose design and assignments you co-create" and the English postgraduate advisor mentioned a certain kickboxing ring that would turn up at some point during this semester for this same paper. Watch this space! It is things like this that make me very glad that I couldn't do Linguistics Honours and chose to stay back at Auckland for at least one more year.
This is the gigantic chocolate brownie I got from Strata Cafe - a cafe specifically for postgrad students like me! They give 25% off to postgrad students with a special sticker so I need to get this sticker ASAP! :) :)
Now I should probably get back to the one downside to honours: reading. Lots and lots of reading.
Oh well, I better get used to it!
次回まで,
Caitlin
