second semester of grad school reflection

I’m officially done with grad school! It’s been two weeks since I graduated. Second semester was much harder and way more stressful. My health had some major dips and finishing my master’s project was anxiety-inducing. But I also got to go to Ireland (mostly for free!) and it was an absolute delight! I’m so excited to share with you what I learned from grad school and reflect on these moments that defined this short season of my life.

What I learned in my second semester of grad school

Be in the moment

Journalism is a high stakes industry, and it’s easy to just work on a story for the sake of knowing something else is down the pipeline. What is most enjoyable is finally being at the point where you secured your sources and you’ve prepared to meet with them. Then, it all flows from there.

The program was only 9 months, which feels super long when you’re living it, and it’s a blink of an eye compared to a whole lifespan. Being present with friends is what made grad school more fun and enjoyable for me.

You get grace when you need it

When it comes to doing hard things like writing out a feature story or endlessly trying to find sources who can say yes to your short timeline (because you’re never given enough time), you get grace. But only when you need it. Not a moment before. Which means that when you can’t imagine getting it done, it’s because that’s not the time for the grace to come. The grace to complete the task always came when I needed it to.

You will find yourself doing things you said you never would do

I ended up in Queens doing a video story. There was absolutely no way when I started grad school that I wanted to do any reporting so far away from my house, let alone do video work. I did international reporting. Somehow I co-wrote a story for Ireland. I did three video projects, and also did some on-camera work. Surprisingly, I got honors for my history class, and pitched a decently viable idea for my business class. Journalism school is a wild thing.

Hobbies are lifesavers

Friends are so wonderful and necessary, but I really needed my daily decompression time on my commute home. I would either have a physical book or use Kindle on my tablet to read. I read Wolf Hall at the start of the year, the whole of the Vampire Academy series, and a few delightful mysteries. Reading has always been a key part of my life, but it was instrumental in keeping my mental health in check when I felt anxious about assignments.

Stress has a huge impact on health

Unfortunately, I had some health issues come up this semester. I fully believe that our bodies are way more connected to our minds than we realize. I had some weird things happen in first semester, but second semester was next level. Take good care of yourself. Get the sleep you need. Go to the doctor. Drink water. Eat healthy meals. Grad school really stressed me out, even though I was sleeping more and I drank less caffeine than I had in undergrad and still my body was not okay.

You have to continue to discern – where am I going next?

This is a major frustration for me. Everytime you walk through one door, you have to figure out where you’re going next. For some people, it’s really exciting to get to make a new decision all the time. For me, it’s exhausting and mentally draining. I wish God would just make the choices for me with no waiting, and I could just go right onto the next season with nothing to think about.

Pay attention to what repeats – it’s often God speaking

I was talking to a mentor/friend Hannah and it was such a lovely conversation that reminded me of my college days lingering in the Study Center kitchen and hearing people talk about God. We were talking about discernment and she was urging me to pay attention to what repeats. In my early walk with God, this would happen often. A scripture or a song would repeat and it would remind me of God. I just appreciated the urging to pay attention. So often we forget that attention is what God longs for.

These are the lessons from my second semester of grad school! I learned A TON, and hopefully will be putting these skills to use in the workforce. 

Signing off,

Gigi