Well, it’s that time: the syllabi are posted and students have returned to campus. Soon, long summer days will turn into crisp mornings and brisk nights. That’s right– it’s the start of the semester. The start of a new semester for me is a moment of reflection– a moment to meditate on how I’ve done things in the past, which in turn informs how I set goals for myself in the future.

This semester in particular is very special to me. It’s my last semester of coursework as a Ph.D student, so things are set up a little differently than they have been for the last two years. In the past, I have taken three classes per semester, but in this last go around, I’ll only take two. The two classes I’m taking are a perfect fit for me: Introduction to the Digital Humanities and Critical Race Theory and Education. With the extra time, I will start to prepare for my Comprehensive Exams (Comps), which will tentatively take place in May 2019. And, if you’ve been following along, I will be completing my assistantship this year with the Lemon Project .

Given how much I have to accomplish this semester, I thought it would be a productive exercise to make my goals public, which might encourage me to hold myself more accountable as I go through this semester. So, here are my goals:

1. Get through this last semester of coursework in one piece. I’ve done such a great job making my way through my classes for the last four semesters, and it’s amazing that I can celebrate yet another milestone along this process: my last first day of classes. The goal is not to be perfect, but to successfully complete these last two courses. To me, this means that I will do the readings, complete all the assignments, do the final papers/projects and most importantly I will do the best that I can in that moment, no matter what the final grade is.
2. Finalize my Comps Committee. I had a snafu with someone who I assumed would be willing to be on my committee and therefore had to quickly scramble to find someone to replace him. Fortunately, I have found someone to replace him with, but I need to confirm that the replacement will be willing to work with and examine me.
3. Set a date for my Comps Colloquium. Colloqs in my program are simply a formality; one must set a meeting with all the members of the committee and agree that the set of lists I come into the meeting with will be the final lists which I will be examined on. It is also the moment to set the date for my examination, which I hope will happen in mid to late May 2019.
4. Start reading for Comps. This one will be hard, especially when I have readings for coursework to do, and an assistantship to prepare for each week. However, the more that I read now, the less stressed I will be come December when it’s really time to buckle down and start reading about a book or two a day.
5. Prioritize my health. I mean all manners of my health. If I’m physically ill, I’m going to rest until I feel better and I won’t put off doctor appointments. I’m going to prioritize my mental health by making sure I’m eating properly, staying hydrated, taking breaks, and remembering to treat myself generally like a human and not a lean mean grad school machine. I’m also going to prioritize my fitness, and instead of laying in bed watching all of my favorite CW shows, I think I’ll take my iPad to the gym and walk on the treadmill while I watch instead.
6. I am going to prioritize my joy. I think my own happiness comes second to literally anything grad school related. This year, I’m shifting my mindset. I’m going to do more of what makes me happy, whether it’s making art, knitting or crocheting, baking, writing, or spending time with friends and family, I plan on incorporating that into my daily life.
7. I am going to write again. In full transparency, I started the semester off with a series of rejections. I finally worked up the courage to write stories that I was ready to share with the world, so I submitted them to literary magazines, and was rejected from both publications. Again, in full transparency, I’m going to be sad, I’m going to wallow, and I’m going to sulk for a while, but ultimately, I am going to write again. I am going to try to get published again. All I’ve ever wanted was to see my name in print and I deserve to have that feeling. Someone, somewhere, is waiting to read my words.
8. I am going to spend more time with people. After the initial shock of how lonely grad school was, I got used to spending almost all of my time by myself. Aside from classes, I rarely see anyone. It’s partially grad school, partially my super introverted nature, and partially my social anxiety. Case in point– I went out with friends a few evenings ago and stayed out for a long time, much longer than usual for me, and my friends definitely mentioned it. The only reason it came up is because I usually isolate myself, but I was having such a good time that I wondered why I didn’t want that sort of interaction more often. Especially with Comps coming up, I think it’s more important than ever to make sure I’m seeking out healthy, mutually supportive friendships.

I think the most productive thing to do at the start of every semester is to sit down and make goals for yourself. Whether or not you follow through is up to you; at least you did make a concerted effort to better yourself, and were at one point committed to those goals. Now that I’ve shared my goals with you, I encourage you to write down your own list of goals and keep them somewhere visible so you can check in and note your progress every now and then.

Happy Grad Schooling!

P.S. Leave a comment down below with your top three goals for the semester!