I'm sorry I didn't write this post on the actual day, but... well. I've been nineteen since 25 April! Rebz and her family drove down from New York to see me, so I got to spend the afternoon with them. It was really nice... this is my first birthday away from my family-- I've had birthdays away from home before, obviously, but never one without my parents, and very very few, at least recently, without the Wesners, Brendon, Trevor, and the Bitondos. So I knew this was going to be different... but it's nice to have some old faces around. I finally got to introduce Rebz to everybody, we went out for dinner with Kaira, and at some point, we drove on a sidewalk. Fun stuff. A surprise party was also planned somewhere along the line, and... well. I was a little more than surprised.
So... that was my Monday. Sorry if that was awkwardly explained... it was a busy day, to say the least. The rest of the week has been wonderful... busy, but... it's been fun. I feel like I should be under more stress, but I just feel completely in my element. I had my final paper in Historic Preservation due on Thursday (which I managed to finish sometime late on Wednesday night), and my final papers in European History and Russian/Soviet History due on Friday (I had "finished" my Euro paper on Tuesday, but I made some changes on Thursday night after my professor looked it over for me. The Russian History paper got done about four hours before class). My final project for Art History is due on Monday, and to be honest, that is really what I should be working on right now. I have an American History paper to write for this coming Thursday, but I'm not too worried about that. We can choose any topic we'd like, so I think I'm going to do something with French-British-American relations. There's a lot to go on, from the revolution, to 1812, to the World Wars... I'll have to narrow it down to the pre-Civil War years, as that's all the class covers (and if I don't, I'll be writing a book. Or several), so we'll see how that goes.
Oh! And I have some rather exciting news... Professor Fraser (my professor for Russian and European History)... well. I'll just quote part of the email for you.
"I have been mightily impressed with your levels of analysis and your work ethic this semester. If you have any interest in it, I would invite you to take my Stalinism seminar (HIS 342) next fall. It’s generally for juniors and seniors, but I suspect your brain could use more of a challenge than you are getting in freshmen-level classes. We will do more specialized historiographical readings and discuss them, but overall the point of the seminar is for students to go off and do their own 20-25-page research paper. Starting early, we’ll do several drafts and workshop papers among each other, with some presentations and peer review along the way. You always write solid drafts, but in terms of learning about shaping your writing, I think you would benefit from working on a single project all semester, and drafting and re-drafting it. Up to you, though, and certainly, no pressure!"
I met with her about it after class on Friday, and... it sounds really great. Of course, it could be a disaster-- it could be too much for me; I could flunk out and ruin my GPA, and not be able to get into the year-long Oxford program... but I've decided that I'm taking it. She's right about needing more of a challenge. And I need to take three seminars before I graduate-- if I am gone for all of my junior year, that's going to be a problem. So if I get a chance to take a seminar early, I'm taking it. I really like the idea of committing to a project for the entire semester as well. And there's the fact that Professor Fraser is the best professor I've had here: I really enjoy being in her classes, and I have a lot of respect for her. She's somebody I hope I become like later on... I also have to admit that this is all very pleasing to my ever-growing ego. I'd be lying if I said that didn't factor into the decision-making process at all. I mean, I wish I could say that the decision was made purely according to logic, but there's quite a lot of the whole "somebody thinks I'm smart!" thing going on... that's probably not healthy.
Anyway.
It's... just nice to feel like everything I've done this semester has paid off. Recognition is always nice.
So... to summarize: I'm nineteen, I got to see one of my best friends, I've been working on final projects all week, and my professor thinks I'm good enough to take a senior-level class in my sophomore year. I'm happy.
Well... I'm getting back to my Art History project. My love to all,
Tasha
Oh! And I have some rather exciting news... Professor Fraser (my professor for Russian and European History)... well. I'll just quote part of the email for you.
"I have been mightily impressed with your levels of analysis and your work ethic this semester. If you have any interest in it, I would invite you to take my Stalinism seminar (HIS 342) next fall. It’s generally for juniors and seniors, but I suspect your brain could use more of a challenge than you are getting in freshmen-level classes. We will do more specialized historiographical readings and discuss them, but overall the point of the seminar is for students to go off and do their own 20-25-page research paper. Starting early, we’ll do several drafts and workshop papers among each other, with some presentations and peer review along the way. You always write solid drafts, but in terms of learning about shaping your writing, I think you would benefit from working on a single project all semester, and drafting and re-drafting it. Up to you, though, and certainly, no pressure!"
I met with her about it after class on Friday, and... it sounds really great. Of course, it could be a disaster-- it could be too much for me; I could flunk out and ruin my GPA, and not be able to get into the year-long Oxford program... but I've decided that I'm taking it. She's right about needing more of a challenge. And I need to take three seminars before I graduate-- if I am gone for all of my junior year, that's going to be a problem. So if I get a chance to take a seminar early, I'm taking it. I really like the idea of committing to a project for the entire semester as well. And there's the fact that Professor Fraser is the best professor I've had here: I really enjoy being in her classes, and I have a lot of respect for her. She's somebody I hope I become like later on... I also have to admit that this is all very pleasing to my ever-growing ego. I'd be lying if I said that didn't factor into the decision-making process at all. I mean, I wish I could say that the decision was made purely according to logic, but there's quite a lot of the whole "somebody thinks I'm smart!" thing going on... that's probably not healthy.
Anyway.
It's... just nice to feel like everything I've done this semester has paid off. Recognition is always nice.
So... to summarize: I'm nineteen, I got to see one of my best friends, I've been working on final projects all week, and my professor thinks I'm good enough to take a senior-level class in my sophomore year. I'm happy.
Well... I'm getting back to my Art History project. My love to all,
Tasha
Natasha!
ReplyDeletePlease send me an e-mail when you can :D
Love from a sun lighten Spain