I'm so close to being done with this semester, I'm almost to the point where I'm counting down hours. I've been so impossibly busy.
My exam went moderately well today. Ish. My grade is pretty high in that class, so I'm not incredibly concerned if I didn't get an A, and I'm pretty certain I didn't. But I had no homework yesterday! It was incredibly nice. I read a book instead.
I've been reading a lot lately. Having my kindle to carry around with me has been absolutely wonderful. I really love that thing. I don't think I appreciated my first kindle enough.
I keep running out of things to do at work. I finished a montage of EOH clips (which turned out pretty okay if I do say so myself), transcribed some things for Bill (because I actually like transcribing things--who knew?), interviewed four NSF graduate fellowship winners (and got them all together for a group picture; thank goodness for Doodle polls), and finished writing all of the bios for the award banquet program. I'll still be working through finals, it looks like, to finish a video for the banquet. Some of it will be new--a compilation of pictures that Bill is putting together for me--but it will also be a lot of our current videos sort of pasted together.
I really like video projects. They're tedious, but linear and defined. I always know the next step. And I feel like I have a good intuition for them.
Next semester I will have a lot of leadership roles. I'll be an intern for a freshman orientation class, possibly a physics TA, english show coordinator for the equestrian team, and president--that's right, president--of SWIP! Good thing my courses aren't too heavy! I actually really like the way my schedule is looking right now. Nice and spacious. Room to go riding and TA and tutor and stuff. Fun stuff!
I'm not sure if I should change the title of this blog once I go to Cornell. The "journalism" part won't really be relevant any more. But then I think I have to change the website URL too? Maybe I'll just keep this. If I decide to keep this blog after I'm done with this job for MechSE, I'll change the name. But I'm still working for Bill next semester and the semester after that! So it will definitely be a while. :)
CURRENTLY BEING BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE. The ramblings of a physicist-turned-freelance science writer forging a path toward adulthood.
26 April 2013
02 April 2013
I found a Cornellian!
I interviewed a graduate student today. Very nice. Won an NSF fellowship worth $30,000 a year towards his continuing education.
Yeah. I know. Took a while for my mouth to close.
Anyway, he went to Cornell! So I of course had to mention that I was going there (have I mentioned I’m going there? Have I mentioned how excited I am?), and he perked up quite a bit and talked to me about it for a little while. After that he was much more conversational (he had been a little bit shy before). I’m wondering if that’s a good interview technique or if that works with only a few people: sharing a little bit about yourself. It makes you seem more like a person and less like an online form (“Where did you get your undergraduate degree? _____ What field do you work in? _____ Do you plan on getting a PhD? Yes/No”).
AND Bill complimented me on the photos I took! I took kind of a funny angle pointing upward at the “MECHANICAL ENGINEERING BUILDING” title above the front door of the building, and it turned out really well. He wasn’t much of a smiler. I counted down and everything, but he kept the deadpan look. I guess that’s some people’s thing. He had a nice smile though! Why would people not smile in pictures? Seems silly to me.
I have to interview three more people—one of whom has not gotten back to me. Grr. Their blurb will have to be something short and stupid that I invent from the information on their LinkedIn page. Not my problem!
In all honesty, I’ll give them another email next week to make sure they’re not going to respond. After that, I’ll just post the article. Good to give second chances though. Especially since things can get lost in email so easily.
For example: one of the graduate students I have to interview emailed me back after I said I wanted to arrange a meeting, and added to the end: “By the way, your email notified me that I had won. The official email got labeled as spam. I'm glad you emailed or I may have not seen it for awhile.”
Ha! $30,000 a year, and he might not have seen it for a while! Ha!
Yeah. I know. Took a while for my mouth to close.
Anyway, he went to Cornell! So I of course had to mention that I was going there (have I mentioned I’m going there? Have I mentioned how excited I am?), and he perked up quite a bit and talked to me about it for a little while. After that he was much more conversational (he had been a little bit shy before). I’m wondering if that’s a good interview technique or if that works with only a few people: sharing a little bit about yourself. It makes you seem more like a person and less like an online form (“Where did you get your undergraduate degree? _____ What field do you work in? _____ Do you plan on getting a PhD? Yes/No”).
AND Bill complimented me on the photos I took! I took kind of a funny angle pointing upward at the “MECHANICAL ENGINEERING BUILDING” title above the front door of the building, and it turned out really well. He wasn’t much of a smiler. I counted down and everything, but he kept the deadpan look. I guess that’s some people’s thing. He had a nice smile though! Why would people not smile in pictures? Seems silly to me.
I have to interview three more people—one of whom has not gotten back to me. Grr. Their blurb will have to be something short and stupid that I invent from the information on their LinkedIn page. Not my problem!
In all honesty, I’ll give them another email next week to make sure they’re not going to respond. After that, I’ll just post the article. Good to give second chances though. Especially since things can get lost in email so easily.
For example: one of the graduate students I have to interview emailed me back after I said I wanted to arrange a meeting, and added to the end: “By the way, your email notified me that I had won. The official email got labeled as spam. I'm glad you emailed or I may have not seen it for awhile.”
Ha! $30,000 a year, and he might not have seen it for a while! Ha!
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