As of this week, I have been a PhD student for 5 weeks and it has NOT been easy. This semester, I am taking a core course which provides exposure to fundamentals of all of the disciplines represented by six advanced programs that the College of Medicine offers (Structural Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Cell Biology/Cystoskeleton, Cell Biology/Transport, and Signal Transduction). So far I’ve completed the Structural Biology module of the course and the exam was last Monday. I actually received my test results a few hours ago and I did poorly (not the lowest in the class, but I could’ve done a lot better). I’m not feeling too down about my test because I know what I did wrong and I did not study as much as I should’ve. Additionally, I was under an immense amount of stress worrying about money and how I was going to eat everyday and how my bills were going to get paid. I had gone more than a month living here with no income! It’s very sad that there were no reliable resources to assist me (and others in the same situation). I finally received my first check Sept 12 and it was missing nearly a week of pay because of “technical errors”, but I was happy to receive it nontheless. My next exam is October 6, so I am definitely going to try to work more diligently to ensure that I understand all of the concepts. Hopefully, I’ll find a reliable person(s) to study with.
During the past week, I finally moved into my new residence in Gainesville, FL and this past Thursday I finally checked into school for orientation. I guess I’m kinda excited to start school since I’ve been out for a little over 1 year. My first course (a 2-3 weeks lab) begins on Tuesday and my core courses begin August 25.
Since my expertise in computer programming/database design/web design was all pretty much self taught, I have started some online tutorials to get some official training. I am very proud of myself that I was able to learn many complicated processes on my own! After I finish these series of tutorials, I will seek certification from an educational institution…but I’m not quite there yet. There are other pressing items that I am dealing with right now, namely the move that I’m preparing to make. I should be back in Tampa, FL on 08/01, at which point I have 1 week to pack all of my things. I also have a meeting with a potential client next week as well, so I am preparing documentation for that meeting. All in all, all is well!
(0) People Yapping : Have Something to Say?
