From a dark hallway on a hill...
I am getting down to the wire with the proposal. I just finished and sent to my advisor so hopefully it can get out to the whole committee tomorrow or Thursday if he doesn't have too many serious comments. I really have enjoyed writing this. I am sure a lot of that has to do with the fact that it is my own work and that it is on topics I get excited about.
I have a had a lot of classes and papers over the past 2.25 years* on topics that are interesting but not my main source of academic joy and excitement. Writing all those papers on topics I was just learning (and to be fair, didn't necessarily fully understand) has helped my writing though. It is easier to pick out the important pieces of info from the paper or paragraph and strip the theoretical models down to their bare bones, as that was how I made it through all of my classes. If I hadn't learned to make things as simple as possible, I wouldn't have passed a few (OK, any) of my courses. I think getting a bit better at this (although I have a long way to go still) made the rest of the challenges- the piles of literature, the temptation of distractions, my legs falling asleep- all a little less daunting. I am even more motivated to get going on that next manuscript as opposed to taking a break from writing for a while!
I will remain pleased with the whole process at least till I get my comments back on it...
*2.25 years? That seems like a really long time and I am just writing my proposal?!? That is how long it took me to do my whole masters! To be fair, I was handed a system ideas for projects and an RA for my whole masters. Now I have a system different from most of my lab, my own ideas and I teach.
I have a had a lot of classes and papers over the past 2.25 years* on topics that are interesting but not my main source of academic joy and excitement. Writing all those papers on topics I was just learning (and to be fair, didn't necessarily fully understand) has helped my writing though. It is easier to pick out the important pieces of info from the paper or paragraph and strip the theoretical models down to their bare bones, as that was how I made it through all of my classes. If I hadn't learned to make things as simple as possible, I wouldn't have passed a few (OK, any) of my courses. I think getting a bit better at this (although I have a long way to go still) made the rest of the challenges- the piles of literature, the temptation of distractions, my legs falling asleep- all a little less daunting. I am even more motivated to get going on that next manuscript as opposed to taking a break from writing for a while!
I will remain pleased with the whole process at least till I get my comments back on it...
*2.25 years? That seems like a really long time and I am just writing my proposal?!? That is how long it took me to do my whole masters! To be fair, I was handed a system ideas for projects and an RA for my whole masters. Now I have a system different from most of my lab, my own ideas and I teach.
posted by DancingFish at 6:49 PM
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