Hi readers! My name is Megan and this is my first post on the graduate student blog. I hope that contributing my thoughts to the blog throughout my program will be useful to you, whether you’re a prospective student trying to get a feel for what grad school is like, or you’re deep into your graduate program and looking for a quick break from your busy workload.
I just started a two-year Master’s program in Sociology after completing my undergrad in the same department here at Memorial. I’ve known I wanted to pursue an MA for a while, and it’s so exciting to finally be here and working toward the research project I’ve been thinking about (and talking about with any poor soul who will listen) for the past few years. My thesis will be exploring the relationships between the growing food tourism industry and the security of the food system in the Bonavista Peninsula region of Newfoundland. I’ll get to travel to that area to do field work in restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, and rural homes. For a nerdy sociologist who likes thinking about, talking about, and of course eating food, it feels like a dream.
Before I can get to the part where I’m totally immersed in my own research, though, I have to complete my coursework. For my program, that means taking five courses over the fall and winter semesters of the first year. One of these is an elective of my choosing, and the other four are required courses, including qualitative and quantitative methods, a class on social theory, and one called the “graduate seminar”. I wasn’t entirely sure what the graduate seminar would be until I walked into the first class. So far, it has been a mix of writing exercises that get us thinking about our research projects, practical advice on everything from funding applications to attending conferences, and a chance to sit down for a weekly chat and learn more about the other students in my cohort.
Actually, if I could give one piece of advice at this stage of the game, I would tell you to get to know your classmates. My cohort is made up of bright, interesting, and endlessly supportive people from across the globe and across academic backgrounds. By helping each other talk through theory or plan our schedules, it really feels like we’re in this together and will help each other through. I have a feeling that will only be more necessary as we move on from coursework and onto independent research.
I can’t believe it’s almost November already. Being interested in food, I’m always struck by how much fruit is growing on campus this time of year. There are rose bushes producing hips and trees loaded down with dolgo crab apples, both of which are ripe for picking and great for making jellies. It’s also the time of year that I’m planning my final research papers and looking forward to the end of the term. Even though I am only a couple months into my program, I can already say with confidence that there’s a big difference between undergraduate and graduate studies. Aside from the rush of assignments, papers, and presentations that are usually due in November, I have other important things to keep on top of outside of my coursework. Between publication workshops for Sociology graduate students, guest lectures throughout the university departments, working as a research assistant for my supervisor, and crafting funding applications, I am quite busy.
On that note, I will stop writing and get to crossing off the tasks on my to-do list for the day. The last of my items is to attend a department party with faculty and other grad students, and I am not sure what to bring to the potluck yet (students are bringing desserts). I always get stuck on the food questions!
Take care,
~Megan http://www.tb-credit.ru/znk.html www.zp-pdl.com https://zp-pdl.com