We start spring break on Friday. We also take our comprehensive exam - in order to get our degree - on Friday. It's a big day. I can't wait until 12:01 p.m. when the exam is over. It's an essay exam where we will recount and synthesize the information from all of our coursework into great ideas that all fit together nicely - with cited authors to help back up our arguments (easy enough, right?). We formed study groups at the beginning of the semester and met once a week through early February and have been meeting twice a week recently. My study group - April, Juan, Kate, Marco - is wonderful. We are all relaxed, low-key, and encouraging. We haven't stressed each other out and are great at bouncing ideas off one another. And we snack, a lot. This semester I've had celery, trail mix, brownies, cookies, chips, carrots, and cashews during our study sessions.
The nature of the exam is stressful though - people get worked up. In the end, the cohort is filled with knowledge (we hope) and are smart people. The faculty want to see us pass (so they say) We should all be fine. Life will sure be nice though once Friday afternoon rolls around.
And, to make matters more exciting - I'm heading home to Iowa on Sunday for break. My friend Kate is coming along - she's from Maine. Iowa is unchartered waters, so I'm looking forward to showing her around. I'll take some photos - of things other than corn and pigs - to show the world what Iowa is all about (most recently...ice storms).
Bye Bye.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
Luxury High-Rise
That's Rodin College House, I live there. I moved into Rodin as a Graduate Assistant (GA) in January. It was a bit of a whirlwind, but I'm really happy to be there. I was looking to connect more with the undergraduate community at Penn and be exposed to another avenue of higher education/student affairs. I live on the 12th floor and look after 31 or so residents. They have all been remarkably welcoming to me as 'the new guy'. The staff in Rodin College House has made the transition equally smooth and made me quickly feel a part of the team. The floor is mostly juniors and seniors who lead super busy lives - I see many while waiting for the evelator or in passing. Our house events usually revolve around food - pizza, brunch, bagels, barbeque - and conversation in our house lounge. I enjoy hearing about their lives and backgrounds, because they are all so different.
This past weekend, we did a house event to the Penn basketball game. They beat Cornell in what appeared to be an important game in order for Penn to stay on top of the Ivy League standings. It was my first trip to the historic Palestra. It's so old and a great atmosphere for watching basketball. Penn fans are funny - they really get into things. Three members of the team are in my intercollegiate athletics course too, so it was fun to watch them play.
If any of you are interested or have questions about becoming a GA in one of the college houses, please let me know. It has been a great opportunity, with many perks along the way. Visit the College House and Academic Services web site for application information.
In other exciting news - a friend of mine from college, now living in Maine, is visiting this weekend. I haven't seen him since we graduated over two years ago. I'm pumped.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Road Trip
I went to Boston this weekend with my friend Julia from my cohort. It was my first time to Boston in addition to stepping foot in the state of Connecticut. It's strange to be so close to so many places. Some highlights...
- We drove through five states in five hours, bizarre. If I left my home in Iowa and drove five hours west, I'd still be in Iowa.
- We stopped in New Haven for lunch (and visited Yale, the real reason for the stop). That's what higher ed nerds do, they visit college campuses. Someday, that could be you...
- I loved Boston, maybe it was the newness of being in a different environment...but it just felt really comfortable, and fun. Julia used to live there, so her and her friends gave me a great tour of the area. Naturally, Boston is a mecca for higher education...maybe I'll find a job there, who knows?
- We accidentially went through the EZPass lane on the Jersey Turnpike - we didn't have EZPass.
- I went to a Forum in Boston that was hosted by Carney, Sandoe, and Associates. They are a placement agency for independent schools across the country. I'm working with them to explore employment opportunities in College Advising next year. It was fun connecting with some of the schools, I love job hunting.
I have a busy week ahead...
I'm taking an Education course that is cross registred with Urban Studies called Cross Cultural Awareness or PACE (Programs for Awareness and Cultural Education). In the end the course will allow us to design and lead cross cultural discussions. The goals of PACE include addressing issues of cultural awareness, race, gender, sexual orientation, and age through dialogue, research, writing, and introspection to help create a climate that fosters understanding. The course is made up of 5 graduate students and 13 undergraduate students. It's been fun to connect with Penn undergrads; they consistently impress me by their ideas and thinking. They have lofty goals and will no doubt make meaningful contributions to society. It's humbling when so many people want to help create a campus willing to talk about big issues. Tomorrow, my classmate Alexander and I are facilitating the class discussion on heterosexism and homophobia. We've spent a lot of time putting the lesson plan together. It's going to be good.
In other exciting news, there might be substantial snowfall in Philadelphia over the next two days...this news is worthy of a fist pump here at work.
If anyone has questions of me, feel free to email. mettille@gse.upenn.edu
- We drove through five states in five hours, bizarre. If I left my home in Iowa and drove five hours west, I'd still be in Iowa.
- We stopped in New Haven for lunch (and visited Yale, the real reason for the stop). That's what higher ed nerds do, they visit college campuses. Someday, that could be you...
- I loved Boston, maybe it was the newness of being in a different environment...but it just felt really comfortable, and fun. Julia used to live there, so her and her friends gave me a great tour of the area. Naturally, Boston is a mecca for higher education...maybe I'll find a job there, who knows?
- We accidentially went through the EZPass lane on the Jersey Turnpike - we didn't have EZPass.
- I went to a Forum in Boston that was hosted by Carney, Sandoe, and Associates. They are a placement agency for independent schools across the country. I'm working with them to explore employment opportunities in College Advising next year. It was fun connecting with some of the schools, I love job hunting.
I have a busy week ahead...
I'm taking an Education course that is cross registred with Urban Studies called Cross Cultural Awareness or PACE (Programs for Awareness and Cultural Education). In the end the course will allow us to design and lead cross cultural discussions. The goals of PACE include addressing issues of cultural awareness, race, gender, sexual orientation, and age through dialogue, research, writing, and introspection to help create a climate that fosters understanding. The course is made up of 5 graduate students and 13 undergraduate students. It's been fun to connect with Penn undergrads; they consistently impress me by their ideas and thinking. They have lofty goals and will no doubt make meaningful contributions to society. It's humbling when so many people want to help create a campus willing to talk about big issues. Tomorrow, my classmate Alexander and I are facilitating the class discussion on heterosexism and homophobia. We've spent a lot of time putting the lesson plan together. It's going to be good.
In other exciting news, there might be substantial snowfall in Philadelphia over the next two days...this news is worthy of a fist pump here at work.
If anyone has questions of me, feel free to email. mettille@gse.upenn.edu
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Admissions Crew
***That's Ann and Lezlie, two of the Admissions Crew.
All Higher Education Management Masters Student are required to do an assistantship and work 20 hours a week somewhere in the Philadelphia-area, most likely on the Penn campus. There are people that work on New Student Orientation at the Graduate Student Center, Career Services at Wharton, Upward Bound, Research Assistants at the College of General Studies, The Executive Doctorate Program, Community College of Philadelphia, Office of International Programs, Office of Student Life, etc. It is a way for all of us to connect the theory we are learning in class and apply it in a practical setting.
I work in Admissions at the Graduate School of Education. It's been a great experience where I have set up a lot of campus visits for prospective students, assisted with our Open House events, represented PennGSE at a college fair at Rutgers-Camden, started up these student journals, etc. More than anything, I work with a great cast of characters who make coming to work pretty enjoyable...even on cold days like today.
Jung is the Associate Director and she is completing the Higher Ed. program part time. We took history of higher education together and we helped each other make sense of readings on a lot of occassions. She makes sure I take my vitamins.
Alyssa is my direct supervisor and also an associate director, she completed the program I am doing two years ago. She empowers me in a lot of situations to run with ideas, and I appreciate that. She just learned how to cut pineapple, which makes for a fun afternoon snack every now and again. She usually gets the pineapple from Reading Terminal Market.
Ann and Lessie are usually the people that will pick up all of your phone calls and be the first faces you see when you visit PennGSE...you see their faces and my back. I like to think of them as small rays of sunshine. Bless Lessie because she plays John Legend for me nearly every day, while Ann crosses her fingers that Celine Dion is on-deck in the playlist. During busy days or down days, I can always count on Ann and Lessie to keep things upbeat.
Stephane likes to play jokes on me, he's a funny character...sometimes (okay, once) we run into each other at the Pottruck Center. He's the marketing coordinator in Admissions and really talented. Julie seems to have answers to everything, she always knows where to find things...which boggles my mind. I've technically been here a week or two longer than her, but you wouldn't know it. Sometime I help her file...she gets swamped with all the applications at this time of year.
A big shout out to the awesome work study students we have in Admissions - Anna, Annie, Mia, and Anna (now in Italy). They are such hard workers, and so funny....not to mention bright and destined for successful futures.
And lastly, the other GA's whose journals you can read this semester too - Sadiyah, Robin, Jamie, and Lezlie. All wonderful people that are so helpful...and they sometimes even laugh at my joke attempts.
So, that's GSE Admissions.
We are here to help.
Stay warm.
I work in Admissions at the Graduate School of Education. It's been a great experience where I have set up a lot of campus visits for prospective students, assisted with our Open House events, represented PennGSE at a college fair at Rutgers-Camden, started up these student journals, etc. More than anything, I work with a great cast of characters who make coming to work pretty enjoyable...even on cold days like today.
Jung is the Associate Director and she is completing the Higher Ed. program part time. We took history of higher education together and we helped each other make sense of readings on a lot of occassions. She makes sure I take my vitamins.
Alyssa is my direct supervisor and also an associate director, she completed the program I am doing two years ago. She empowers me in a lot of situations to run with ideas, and I appreciate that. She just learned how to cut pineapple, which makes for a fun afternoon snack every now and again. She usually gets the pineapple from Reading Terminal Market.
Ann and Lessie are usually the people that will pick up all of your phone calls and be the first faces you see when you visit PennGSE...you see their faces and my back. I like to think of them as small rays of sunshine. Bless Lessie because she plays John Legend for me nearly every day, while Ann crosses her fingers that Celine Dion is on-deck in the playlist. During busy days or down days, I can always count on Ann and Lessie to keep things upbeat.
Stephane likes to play jokes on me, he's a funny character...sometimes (okay, once) we run into each other at the Pottruck Center. He's the marketing coordinator in Admissions and really talented. Julie seems to have answers to everything, she always knows where to find things...which boggles my mind. I've technically been here a week or two longer than her, but you wouldn't know it. Sometime I help her file...she gets swamped with all the applications at this time of year.
A big shout out to the awesome work study students we have in Admissions - Anna, Annie, Mia, and Anna (now in Italy). They are such hard workers, and so funny....not to mention bright and destined for successful futures.
And lastly, the other GA's whose journals you can read this semester too - Sadiyah, Robin, Jamie, and Lezlie. All wonderful people that are so helpful...and they sometimes even laugh at my joke attempts.
So, that's GSE Admissions.
We are here to help.
Stay warm.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Amajuba: Like Doves We Rise
I'm going to South Africa this summer (so is Lezlie, another PennGSE blogger) to look at higher education in South Africa. One of my professors is leading a group of 37 students in July to visit three universities and explore the history, culture and landscape of a place I am very unfamilar with.
On Friday night our professor and ten or so of my classmates went to see Amajuba: Like Doves We Rise which was playing at the Annenberg Center on Penn's campus. The show was based on life experiences of the five performers, it was the true story of their own childhoods lived within the Apartheid divisions. They created Amajuba to acknowledge the hope that was present in South Africa's people, even during this awful time period. It helped make me more aware of the realities that were taking place in South Africa during Apartheid.
The stories recounted pain, hunger, violence, and death all seen by these performers as they grew up. It was hard to watch at times and left me wanting to know more stories and to understand more fully. Once I am done with grad school and can read for fun again, I want to read more about apartheid and South Africa. All five of the performers were INCREDIBLY talented. Although the show displayed deep sadness, I was most surprised by how much hope each one of them displayed.
We followed up with a discussion and dessert at a nearby restuarant with my professor, Marybeth Gasman and my classmates. It made me excited for this summer.
Back to reading about Access and Choice in Higher Education; I'm looking forward to having you follow my life this spring.
On Friday night our professor and ten or so of my classmates went to see Amajuba: Like Doves We Rise which was playing at the Annenberg Center on Penn's campus. The show was based on life experiences of the five performers, it was the true story of their own childhoods lived within the Apartheid divisions. They created Amajuba to acknowledge the hope that was present in South Africa's people, even during this awful time period. It helped make me more aware of the realities that were taking place in South Africa during Apartheid.
The stories recounted pain, hunger, violence, and death all seen by these performers as they grew up. It was hard to watch at times and left me wanting to know more stories and to understand more fully. Once I am done with grad school and can read for fun again, I want to read more about apartheid and South Africa. All five of the performers were INCREDIBLY talented. Although the show displayed deep sadness, I was most surprised by how much hope each one of them displayed.
We followed up with a discussion and dessert at a nearby restuarant with my professor, Marybeth Gasman and my classmates. It made me excited for this summer.
Back to reading about Access and Choice in Higher Education; I'm looking forward to having you follow my life this spring.
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