Five Things I Have Learned Joining GSLIS

Posted September 19, 2013 by Jill Silverberg

Before I packed up the family car with dad to drive up to Boston for school, my mom decided to impart some advice for me to mull over during the course of my four and half hour long car ride. She said “Keep your mind open, everyday you are going to be learning something new, in and out of school.” I’ve got to give my mom a hand; she doesn’t normally offer such thought-provoking advice. However, since I was unable to go back home to Long Island for the Jewish high holidays, I’ve been thinking about my mom a lot lately, especially what she said to me two weeks ago. So, for my first official blog post for GSLIS, I’ve created a list of the top five things that I have learned since becoming a member of GSLIS.

*The following is in no particular order and can probably apply to the experiences of students outside of the GSLIS program*

Moodle is your best friend: Although this seems like an obvious one, Moodle is a resource that should not be taken for granted. Not only is this the website where we have to upload our assignments, but course readings, syllabi, power point presentations, and other resources and be found there as well.  Basically, everything you need to succeed at school can be found, to a degree, on Moodle. If you haven’t done so already, take a few minutes and explore your Moodle page; who knows what academic goodies you might find.

Love the library; they are there for you. Seriously: For those of you who have had the pleasure to meet Linda Watkins, I think we all can agree that she perfectly encapsulates all the amazing things a library can do when administered by a dedicated staff. While I am sure all students who are part of GSLIS already respect and appreciate the library as an institution of knowledge, I implore you, take advantage of the Beatley Library and its devoted staff. They aren’t just there to check out our books.

Bring a sweater if you have class in the Palace Road Building.  You are going to need it: While it has been very nice to sit in a cool room during these obnoxiously hot days we’ve been having lately, let’s just be honest here, those rooms are COLD. Be smart, bring a sweater with you to class, especially if you are like me and get cold very easily. Trust me, having that sweater will really make the difference.

Your GSLIS classmates are the friendliest classmates you probably have ever had: Perhaps this is just a GSLIS thing, but every student in the program is super friendly. Be it in the classroom or on Moodle, there always seems to be an interesting conversation going on, and everyone is invited to join in. It seems that even though we have all come to GSLIS for different reasons, deep down, we all have shared connections one way or another, be it in TV shows, movies and books, hobbies, academic pursuits, or that we simply share the same commuter route. And no, I am not just saying this to promote the program; this is a legit fact and it makes this experience all the more awesome!

The professors are fantastic. Nuff said: Just like the staff members over at Beatley Library, the faculty members in GSLIS are not just here to lecture for three hours; they are here for US. Personally, having an approachable professor is one of those things that is an absolute must for me, How am I supposed to succeed if the professor won’t take time to listen and answer my questions? From what I have experienced so far, I can honestly say that that won’t be a problem here. Trust me, you can never go wrong when an enthusiastic professor can manage to keep your attention for three hours despite it being 9am.

So that’s my list. If you think that there is something that I missed, leave a comment and let me know. I’d love to hear other students’ (and not just the new ones) stories about their experiences with GSLIS.