Student Snippets A Window Into The Daily Life & Thoughts of SLIS Students

Welcome to the Beginning (for new students) of the End (for me)

Welcome to the Beginning (for new students) of the End (for me)

Yesterday I experienced something entirely new. For the first time since starting college, I did not have to endure an entire day of moving all of my stuff from one place and unpacking it at another. For those of you who have never had to undergo the ordeal of September 1st AKA Boston’s largest moving day EVER, you are not really missing out on a life-changing experience. The only really fun part of the day is getting to meet your roommates -if you are meeting in person for the first time- and seeing what free stuff you can find abandoned on the side of the road. And while I may or may not have selfishly done a happy dance at the fact that I didn’t have to climb up and down stairs with boxes that weigh more than myself, I did take a moment to acknowledge the fact that Sept. 1st represented more than just the fact that Boston’s population just grew exponentially in a number of hours.
Sept. 1st also represents the beginning of a new academic year at Simmons. The first for many, the last for me. Naturally, this led to a moment of deep introspection which I will now share with all of you.
When I first started at Simmons two years, I truly did not know what to expect. I only knew two things to be certain: 1). I had just moved to a foreign city and knew a total of two people and 2). That I was about to start working towards a Master’s degree in a field that I loved. Since Fall 2013, I have had some ups and downs; added a second Master’s to my plate; had job and internship opportunities in a number of fantastic locations; and have fallen deeply in love with the School of Library and Information Science. While I am sure that hearing a student profess their adoration for their school is not unusual, Simmons has truly become my third home. There is a community at SLIS, one that is composed of a variety of amazing people, both students and faculty, and it is hard to not feel tempted to take advantage of everything that program has to offer. Even when I was struck with a period of uncertainty, I never felt afraid to voice my concerns to either my faculty advisor or the Assistant Dean, Dr. Em Claire Knowles. 
In regards to SLIS’s students, I love the fact that I am surrounded by students who identify as being both library, archive, and book nerds. The stories I have heard about experiences working in LIS institutions, working with or for people, and the woes of encountering something that is not organized in ABC order or at least by subject add a degree of real world experience that cannot be faked by some textbook example. And with the recent inclusion of the Children’s Literature program, I’ve had the chance to get to know a whole new slew of students who further add to the SLIS’s social mosaic with their talent and knowledge of their chosen area of study. 
While I could go on and on about why SLIS is great, I think I will do us all a favorite and stop now before I hit newfound levels of cheesy. However I will conclude with this:
To all new students, don’t hesitate to take advantage of any and every opportunity that comes your way. Get involved with student organizations and attend as many events as you can cram into your already super crowded schedule. Get to know your classmates since they will be some of your greatest allies when it comes to networking and finding job/internship opportunities. Talk to the faculty even if they aren’t your professors, they are here to educate and help us. And finally, enjoy yourself. Even when the weight of finals is bearing down on you, make sometime to gather a group of people together and go out for a slice of pizza or a cup of coffee. Vent out your frustrations, ask your questions, and have a laugh. 
You might be in grad school now but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun while you’re going through it.