300 Words or Less

Posted January 23, 2016 by Amy Wilson

This was the first week back to class and I am really looking forward to this very career-focused semester. As I have mentioned before, I want to go into legal librarianship. My classes this semester include:

Wednesdays – Legal Information Services
Thursdays – Information Sources and Services
& Spring Break (five full days) – Special Libraries

I can already tell that this is going to be a lot of work, but I am going to throw myself into it because everything I learn is going to be directly applicable in a career. Even my Information Sources and Services course (also known as Reference) is going to be highly focused. I was worried that the broad nature of the topic would mean most of it wouldn’t relate to my career; however, Professor Froggatt made it very clear from the first night that she wants us to find our focus and use it as a lens in the class. This morning our group presentation sign-ups opened at 8am, and I set an alarm to make sure that I could get into the Special Libraries group. I feel really fortunate to have such experienced adjunct professors at Simmons; Professor Froggatt has had an amazing career, and my Legal IS class is being taught by two Northeastern Law librarians.

With the start of 2016, I have reached the first entries of my five year journal, which I started last year. It’s a journal that makes keeping a diary really easy, because you only write one line day for five years. One of the best parts is getting to look back at what you were doing on the same day a year, or five years, before. Recently, I’ve enjoyed reading my notes about applying to Simmons. A year ago this week, I finished my first draft for my personal statement. Somehow, I collected all my application materials and submitted them in the final two weeks of January to make a February 1 deadline. I decided to apply very late, and haven’t regretted it once. I’m tempted to go back and read my statement – maybe I can find some inspiration for the statement I am currently writing for the ALA scholarships, due March 1. How can I articulate all my career goals in 300 words??