First Semester

Posted October 20, 2022 by Claire Pask

What’s that saying—peers give the best advice? (There’s not one like that; I just Googled it. It works for this blog post, though.)

I’m Claire, a first year SLIS student, and here are a few things I’m
carrying with me as I work through my first semester of the program. Maybe they’ll help you, too.

• To quote a Guardian headline that’s stuck with me since I first read it, “everyone is totally just winging it, all the time.”

That person next to you in conference studied the exact same readings as you, and even
though they may sound intimidatingly smart, odds are you’re just as qualified and prepared
to speak up as they are. And am I technically “qualified” to write this blog post of academic
advice as a first-year master’s students? No more or less than anyone else. Maybe.

• Don’t be afraid to talk to your professors. That’s what they’re here for, and you’ll be
surprised by how easy they are to speak with—it’s almost like they’re real people! My first
meeting with my academic advisor? She called in from Alaska, where she was teaching a
wilderness survival program. One of my professors displays some fantastically uncannylooking
doll heads on the shelves of her Zoom background, and another plays roller derby.
What a wealth of conversation possibilities for when you’re trying to come up with a smartsounding
question about your next assignment!

• You’re not alone. Cliché, I know, but just take a look at the colorful flyers posted all over
the boards in the SLIS hallways, or—if you’re an online student—page through the last
email you got from LISSA. There are so many people around you just waiting for someone
to reach out, and so many services designed to support you in your academic career. So ask
the person who sits next to you in class to go to lunch afterward, or email that one student
whose Moodle posts make you vigorously nod every time, and ask if they want to review the
next assignment together on Zoom. They’ll probably be thrilled.