Wrote this for the Batten Student Blog...I guess I'll post this to my own blog too...
I just finished my first semester at Batten…my first semester of grad school. My best friend asked me after my last final if I felt more like a “master.” Obviously, it was completely sarcastic but looking back I definitely have learned a lot. I KNOW my writing has gotten tons better (no blog writing doesn't count...this is casual). I definitely know how to engage someone on the economic wisdom of certain policy interventions. Before this program, I definitely did not know what paternalistic altruism is or why I should care about it. I’ve learned how to write a history-based opinion editorial. I always enjoyed reading them but actually feel like I could write a solid one. I met with some of the top officials in the immigration policy world through the podcast series I recorded for my "Changing Context of Policy" class. Batten sent me to an Edward Tufte workshop on graphical presentations that was amazing. It’s been sort of a whirlwind.
I love Charlottesville. I love Virginia. It’s like nowhere else I have ever lived. After growing up in Texas, Americorps VISTA in East Los Angeles, and Peace Corps in El Salvador, UVA is quite a change but a nice one. I love the smallness of this town. I can be anywhere in five minutes but it still has everything I want. I love the cool weather, beautiful leaves, crisp air. I can get to DC in two hours…a trip I have made at least 15 times this semester. I go for work or we went up at least 5 times for class projects but every time it’s so easy. I absolutely love DC. But, I am always glad to get back to Cville. First, I will likely spend a significant amount of time after grad school living in DC, so I am not in a rush. Second, it’s so much more affordable to live here than DC! Third, DC would be incredibly distracting to me if I lived there during school!!
Nerdy as it sounds, I cannot wait until next semester. At the Holiday Party, I met the professor teaching the Congress class in the spring. He’s a super-Hill veteran and totally convinced me my education will be incomplete without his class. Hilarious. I have never had a professor talk me into enrolling in their class before. I am also taking a Spanish to English Translation class, which I am super pumped about. What I am not so pumped about is the prospect of 18 hrs!! I intentionally took NO electives my first semester in order to re-learn how to manage my time. I feel like I can handle some electives now. We’ll see!
Winter break will be focused on applying to internships, working on some Virginia Policy Review stuff, and planning an event for Batten Council. Should be a busy break!
