Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Study Journal

maybe some of you wonder what academics is like at calvin.  so i tracked my studies during the pre-final crunch, which can be the toughest two weeks of the semester.  it’s a crunch because a lot of final essays and projects are due within the same week, and final exams are just around the corner.  so here goes!

November 18
it’s 9:20pm on Sunday night, and I’m feeling the temptation to slack off.  I just spent some time getting Leopard up to speed, and the new features are awesome.  Preview now incorporates features previously available exclusively on Acrobat Professional, such as Notes, so I can download full-text articles from JSTOR, which already have OCR, and I can highlight text and add notes.  I can also pull out snippets for quotes or anything along those lines.  Leopard’s streamlined features are useful for research.  I also have my study schedule mapped out on iCal until the end of Thanksgiving, and I’ll eventually have everything mapped out until the end of the semester.  That way, I’ll plan out my free time so I don’t just burn out, and I won’t always feel like I need to do something.  Mapping out free time is important!

November 19
just got an email from my cas230 professor, dr. smit, who announced that he’s been suddenly elected as vice-president of his organization.  as a result, he’s backlogged on some grading, so the final part of our class project will be due anytime between the original due date and the beginning of final exams.  that gives me a bit more leeway to space things out, but that also tempts me to push things back.  this is the last part of an ongoing project since the beginning of the semester, so if i wait too long to do the last part, i might forget my research from previous parts of the project.

on the other hand, my religion research has been going well.  i’m writing my final paper for rel309 (biblical theology) on passages in mark about jesus and his relationship with the sabbath.  i’ve been spending lots of time in the library scrounging up books on the subject, and my prof (dr. crump) has been extremely helpful.  he’s given me a key author and book to reference, and through that book’s bibliiography, i’m finding more resources.  the book search on the calvin library website has also been helpful when i know exactly what to search for.

November 20
i’ve never seen the ITC so full.  it’s 3:10pm, and i’m sitting in the digital studio, which has windows facing into the ITC computer area.  the ITC looks 90% full, and i’m guessing a lot of people are working on pre-thanksgiving papers, just like me.  at least i’m not alone in my misery.  well, misery would be a strong word.  i’ve spaced out my work enough that i’m enjoying my research since i’m not pressed for time.  i spent yesterday typing up my draft, and although i only got 4 pages (i need 8-10), i know exactly what to look for to bolster my paper.  next to me is a stack of books on Confucianism, and within these books are extensive explanations to key terms.  now i’m just sifting through them and photocopying relevant pages.

it’s now 10:20pm, and i’ve got 6-7 pages for my paper.  i’m almost finished with my research, but i’m sure that as i review my draft, i’ll find some holes in my research.  i think i’ll consult the rhetoric center sometime, because my arguments aren’t very concise.  my paper has a lot of information, but i don’t know if the information is necessary to back up my arguments.  this is an exegesis, not an informative essay.
i’ve only been to the rhetoric center once, and when i visited, they weren’t very helpful.  but since this is such a major paper, any advice would help.  besides, i’m still in my rough draft, and my thoughts are still formulating.  talking through my arguments with someone else will help me structure my writing.  now i’ve just got to figure out a time to go there because i won’t have any time tomorrow after classes (i’m dreading my friend’s hair).  maybe i’ll skip my badminton class, although i love going to it.  i don’t have much of a choice though because the library is closed on thursday due to thanksgiving, and by friday i’ll want to have this paper done with so i can tackle my other two papers.

November 22
it’s 1:50am on thanksgiving morning, and i just spent 9 straight hours dreading my friend, ben’s, hair.  i’m about to crash in his basement before waking up nice and early to make it to a thanksgiving morning church service with caleb and cari’s grandparents.  then i’ll join them for thanksgiving dinner (yum yum).  because i anticipated dreading ben’s hair today, i skipped my badminton class to do more research on Confucianism, and i also spent every possible break jotting notes or photocopying pages from various books.  the trouble is, i can’t borrow any of the books for extended periods of time because they are reserved for my class; i can only borrow them for 2 hours.  i’ve already incurred six dollars in late fines because i forget to return them in 2 hours.  because of the 2 hour restriction, all my research is done in the library, and i can’t bring any books home for thanksgiving break.  so i tried to take enough notes and photocopy enough pages to keep me going for thanksgiving day, and then the library reopens at noon on friday.  that’s where i’ll probably be for friday, from noon until the library closes at 5pm.

now it’s 11:53pm, and i’m writing a quick post before getting some sleep prior to black friday sales.  i ended up spending the entire day with the rottman family, eating, digesting, and eating again.  i didn’t do a single piece of homework, but i think this was a worthwhile break.  i’ll just shift my schedule accordingly and work something out.

November 23
i woke up early this morning to go black friday shopping, and that threw off my schedule.  i ended up taking a nap in the afternoon (i almost never nap), which prevented me from going to the library.  now i’m touching up my paper with research that i brought home before thanksgiving, so i guess i’m still being productive.  i’ll plan on waking up early tomorrow morning to finish off my paper before heading to the library at noon.

November 26
my religion prof pushed back the due date for our 12-15 page term paper.  wheeeeew!  instead of being due on friday, it’s now due on monday, which gives me an extra weekend.  i’ve been researching this paper like no other, and the scope of the paper is now growing larger and larger.  as i research more, i draw more connections other bits of research.

November 28
i feel burnt out on this paper already, and it’s only wednesday.  the research is just frustrating me, and nothing seems to be connecting.  one scholar will contradict another, and i feel ill-equipped to make judgment calls between these experts.  who am i to say who is right?  they know so much more than i do!

December 3
i handed it in, all 12.5 pages!  a huge burden was on my shoulders, and now it’s been lifted off.  i just completed the biggest and hardest essay of the semester, and i think i did a pretty good job.  of course, i won’t really find out until i get my grade back, but from speaking with the professor about my topic, i think my conclusion was similar to his.  that’s always a good sign.  now for my other assignments… and then finals.

Posted by Nehe555 on 12/11 at 07:42 PM
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