http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/ en-us Copyright 2009 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:35:05 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Hey All, I think I spoke too soon last time…things are definitely getting stressful. It seems like all I’ve been doing for the past month has been going to field and doing school work. A social life? Ha! I guess that’ll just have to wait until May. But hey, that’s the life of a Grad student…and it’ll pay off in the long run. I have so many deadlines coming up I don’t know where to start. And I swear all my teachers have been getting together behind my back and plotting to have things due on the same day……..or maybe I’m just being a little paranoid! But seriously, this second year is definitely kicking my butt. In other news, I just registered for classes for the spring and I gotta tell ya, the options seem so limited. It’s already hard enough that you’re in field three days a week so you really don’t have many days and times open to take classes. And to make matters worse, it seems like there aren’t that many options for MACO students, it seemed as though every class was a clinical class. Nevertheless, I made it work out and got the classes that I needed. I’m definitely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, so May 2010….hurry up and get here!!! http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/11/hey_all_i_think_i.html http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/11/hey_all_i_think_i.html Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:35:05 -0500 Hey everyone, It’s been a minute so I just thought I’d drop in and let ya’ll know what’s been going on. First and foremost, all that confusion with my internship was finally sorted out! The people in the SWCOS office had been working really hard to resolve all the issues that kept coming up, so I definitely have to thank them. But anyway, I was placed at Carroll County Community Action Agency in Westminster, and besides the looooooong drive, I’m really liking it. There are a lot of little activities that I will be involved in over the course of the year, but the biggest project I have this semester is creating a program built around economic success. So pretty much, I have to come up with programs that will help people become more financially aware, stable, and self sufficient. It’s kind of overwhelming, but I’m definitely up to the challenge. I’ve also had to get used to being in field three days a week as opposed to the two days that you have to be there in your foundation year. Believe it or not, that one day makes a huge difference because that’s one less day that you have to work on school work or get other little things done and anyone who knows me knows that my time management skills are sorry. So, this has been a huge adjustment, but since my classes have been moving rather slowly, it hasn’t been too much of a problem…………..yet. Hopefully the remainder of the semester goes smoothly. Until next time………….. http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/10/hey_everyone_its_been_a.html http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/10/hey_everyone_its_been_a.html Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:41:50 -0500 Hey All!! Let me first welcome back my fellow returning peers and secondly, welcome all you newcomers to the program! I can’t believe it’s September and classes are back in session. I swear it feels like I just finished spring semester a couple weeks ago! But anyway, the time has come and after a much needed break, I’m ready to finish up these last few classes and be done with school! As far as classes go, I’ll be taking Program Management, Community Organization and another research class. I decided to fit all these classes on Monday because I have field on Tues-Thurs and I don’t do Friday classes because that’s my chill day. And speaking of field, I just want to let everyone know, I’m VERY irritated! Field starts on 9/8, and as of 9/6 I still don’t have one locked down. There was a big mix up with my field coordinator a few months ago which resulted in my field application being suspended. Long story short, I had to contact my coordinator, who gave me a lot of unnecessary attitude before referring me to the SWCOS office. Since contacting them, there has been even more confusion and I keep getting the run around, but I am supposed to meet with them again on Tuesday, so hopefully everything will be settled by the end of this week. So, I’m sorry I don’t have anything to tell you about my exciting internship, because I don’t frickin’ have one! Now that I got that off my chest, I want to again welcome everyone back to school and wish you all a blessed and amazing year and as soon as I find out about my placement, I’ll share it with ya’ll! Later http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/09/welcome_back.html http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/09/welcome_back.html Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:32:28 -0500 Hey, hey, hey!! Oh my goodness, it’s so been sooooo long since I wrote. Don’t be mad, I’m not being lazy nor am I slacking on ya’ll, I just have a crazy life. I finally have a free day so let me bring ya’ll up to speed: -The exams from this last semester were probably the hardest I’ve ever taken -I’ve been having very expensive on going car problems (which is great, being that I’m a broke college student and all) -I’m in the process of moving out of Baltimore to the DC area (which really doesn’t seem smart anymore, with all these car problems I’ve been having!) -I also just got a job that’s been keeping me real busy -My sister moved to PA from FL, so since she’s a lot closer, I’ve had to chill with her So you see, folks, I’ve been crazy busy lately. But to top all of this off, I’ still don’t have my placement for next year! Unfortunately, the place that I wanted to go was unavailable, so needless to say, I’m very frustrated that as of July, I still have no clue where I’ll be. I’m also kind of worried because there weren’t that many MACO options for a placement anyway and I haven’t even been referred anywhere!!! By the way, I just wanted to thanks all of you who leave me comments. If you ask me questions and I don’t get back to you right away, I promise I’m not ignoring you, I’m just busy and don’t check my email often, but I DO reply to all questions. So again, thanks for reading! http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/07/its_july_already.html http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/07/its_july_already.html Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:25:06 -0500 Hey Guys!!! I know I’ve been M.I.A. for quite awhile, but I have good reasons: I’ve been crazy busy with school, and to top it off, I was so sick, I had to be hospitalized. I’m still a little under the weather, but definitely not as miserable as I had been feeling. So, I just registered for classes early this morning, and even though I really didn’t want to, I registered for summer classes! I really wanted to just sit back and relax, but I’m sure come next school year, I’ll be happy I went. Over the summer, I’ll be taking Psychopathology (online) and Family Therapy on Mondays and Wednesdays. In the fall, I’m taking some research class (ugh!), Community Organization, Program Management, plus go to field three days a week. I’m already dreading it! I’m so happy classes will be over in a few weeks and I only have a few more days of field left. I’m so over this school year that it’s not even funny, but it’s usually like that for me. I’m fine the whole school year, and then around the last month and half, I just can’t take it. It is just me, or do the last few weeks seem to go the slowest?! Anyway, I’m about to go write my last process recording for the school year (YAY!!) Later! http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/04/been_a_while.html http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/04/been_a_while.html Tue, 07 Apr 2009 13:24:22 -0500 Hey All, I just realized that this time last year, I got my acceptance letter from UMB. So just wanted to say congrats and welcome to those of you who have made it in!! http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/02/acceptance_letters.html http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/02/acceptance_letters.html Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:37:47 -0500 I just got back from my internship and have a few free moments,so I figured I'd let you all know what's been going on. I had a great time back in VA with my family and friends, and as expected, those two weeks flew by! Internships started back last monday, and to say it was difficult going back would be a total understatement. Over the break, I slept until noon, got up and ate, and went back to sleep, so having to get up at 8am this past week has been torture! Luckily, classes don't start for another week. Again, I'll be taking field and the practice course that goes with that, Human Behavior II with Peter Smith (he's the best!!), Social work and the Law with Julie Drake, and Research methods for Management and Community practice (at least I think that's what it's called) with Hopkins. Field applications are due on the 1st of February and surprisingly, it's been pretty stressful for me trying to choose where I want to be. Last year it was easy: I turned in my resume, wrote and little narrative and they placed me somewhere. This year however, I'm having to research different places and ask around to try to find the place that suits me the best. It's really important to me because I don't want to end up at a place where I have lame supervisors (my supervisors this year are the absolute best!), or where I'm not learning anything, or a place I hate, because I don't want to be miserable for a year. This is also the time when you have to decide your specialization and concentration. I've decided on Social Action and Community Development and MACO. There aren't a whole lot of internship options for this, as compared to Clinical, but there are some pretty good listings. Well that's pretty much what is going on now....Later! P.S. I know this is about the time that people are starting to turn in applications for next fall and I just wanted to wish you all many blessings in the application process. And if I don't give you any other advice, I just want to stress the importance of the personal statement. Please, please, please take your time, put alot of thought and effort into it, and have several people read over it and give you opinions. Out of all the components of the application, the personal statement was definitely the thing I stressed over the most, which was probably a good thing. So again, I wish you many, many blessings in the process!! http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/01/back_to_work.html http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2009/01/back_to_work.html Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:56:17 -0500 So, I finally finished my first semester of grad school a couple of days ago, and as you can imagine, I'm elated! The first part of the semester fooled me into thinking grad school is a piece of cake; but these last few weeks were very stressful. But as you can see, I made it through. I'm looking forward to these next couple of weeks to relax and chill with my family. I hope you all have a safe and blessed holiday and I'll see in in '09! http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2008/12/its_over.html http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2008/12/its_over.html Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:05:43 -0500 Hello All!! I know you haven’t heard from me in a while, so I just wanted to check in. This past month has been crazy. I’ve had so much school work, plus an added caseload at my internship. I’ve got two finals this week and then next week I’ve got an exam and a project (both due on my B-day!!), and an 8-10 page paper due. So, needless to say, I’m gonna be very busy this next week and a half. The bad thing is though, I’ve already gone into vacation mode: I just want to sit around, watch t.v. and do nothing! So, these last few days are definitely going to be a struggle. Please Pray for me!! http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2008/12/just_checking_in.html http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2008/12/just_checking_in.html Sun, 07 Dec 2008 15:05:52 -0500 I recently returned from a much needed vacation to Miami. I had a great time relaxing and hanging out with my sister and my doggy. While my body is back in Baltimore, my mind is still very much in Florida! Anyway, I can’t believe it’s November already; only a few more weeks and this semester is over. My first semester in grad school has definitely been an interesting one. I’ve definitely learned a lot, not only about social work, but about myself as well. I’ve learned I can’t get away with the same things I could in undergrad. I am the queen of procrastination….I’m pretty sure I invented it. I’ve always worked really good under pressure and usually wait to the last possible minute to complete something. Needless to say, that doesn’t work in grad school! If you’re like me, and were able to get good grades in undergrad by pulling all-nighters, you’re gonna need to rethink your game plan before you get here. I’ve been getting better at completing things early, and I’m actually a lot less stressed now than I was when I was in undergrad. I had a paper due on Wednesday and I actually completed it Monday night. I know that may not sound like anything, but if I was back in undergrad at ODU, I probably would’ve waited until early Wednesday morning to just read the criteria of the paper! So you see, I’m improving. So, I pretty much want to leave you with this: Grad school is a lot of work, but it’s not impossible. Use your time wisely, don’t spread yourself to thin, and DON’T procrastinate. You’ll save yourself a whole lot of tears, stress, and headaches!! Until next time……….. http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2008/11/wrapping_up_semester_1.html http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2008/11/wrapping_up_semester_1.html Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:39:09 -0500 Well, it appears that I definitely spoke too soon when I said that this semester is a breeze. Things have really picked up these last few weeks with all the readings, papers, and the added responsibility that I have been given at my practicum. I have my first midterm (human behavior) next week and I am really freaking out. My professor is Peter Smith, whom I highly recommend! He gave us a very thorough review but I’m still worried that I won’t be able to remember all that material! As I’ve mentioned before, my placement is in the PICU at UMMC. I saw my first patient by myself a couple of weeks ago and since then my supervisor has been piling the patients on me! I’m not complaining though. I appreciate all the real life experience that I’m getting from it. The only thing I don’t really like about being in placement is having to turn in weekly reports. They say it’s supposed to help us, but honestly it seems more like an irritation! I’ve been saying all along that I wanted to concentrate in the clinical aspect of social work, but after doing a little more research and speaking with a friend who is a MACO concentrator, I’m actually leaning toward the MACO side of things. Out of all the courses that I’m taking, my policy class definitely interests me the most. I’ve always been more interested in being behind the scenes and managing and organizing anyway and I‘m just not really interested in dealing directly with clients. I’ve just always heard more about the clinical or direct services side of social work and most students go that route, so I just followed. I definitely encourage all of you to find out more about the MACO aspect, because just like the clinical side, it’s very diverse and has a lot of opportunities out there. Also, for those of you who aren’t completely sure of what aspect of social work you want to get into (and even those of you who are!), you should definitely pick up two books called Days in the lives of Social Workers and More Days in the lives of Social Workers, both by Linda May Grobman. They both include true life stories of real social workers in various aspects of social work during a typical work day. Until next time………. http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2008/10/grad_school_in_full_swing.html http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2008/10/grad_school_in_full_swing.html Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:15:20 -0500 Hey fellow and prospective MSW students, Seems like you'll be following me along on my journey through the MSW porgram here at UMB. I guess the only proper way to start is to tell you a little about myself. Well, my name is Ashley and I'm from Virginia (born and raised) and just received my BS in Sociology from Old Dominion University in Norfolk,VA. I'm a regular, full time, first year student, taking the normal course load. For my practicum, I've been placed in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at the UMMC. I've only been there a few weeks but have already learned so much! Thus far, the program doesn't seem nearly as bad as I've been told or thought it would be. I'm taking one online class (I wouldn't be able to stand another three hour class) which has been a breeze, and to my surprise, I don't have too many assignments in my other classes. I moved up here almost two months ago. I didn't know anyone and knew absolutely nothing about Baltimore. I was actuallypretty terrified of Baltimore because of what I've heard and seen on tv. The honest truth is, Baltimore is really not bad at all (this is coming from a very sheltered girl who was raised in the suburbs). I've also found it extremely easy to make friends with the other students. To be completely honest, UMB was not even my first choice in Grad school. I intended on attending another school (which I was also accepted into, by the way), but after a lot of prayer and thought, I was led here. I'm not exatly sure why, but I firmly believe that God has led me here for a reason and 'm excited to find out just what that is! So that's what going on with me now.....until next time....Deuces! http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2008/10/just_the_beginning.html http://blogs.targetx.com/umbssw/Ashley/2008/10/just_the_beginning.html Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:03:52 -0500