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School started Monday, and this year is going to be a loooooot different from last year. I quit my ballroom dance job and moved up to the Coldspring region of Baltimore, MD. I wanted to be closer to school and my internship. I met my roommates through craigs list which actually worked really well for me. I'm living with 2 people around my age who I get along with really well. I have several friends who've also had good experiences with craigs list roommates, so if your interested in moving and need some roomies, go for it!
This year I'm going to be working at the Domestic Violence Center of Howard County as a mental health counselor for my internship. I'm pretty excited about it because I've been fascinated by trauma throughout my college and graduate career, and now for the first time I get to work with clients who've survived traumatic events. In addition to counseling, I'll also be doing case management. CAN'T WAIT! I start next week. I also got a work study placement this year through the school to do research for a professor. I started this summer, and I will continue for the rest of the year. It's a good deal, but the work study office is not the greatest to work with. If you get work study, expect your pay checks to be delayed often.
Living in Baltimore is...different. I'm used to the Montgomery County region of MD which is pretty tame. I've never really been that crazy about Baltimore because it has a reputation for being unsafe. And actually as I walked to class on Monday, I saw a man running from a bunch of cops. Then I heard 2 different sirens, and a bus full of cops quickly jumped out and arrested him. At 9AM! Its a bit of a different world, but it has a lot of character.
I've gotten a couple great questions which I'd like to address on the blog because I think a LOT of people probably are wondering the same thing!
1) Do you recommend working part-time while being in school full time?
I think it totally depends on the type of person you are, and what your job expects of you. Many people have told me they could NEVER do what I do. My schedule is...
Monday I work 6pm-10pm.
Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to my internship from 9am-5pm and then I work from 6pm-10pm. Wednesdays and Fridays I am in class from 10am-4:30 or 5pm and then I work from 6pm-10 or 11pm.
Saturday and Sunday I crash and try to see friends and my boyfriend.
I won't lie, it is very hard. I feel like I have to be 4 different people: student Casey, counselor Casey, ballroom dance teacher Casey, and then just regular Casey. My social life has definitely taken a beating, and it is exhausting. At the end of the day I just want to crash, but I can't, because I have to work . And at my job, I need to perform! My job is not a mindless one. I need to be friendly, charismatic, and sharp at all times in order to make sales and keep students.
If you are considering working while in school full time, think about your hours and how many you can handle. Then, think about how much your job expects of you. If it is a high pressure job, it's probably not a good idea because you WILL burn out.
But it is possible, and the money is very nice! Because of my job I have not had to take out any loans this year. Also, If you try it first semester and you decide it is too hard, you can always switch to part-time student status in your second semester.
2) ONLINE classes...good? bad? hard? easy?
I took 2 online classes last semester. One of them was fantastic, exceeded my expectations, and I highly recommend it. The teacher was extremely organized, available, and I feel like I learned a lot. The other class was not so great. The only reason I did well is because I stayed on top of the assignments. The teacher was very disorganized, and the majority of people who did poorly did so because they did not understand the directions or deadlines. If you are considering an online class, be prepared to check blackboard online everyday or every other day. You need to be very self motivated. I don't think the classes were that hard, and if you are busy like me, they are a great idea. I didn't take any online classes this semester because only one class I wanted was offered online. I spoke with students who took the online class and students who took the in-person class, and they both told me to take the actual class because the teacher was better. Online classes are very competitive, so make sure you register early. Also, don't expect to take all your classes online because the school doesn't offer all the classes you need online.
I hope this answers your questions. If you are curious about anything else, feel free to comment!
It's been six weeks and I still have not heard back from my potential advanced placement internship! I am starting to get nervous. The longer I wait to hear back from this place, the fewer agencies remain for me to interview with if I am rejected. They are all being snatched up by other students from UMB and other schools. I contacted the agency I'm waiting not so patiently to hear back from, and they agreed to tell me yes or no by March 29th. I will keep you posted!
With my current placement at Linkages to Learning/Guide Youth Services, I am starting the termination process with my clients. I am preparing them for my departure on April 22nd. I am ecstatic to be ending with some clients, but I am bummed to be leaving others. It's difficult, even as the therapist, to say goodbye. I feel like I've formed such strong connections with some of them, and part of me feels guilty for leaving. From what I hear from group supervision, this is a common phenomenon, so at least I am not alone! Luckily all of my individual clients will be transfered to other therapist that I know, and greatly respect.
After being snowed in for about a week, things are finally back on track! The biggest snow storm of the century in the DC area came at a pretty awkward time in the semester. I would have liked it to come maybe during mid-terms week, but I guess beggars can't be choosers! Anyway, it was a great chance for me to get caught up on my reading, and apply for my advanced field placement.
Speaking of advanced field placement, I am having a bit of an issue with the selection process. Here is why. The way it works is advanced students rank their top 3 choices on an application that includes a resume and cover letter. UMB sends that application to our top 3 choices. Whichever internship respons first on that list saying they want an interview with us, that is whom we must interview with. If the student or the placement decides it is a bad fit, we must reject that agency completely, and ONLY then can we get another interview orchestrated through UMB. Students are not allowed to contact ANY agencies unless UMB says we can contact them.
The benefit of this system is that EVERYONE gets a placement, and the burden of getting one is placed on the school. However, for people like me who like to be in as much control as possible, the system creates more stress because I don't have as much control over where I'm placed. I am unable to interview with multiple agencies and "shop around." Luckily one of my top three has contacted me for an interview, and I should hear back in the next couple weeks with a response. But it's still hard to repress that feeling of...could I be happier somewhere else? And without multiple interviews, I won't really know.
My internship this year has actually gone wonderfully, and that placement was chosen for me completely by the school. Maybe I just need to have more faith in the system and trust that it will work out... I know one thing. Wherever I'm placed next year has some big shoes to fill after my internship at Linkages to Learning!
It's my first day back at school and I am ambivalent about it. I am happy that I am now over half way done with my foundation year, but I'm dreading the inevitable lack of social life that starts today. Last semester I took 2 online classes, so I only had to spend 6 hours in class per week (my 2 other classes). This semester I'm not taking any online classes, so that means I'm spending 12 hours in class per week. I have a feeling that time is going to really add up and make this semester more stressful. As far as classes go, I feel pretty behind. I still haven't bought any books; in part because I spent all my money on tuition! It was a huge weight off my shoulders to finally pay that bill, but now I am literally living pay check to pay check. Hopefully I can make enough this week at my ballroom dance job to buy some essential books!
On a happier note, my internship started 2 weeks ago and it's been going great! I just started 2 groups at the school. One of them is a dance group for troubled 12-year-old girls after school. I am working with 6 girls teaching them dance and giving them a chance to work together, build self-esteem, and make friends. It is really fun! I am also going to start my macro field project in February. I am teaching a group of Hispanic mothers who currently meet every Tuesday with Linkages to Learning (my internship) how to dance tango and salsa. It is part of their fitness and nutrition program, and I think it is going to be a blast! I get credit for it through the school, and I get to teach these women how to do something I love. I'm really enjoying my internship, and I can definitely see myself working at a school-based mental health organization like this in the future.
I cannot tell you how GREAT it feels to be done with this semester! I finally have a break! The beginning of the year was a tease. I felt like I had all the time in the world to get things done. But in grad school, your final grade all boils down to what you turn in during the last few weeks of school. That is why the last few weeks have been soooo stressful. I am going to revel in this well deserved break, and enjoy the time I have before I have no time again come January 20th.
So what will I do with my free time? Well, there's always work. 20 hours a week I'll still be employed at my night job as a ballroom dance teacher. I will also be painting my dad's basement in order to make a few extra bucks to pay for the second half of this year's tuition. Which, by the way, is due January 25th. EEEkkk. I'll also apply to my advanced field placement for next year! I'm really excited, there seem to be a lot of choices for me to sift through, especially in the mental health sector. For my foundation year I didn't get to chose a placement - I just got really lucky. Next year I get a say, and I get to pick my top 3 dream field placements from a list provided by the school and submit my resume. If things go well, I'll be exactly where I want. I don't know where that is yet, but I'll figure that out in the next couple months. The rest of my free time, I'll spend with family, friends, and the boyfriend. And maybe catch a movie here or there. I walked to the movies during the blizzard and saw Avatar last night. SO GOOD! I highly recommend it.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy your break as much as I enjoy mine.
Happy Holidays!
I just had my first final yesterday. I think it actually went pretty well. Now the trick is figuring out how I'm going to start/finish a 15 page paper and a 6 page paper by next Wednesday without completely blowing off the 12 page paper and final exam I have the week after. AHhhhh.......... I am ready for the semester to be OVER! Now that I'm working at the ballroom dance studio 20 hours a week, it is a LOT harder to get all my work done. At first it wasn't so bad, but now that all the deadlines are looming it feels a lot more overwhelming. My grade in one class is actually dropping a bit because of it. The problem is, once the weekend hits all I want to do is relax because I'm so exhausted from the week. But I really need to use that time to study and write. It requires a great deal of will power, but I guess that's what you have to expect when you are going to graduate school full time and maintaining a job at the same time.
On a lighter note, winter break is coming and I CANNOT WAIT! I can finally catch up on some R&R, make a little extra money working for my dad painting his basement, see some friends I've ignored for the past 3 months, and eat. Eat a lot. Happy Holidays everybody :o)
The day I was supposed to register for my classes, I completely forgot. I finally remembered the next day at my internship (a place where I have no computer) and I freaked out because my friends who commute to Baltimore people told me that registration is very competitive and you have to wake up at 6am the day of registration just to get what you want. I wasn't sure if the Shady Grove campus is the same way about registration, but I didn't want to risk getting held back to find out.
So I borrowed a co-workers computer to web-register and I only got 3 of the 5 classes I wanted at Shady Grove. I called the school and luckily I was able to get in to the other 2, but it was a close call. A word from the wise - err on the side of caution and register for your classes ASAP!
One thing I really dislike about this school is the academic adviser system. I had several questions about what classes to sign up for, and academic requirements, and my adviser never made any contact with me whatsoever. In fact, I never got any notice about who my adviser is, where to contact him, or how to reach him from the adviser or the school. I had to ask a teacher where to find the master adviser/advisee list online (a complicated process) before I finally found his name and location in Baltimore. I e-mailed my adviser to tell him about the classes I was interested in, and he responded with, "you don't need to talk to me about these choices." Well, if I'm not supposed to talk to him about my classes, then who exactly should I talk to? And what exactly is his role? I guess I am used to undergrad where it is a requirement that you meet with your academic adviser to discuss class choices before every single registration. Maybe things are different in graduate school, but this is one change I do not like. You are really on your own here as far as registration and class selection, so make sure you are on the ball!
This past couple weeks have been very stressful. Adding the extra 20 hours of work and stress a week onto my full course load and 16 hour/week internship is really taking it's toll on my mind and body. And now, I have a cold :o(
But cold be damned, I'm still going out in D.C. for Halloween!
My Faculty Liaison - the professor responsible for making sure I'm learning what I need to be learning at my field placement - came for a site visit to my middle school on Tuesday. It was really great to sit down with her and my supervisor for Linkages to Learning to discuss my progress as an adolescent mental health counselor AND how I feel about being in an MSW student. She answered a lot of my questions and really motivated me to stick with the program. I told her how it was difficult for me to choose between the MSW program and a clinical psychology PhD program. She told me that social workers actually do 90% of the counseling in America, and 70% of graduates from UMD, Baltimore typically have 3 or 4 different people working under them after 3 years of graduation from the program. It really helped me realize that even though I'm not in a PhD program, I am still in a very prestigious masters program that will help me reach my goal of becoming a mental health counselor faster.
At my internship I am also working towards establishing a group therapy class after school for 7th grade girls. I will get referrals from the guidance office for girls struggling with self-esteem, and then meet with them after school in the auxiliary gym at the middle school to work on self-expression, mutual respect, and social skills through dancing. I'm pretty excited because so far I've only been doing individual therapy and I've only worked with boys. I'll keep you posted on the progress...
Well, mid-terms are over. And when I say mid-terms I actually mean 1 test and 3 papers. Luckily I wrote one of the papers early on in the semester, so I wasn't too stressed. Compared to undergrad, the papers were not that difficult, and the test took questions directly from previous quizzes. On the whole, I think I'm doing pretty well right now.
I begin teaching at my ballroom dance studio next week! I'm pretty excited about it. My ballroom dance director keeps saying that being a ballroom dance teacher is a lot like being a therapist, so hopefully it will be good practice for my internship as a mental health counselor in a middle school.
As far as my internship goes, I now have 2 clients. I'm still working on putting a group together and also getting 1 more individual client. I'm having a difficult time getting the last individual's mother to come in for an intake though, which apparently is par for the course. She keeps standing me up. I also completed my first process recording for my field placement. For a process recording, all students at UMD have to write down EVERYthing that is said during a single session and record it online. Since my sessions are 45-55 minutes each, this is a very tedious process. Then we are expected to write down reactions, skills we utilized, and an analysis of our work at the end. Finally, our field supervisor and faculty liaison comment on what we need to work on. I absolutely see the benefit of this exercise, but it just takes foreeeeever.
That is all for now, I'll post again after I begin teaching to fill you in on what life is like as a full-time student with a part-time job.
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