First Day of School

So today was my first day of school. Grad School. Wow. I have been wanting to/thinking about/fretting about grad school for five years. And now I am here. I also applied for school in late January and was accepted and essentially signed up in April. Therefore this decision was made 5-6 months ago. That is a first. I can't remember the last time I made a decision this big that far in advance. So I will list some things.

About being a grad student:

1. People at UofO (University of Oregon) love grad students. The professors, the library people, everyone I've talked to attempting to get a work-study job. They love us. This seems a bit bizarre because I have never heard any of my friends at other institutions speak of this.
2. Undergraduates look like babies. Yes, babies. I keep trying to find one that looks to me like a senior and it is near impossible.
3. Undergraduates seem to all wear the same exact clothes. Like a uniform or something. And the kids love skinny jeans and Vans. Vans with long socks. It reminds me of the Penrod boys at Wesleyan. (Also, people in my program all look sort of outdoorsy which I thought was a grad school thing until today when I went to the architecture school for an ice cream social and met all of the architecture students and they looked like hipsters. Are they cooler then us? Maybe just smarter?)
   
4. Grad school is professional school. I will learn skills and techniques that will make me a more valuable asset in the workplace and that will hopefully land me a better paying job out of the gate.

On State School:

1. I believe that folks on the West Coast are kinder then the East Coast. It is my truth. Except when it comes to dealing with any sort of office: financial aid, registrar, cashier, payroll... They lack all customer service skills. It is shocking.
2. Everything is done on the internet. I mean everything. I wasn't in college that long ago. But seriously, when I go to one of the above mentioned offices to take care of some sort of business the person at the desk pretty much turns their computer to "show me." And then click, click, click, click and then hands me a colored piece of paper with instructions and then sends me on my way. WTF. Seriously. Lets talk, lets do this together, lets ease some bit of nervousness. Whatever... (I will note here I am very grateful of all of Momo's work on this sort of BS while I was at Wes and throw out a thank you to all of the people at North College who made that part of college easy. And all of the love they gave me.)
3. There are a ton of students. I think around 20,000. And I feel it when I walk around.
4. People wear a lot of OREGON gear.
5. And the bike parking is like parking in a city. Totally jammed up. I will try to get a photo on here.

Ok. With that I will now get back to my Planning Analysis reading as I am meeting folks for beers at 9pm