First Year of Grad School in the Books - What?!

By: Georgina Antwi-Boasiako 

April 30, 2024

Let's just say I was feeling a bit confident heading into my second semester. I mean, who wouldn't be? After acing my first semester while juggling full-time studies, work and social life, I was on top of the world. Heck, I felt like I deserved my car loan to be paid off! But in all seriousness, anyone willing to take that off my shoulders? If you are, hit me up! 😁

With that being said, there was no option but to excel in this second semester. I've come to realize the truth in the saying that people tend to pay more attention to things they personally invest in, whether it's time, money, or effort. Well, that's me right now with grad school. It might sound crazy, but it's not surprising—I'm financing my grad school entirely on my own, with a little support from my mother. I'm determined not to take out any loans for it. To me, it just doesn't make sense to incur more expenses later. So, I'm committed to performing exceptionally well, and I'll do everything in my power to absorb as much knowledge and experience in this field as possible. 

By "confident," I meant that I believed I had my time management all sorted out, but boy, was I mistaken! 😂 I'm laughing at myself, so feel free to join in, but don't go too hard on me; otherwise, you'll just come across as mean, and being mean isn't what we're aiming for in this world. 

This semester, I enrolled in a total of 6 classes (like I had a choice😅), with 2 of them being half semesters, so it didn't seem too overwhelming at first. 😭 But let's be honest, it was tough, really tough! I felt like I was drowning, yet somehow managing to stay afloat peacefully. If that doesn't make sense to you, then you can imagine how I felt throughout this semester. And true to form, I put myself forward for consideration for the social chair position in my program's student council. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the opportunity to collaborate closely with an amazing group of individuals to enhance our program and classmates' experiences, but it does come with extra work and time commitments. However, I must say, if given the chance to go back in time, I would still eagerly seize this opportunity. It's been an incredibly rewarding experience thus far.

Okay, brace yourself because I genuinely loved one class this semester and eagerly anticipated it every week. Now, the fact that we got free piada on that day (still don't know who it was actually for), weekly, might have had something to do with it, but in all seriousness, the professor made the class truly enjoyable. Right from the first day, she actively sought feedback and provided us with a means to give it, and believe it or not, she actually took our feedback into account without getting defensive. Her primary goal was to ensure that we learned and enjoyed the class. Now, I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy my other classes, but I'm not necessarily saying that I did either, so draw your own conclusions from that. I know, my close friends and family must be thrilled to have me around. I'm quite the comedian, or at least I like to think so.  

You might be thinking by now, did she fail?! Is this where she finally admits to taking a break? Well, sorry to disappoint you, haters, but that's not the case! 🥲 I know, disappointing, but if you thought that – and I hope not – then you clearly don't know who I am! I am THE Georgina Antwi-Boasiako, the eldest and best big sister to five amazing younger siblings. Yes, that's how I introduce myself, so deal with it. 🙄 If you're not good at being a sibling, step up your game! 

Anyway, despite the challenging experience of managing my time effectively, work becoming increasingly chaotic every single day, feeling like I'm on the verge of pulling my hair out (if I had any 💀), mentally punching the air every waking moment, yearning for some peace and quiet in sleep, and being ready to unleash fury on anyone who tries to offer solutions when all I want is to vent, I ended up being just fine. I know, what?! How?! I guess God always got my back.💁🏾‍♀️

Below are some memories from this second semester. Enjoy!🙂