Mondays are hard. Mondays after Thanksgiving break may be harder.

I left for Denver last Wednesday afternoon & brought my computer & books with me & told myself no matter what I would study & get caught up on my assignments...that definitely did not happen! So today I had TONS to catch up on. Thankfully, my real responsibilities don't start until noon on Mondays, so I usually spend my mornings catching up on readings or taking care of errands that I am unable to do later on in the week.

This morning I went to Student Health Services to get my vaccines updated. I had to get six shots in one day! Ouch! That's the one thing I wish I knew about Penn before arriving-- they are super strict about the vaccine requirements, so be sure you are up to date before you come, otherwise your class registration may be delayed.

After my hour or so at the doctor I headed to Wawa to get my morning coffee & toast. If you are not a native Philadelphian, you probably have never heard of Wawa before. I definitely didn't while I was living on the West Coast. Let me be the first to tell you, Wawa is fantastic! Think of it as a convenience store to the extreme with the absolute best sandwiches (hoagies) you will ever have! It is super inexpensive too. If you ever come visit the Penn campus definitely check it out (& bring me with you!). When my brother visited me from Chicago it was the first place I took him. There are two within walking distance from GSE, thank goodness!  

With coffee in my hand I then headed over to the GSE Office of Admissions & Financial Aid where I work as a graduate assistant. I work twenty hours a week talking to prospective students, creating marketing campaigns, & doing application processing. It's tons of fun & my co-workers are absolutely fantastic! We are definitely like a family here in the office. Graduate assistantships are not required as part of the Higher Education program, but definitely encouraged & can help offset the cost of tuition. Even if you are not part of the Higher Ed program, the admissions office has GA's from all other GSE departments that work GSE events and keep up blogs (just like this one!). You will learn ALL about obtaining GA-ships during your Open House for accepted students weekend.

My graduate student life is fueled by Wawa.

After my work in the office was done for the day I stuck around the GSE building to participate in the "De-Stress Week" that is currently happening. There are tons of events throughout the building put on by the GSE Senate to help us get through the last two weeks of the semester (eek!). Today there was a relaxation room on the ground floor that had healthy treats available & calming music. It was tons of fun & I left feeling recharged! I am definitely looking forward to the other events going on this week that include a massage chair & therapy dogs!

Healthy treats in the "De-Stress Room" hosted by the GSE Senate.

Now, after almost eleven hours of work, it's time for sleep & to do something brand new & exciting tomorrow.

See you tomorrow!

-Austin