I came to HGSE convinced of a myth. This myth was that when I became a student again, I’d have more time for myself than when I was working a normal 9-5 job. I’d be at home more often or I’d be able to get more time in the gym. Or maybe this would be a good year to adopt a dog because I’d finally have more time!
Well, I’m very glad that I did not adopt that dog.
Being a student again has been one day after another in a breathless pace. Each day is packed to the brim with meetings, classes, sections, and optional events (that I hope to attend but will make a decision five minutes before based on how I feel). And for me, these packed days are crazy and completely unsustainable.
Yet I’ve also come to realize that this is exactly what I wanted – more time for myself. Every day in graduate school is a schedule that I have created for myself, for enriching my mind and my soul with stories, wisdom, and connection. And though it’s busy and not spent at home in my PJs (can you tell yet that I’m an introvert?), I love the sense of fulfillment I have every night when I finally crawl into bed.
This blog post attempts to capture one day in my life as a HGSE Master’s student. Every day is different here, but the day I’ve chosen to capture encompasses so much of what I love about my life at Harvard. Hopefully, you’ll sense that, too, and be able to imagine yourself here as well!
February 27, 2019
9:30 AM – Wake up and get through my morning routine and breakfast.
10:00 AM – Sit down at my desk (in my PJs) and check through my emails and finish some readings for class.
11:30 AM – Dressed and ready to go. It’s still too cold out to bike, so I have been catching the free Harvard shuttle that passes nearby my neighborhood in Lower Allston. My neighborhood is just south of Harvard Business School so it’s still close to campus amenities like the gym and the shuttle. Taking the shuttle makes my commute about 20-25 minutes long (including the walks on either side); biking to campus is about 15 minutes.
12:00 PM – Lunch. One of the Indian restaurants in Harvard Square is having a deal through the SnackPass app so I’ve invited a few friends to join me for lunch. We meet for an amazing meal and great conversation at the Maharaja. Many of us are catching up for the first time in weeks.
1PM – Office hours with my stats professor, Joe McIntyre, the (best and) most accessible professor on campus.
1:30 PM – Meet with my stats partner for the third day in a row to work through our time-consuming assignment for Joe’s class. Stats definitely took over my life this week.
3PM – Head to Harvard Kennedy School for a weekly meeting with my team for the Innovation Field Lab course (check it out here). We are working on a consulting project with a city in Massachusetts around the theme of innovative ideas for social problems. This is one of two courses I am cross-registered in this semester.
4:15PM – Walk to another part of the HKS building to sit in on a Disability Policy class. I’m not enrolled in the course, but my part-time job at the City of Boston is very connected to disability issues. I decided to ask this professor if it would be okay if I audited a couple of his classes. He very graciously gave me permission to do so.
7PM – After the class ends, I’m hungry so I head into Harvard Square for some pizza at Otto’s and then walk back to HGSE. I lounge on the couches taking a mind-break (read: scroll through social media) while I wait for my next meeting.
8PM – Student Council meeting. I ran for this position at the beginning of the year and it’s been such a great experience! In today’s meeting, we talk through the logistics of a couple of events we have planned for the spring.
9PM – Book the Harvard Evening Shuttle to catch a ride back home. My house is just within the limits of the shuttle which does a free door-to-door service for Harvard students after 7PM.
9:30PM – Back home! The evening is not over yet. I have to clock-in some hours for work so I spend the rest of the evening working remotely for my gig in Boston.
Midnight – Bedtime = the best time.
Thanks for reading!
Blog post written by Jenni Myung. Photos provided by Jenni Myung.
Jenni Myung is in the International Education Policy program. She is from Columbus, Ohio but her most recent home before HGSE was Arvaikheer, Mongolia. At HGSE, Jenni is interested in exploring how language policy at the institutional level affect issues of equity and access in schools and societies. She has chosen to do her internship at the Boston Mayor’s Office this year in order to apply her academic interests to real world contexts. Jenni is also serving as the Student Council representative for her cohort. Jenni is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, former AmeriCorps VISTA member, and an alum of Emory University.
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