Week 1!

Day 1 
August 24, 2015

 Today, I...

...fell into the "...for those of you who don't know Latin..." category. #Harvard


...commenced my transition to #EastCoastGirl by correcting a classmate who said, "I can tell you're from California, with that Cali tan!" with, "Actually, it's a #NantucketTan." 

...fell in love with a small, close-knit campus. #EdSchool







Nantucket Beer:                            Nantucket Beach, Nantucket Boyfriend:

Day 2 
August 25, 2015

  Today, I....

 ...marveled at how many people wear tennis shoes (sneakers?) on their public transport commute.

 ...failed at my attempt to make the 4-minute sprint between the commuter rail and subway legs of my (temporary) morning commute. The 8-am throng of passengers is thick and does not allow for fast walking. I am actively plotting a strategic solution, involving more careful seat selection and, perhaps, some #Masshole moves.

 ...discovered that the cafe in Gutman Library, the EdSchool home, is outrageously delicious and suprisingly cheap. I assembed an arugula salad topped with squash ravioli, quinoa salad, and a kale/blackbean/corn salad. I'm told the ingredients are locally sourced. I'm too overwhelmed to actually follow up on that.

 ...went to an internship fair and quickly decided that dense, crowded internship fairs are not my cup of tea. Was also less than enthused about the idea of interning (although I'm told it is an essential part of the HGSE/TIE experience). I'm excited to be a student again and may focus my energy on coursework. We'll see what my advisor (yeah, I have one of those! And she gave me her cell phone number! #notpublicschool) says about that.

Day 3 
August 26, 2015

  Today, I...

... went shopping! For courses! "Course shopping" is a #Harvard tradition wherein professors prepare short, 40-minute intros/pitches to their courses, which students attend to make a better informed decision about whether enrollment consequently fits their fancy. This is to mitigate the course auditing nightmare that is the norm at most institutions, and a nightmare at UCLA! Needless to say, it felt pretty cool to attend mini-lectures, no strings attached, and decide which professors were worthy of my time and tuition dollars.

 ...faked an entrepreneurial mindset and manner at a networking event at HIVE, the EdSchool's "idea space." Yes, you ask, I have developed prototypes (sketches in a notebook), and performed research (downloaded one app that seemed similar and poked around on it for a bit) on a tutoring/student collaboration app. I may or may not have a team that wants to move forward with me in actually developing this.... #Harvard

Day 4 
August 28, 2015 

Today, I... .

..decided, during the second and final day of course shopping, that the Intensive Quantitative Methods Pathway is, indeed, for me. Excited to geek out with some hard-core stats classes and classmates!

 ...shaved 16 seconds off the walking connection bewteen the commuter rail and subway of my morning commute by, well, being more of a #MassHole. I'm learning quickly.

 ...remembered that I signed up for a September 20th triathlon and should probably work on shipping my bike to Boston. And maybe going for a swim.


Day 5 
August 28, 2015

  Today, I...

 ...got thoroughly lost on the search for the gym, located precisely 0.4 miles from the ed campus. The layout of the streets of Cambridge defy logic!

 ...found said gym, and immediately pained for the modernity and brightness of UCLA athletic facilities. That campus cannot be outdone in terms of a layout that facilitates student community and spirit

 ...went to happy hour with 30/72 members of my (awesome!) new cohort! One of our professors was in the same bar. We all shook hands and it was surprisingly not awkward.

 ...helped to incite a USC v. all UC campuses rivalry while at said happy hour. Three Trojans in our program?! Abominable. We'll see what happens when #Harvard plays our respective teams. Oh, wait...

...plan on falling asleep before 10pm. What a (first) week it has been!