Whirlwind Reflection Part 2of2

On July 15, 2011 I said good-bye to my full-time job, packed up my car, and drove cross-country to start my life as a graduate student. When I arrived in Texas, I was met with 100+ degree weather. Once I got my stuff unpacked, I started looking for a part-time job. My new job pays me enough to fill my gad tank, cover auto insurance and my monthly cell phone bill. Then I bought my textbooks and various school supplies. Next, I began my anxious wait for classes to start.

    In August I became homesick. This was probably due to the fact I have never lived more than four hours away from a beach. The unrelenting nature of the heat made me long for a daytrip to the beach. I miss being able to drive to the beach at a moment's notice. I also miss my boyfriend, but the distance has helped both of us focus on graduate school. Our daily communications have served to temper the stress that deadlines intensify. We are studying in similar fields, which helps us understand each other's lives.

To Summarize Assignments I Have Completed This Semester: (Major Assignments)

• Case Study- 12 page paper I wrote to apply various theories and concepts to a real life situation and to analyze the situation.
  
• Biopsychosocial- This was written in two parts and was in the form of a standard intake assessment. The subject was from a movie and I included peer-reviewed literature to back up my assumptions and treatment plan
  
• Agency Assessment- This was a paper that analyzed an agency from both a Micro and a Macro perspective.
  
• Created a Hypothetical Organization- This was a group project in which we found a local problem, a population and an environment. Then we created an empirically supported intervention for the problem and the organization to enact the solution. We then wrote a 20 page paper and presentation about our organization
  
• Debate Presentation- This was a group project where we presented the pros and cons of a specific social policy
  
• Social Policy Analysis Paper- This was a 15 page paper in which I analyzed a social policy based on a Policy Analysis Model. This was the hardest paper I have ever written
  

This is basically my first semester in review. I will present real time updates about next semester, instead of waiting until the end of the semester.