Going back to graduate school late in life, as it turns out, is not as easy as I thought. I love my classes, my professors are great, the master’s program is impressive, and Santa Clara is a wonderful school. The only problem, it seems, is that I didn’t expect so much homework! Or, maybe I just forgot that out-of-class assignments are part of the package (whoops!). The reading is overwhelming. And just a little intimidating.
I don’t consider myself a slow reader but now I realize it’s probably because for the last thirty years I haven’t been reading textbooks. Comprehending the plot in a novel and comprehending textbook details are completely different animals.
I spent most of my entire day yesterday reading, rereading and finally rereading the reread. Details just escape my 52 year old brain, they go in and then go right out again. Hence, the need to read articles three times until they make sense.
The sheer volume of reading assignments is so daunting it’s causing me anxiety. And if I don’t get a handle on the anxiety, then I’ll be the one who needs a therapist rather than the one who is training to become a therapist!
I’m counting on things getting a bit more manageable once I get back into the whole school routine. After all, it has been quite an absence!
