Iโm four weeks into my second semester of grad school, and so far, it seems like it is going to be more complicated than anything I saw last semester. I enjoy the classes Iโm in, with the minor exception that the Classical Electromagnetism professor is a little bonkers, and the course feels kind of chaotic.
My teaching responsibilities are pretty much identical to last semester, but I don't have to work with the professor who overworked us and was rude all semester. Instead of holding office hours 9 hours/week I only have to hold them 3 hours/week which makes a big difference.
I am registered to start researching on top of everything, which I am happy about, but it's a little bittersweet. I want to dedicate myself to learning and engaging with research fully, but my classes have to come first. I like quantum 2 and Statistica Mechanics a lot, and the material is building a relevant foundation for my future work. The only trouble is that I'm spending a lot longer on the homework compared to last semester. It makes sense because some of the material is more advanced, but I posted syndrome and the pressure to get good grades continues to eat away at my soul.
The little bit that I have done with my research has been highly motivating. I even gave a presentation on an article during our group meeting! I also got trained on the High Resolution-X -Ray Diffeaction apparatus which satisfied my *i need to do lab things in a lab instead of working problems and derivations for hours* itch.
I already have an exam later this week so the next few days are going to be heavy studying/homework days. Doing my best to pace myself and keep my head above water.














