#where-the-sky-ends

[where-the-sky-studies]

GRE Help

Hey everyone. Another quick update. So this girl here has finally decided to pursue a master's in library and information sciences (MLIS). Which means this studyblr, will move up to a gradblr (yay!). Which also means that I have to take the GRE. 

So my question is does anyone know any good study materials and tips to help me prepare for it? 

[theitsybitsylibrarian]

Hey there! I noticed you’re in grad school to become a librarian? I wanted to ask how your experience is with it so far? I’m actually very interested in getting LIS degree. I love your blog by the way !

hello! sorry for the late reply, i’ve been really busy helping my mom move and taking care of the cats (our kitten just got his neuter) on top of regular grad school business. thanks so much for liking my blog, it means a lot ♡ sorry this is way long, there’s a TLDR at the bottom.

it’s awesome you are looking into the LIS field! personally, i had this hilarious, sitting in the bathtub, aha! moment realization that librarianship actually aligns with my ethics and would be worth looking into.

((i don’t know where you live, but all my information is going to be based on my program in america. LIS can be really different by region, so my experiences definitely might not apply to where you are.))

for the most part, i’ve had an incredible experience with my program! i’ll get to the hum drum boring academic issues i have with it later, but positivity first:

it’s a really inclusive program!

on multiple fronts! there’s an online and on-campus program, so students have accessible options to taking courses. there’s also a large multicultural element to drexel. as a nonbinary trans student, drexel has been a really accepting and chill place to be out.

there are incredible networking opportunities!

while the program offers networking mixers, there are also class project chances to network. i’ve had multiple projects where i’ve had to interview someone in the field. it’s great exposure to different job types as well as to people who are interested in helping you grow in your future career!

for real the last person i interviewed told me that she’d be happy to help me get an internship at her old super awesome archives 

i get practically weekly emails with internships and job opportunities within the field!

Drexel is on a quarter program, so i can finish my degree in half the time!

full time, my program takes 1.5 years

normally it takes 3

LIS is a really progressive field and values accessibility, diversity, taking care of your community, etc.

there are great student opportunities in LIS organization such as the ALA (american library association) to further your learning, get student tuition discounts at your university, attend networking and workshopping events, etc.

i feel really fulfilled, driven, and purposeful!

the hum drum academic nonsense:

while i’m enrolled as an on-campus student, a fair amount of my classes are online

i have to pay more money to take the same classes as online only students because of my enrollment status

if i wanted to be an online student that’s how i would have enrolled?

all of the specialized/elective classes are online

if you like online courses this isn’t a problem but as someone who learns a lot better in a sit down lecture, it sucks that i can’t access specialized topics in a way best suited to my learning 

see also the weird pricing difference

classes aren’t offered as often as you’d think despite the quarter system

the introduction to archives classes are being offered once a year. i missed out on them this time around because i wasn’t sure going into my degree if i was interested in taking them. i have to wait for fall 2019 for them to swing back around now (i’ll be almost done my degree, that’s really late to be taking beginning specialization classes).

Drexel did away with field specializations

so there’s no specialization for law librarianship, medical librarianship, archives, children’s librarianship, etc.

apparently it used to cause students a lot of anxiety to pick a specialization? it causes me more anxiety this way tbh

10 weeks is not a lot of time; despite the quarter program, students still do a semester’s worth of work. it’s a lot of reading and a lot of projects in a little bit of time. 

more field specific nonsense:

the best LIS opportunities are in cities

all the best funded projects are typically in cities

this leads to really poorly funded projects in suburbs and rural areas

also i dislike cities, they give me anxiety, this is a personal problem

with our current government, there’s a field wide lack of funds

thanks a lot for prioritizing libraries, donald

there’s a huge lack of employees, which leads to MSLIS degree holders achieving a management level position, on average, 6 months out of their degree

i mean this can be fine but for people with no prior leadership or managing experience that isn’t a lot of time to get experience in a field before you are expected to manage in it

also, personality wise, a lot of people who go into the field don’t want to manage they just want to do good library work

TLDR; i mostly love it! it’s a really positive experience and program. there’s some academic planning nonsense but it’s a largely great program full of idealists and sweet nerds ♡

[where-the-sky-studies]

Honestly, one of my main goals in life is just to have my own library.