Skip to main content

1 Year Down, 4 To Go: Life Update

And just like that, my first year of graduate school was complete! I can NOT believe that I survived it....but then again, how could I possibly doubt myself? #HumbleBrag


After my first committee meeting! :)


I have learned sooo much this year, not only academically, but about myself personally. This has been quite the journey. I know that I have been MIA for a while now, but I am back and excited to have the time to blog some more. I have so much to say and so much to update you guys on with my life. If you're not already, follow me on instagram (@12bre45) to keep up with the latest. I post most frequently there.

But in the meantime, here is a quick life-update

Graduate School 

This first year has been amazing. I completed my second semester with all As, had a great first committee meeting (which I will write a separate post about), and I have made some great strides in my research. For those of you that are new here, I go to the University of Mississippi and I am working on my Ph.D in Chemistry, with a focus on organic chemistry in biomedical applications. More specifically, polymer chemistry. My dream is to be a cosmetic chemist and maybe even have my own cosmetics line one day! This semester, I worked really hard in strengthening my organic chemistry and really taking control of my academic career-- afterall, I will be expected to know this stuff when I'm done here. I've figured out how to make all of this applicable to my life. I have always been very goal-oriented, but this past semester, I have taken goal-setting and achieving to a whole new level! I am so excited to continue my research, start collaborations, and work towards my degree in the coming years. 
Now don't get it confused, I definitely had my fair share of struggles. For example, selecting my committee members to follow me throughout my graduate school career was one of the toughest and most important decisions of my life thus far. I even applied for a fellowship, and as some of you know, got my first publication. And how can I forget the tragic scheduling of my first committee meeting the same day I had an exam and another presentation in separate classes? Seriously, would NOT recommend. Those were definitely trying times for me. But I overcame and here I am, a survivor. Like Beyoncè! lol

Personal Life

This year, I have had the most fun I have ever had, by far! My younger brother flew to Oxford to visit me! My sister has come to visit. I've had the opportunity to travel a lot more with my amazing boyfriend. I have been living the life. If you read my Goal Digger post, then you know that my major goal for this year was to just do what makes me happy and makes me feel good. And I have been doing exactly that! I've recently made the life decision to be vegetarian (also mentioned in that last post) and I have been loving it. There will be a new section on my blog dedicated to all the new foods I have been loving as well. Super excited about that! I have also been working out (when I have the time) and have come to truly love myself; flaws and all. I know that I am not perfect, but as long as I am happy.... what else matters? I am sooo excited for this next chapter of life.

To-TEA-ly Bri

I have to admit, I have definitely dropped the ball when it comes to blogging regularly. I am going to make more of an effort to remember to write occasionally, even if it's just to check in with you guys. 


Please make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss a post, and comment below to tell me what you have been up to!






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Earl Grey Tea

Tea Time Tea is my all time favorite drink! There are so many different flavors and types for all sorts of health and dietary needs. This section of my blog will showcase my favorite teas and why I enjoy them! Earl Grey Earl Grey Tea is a black tea with a slight citrus flavor. This tea is packed with caffeine (55-90 mg per cup) which makes it a great alternative for a morning coffee, while still allowing you to get a head-start on your daily water intake. This tea is named after Earl Charles Grey, who was the prime minister of England from 1830 to 1834. There are many stories that attempt to explain why Earl Charles Grey was given the honor of having a tea named after him, but none seem to agree with each other. Whatever the story behind the name, no one can deny the bold flavor this tea delivers. I enjoy this tea several different ways. The brand I use is Bigelow and is pictured below. Traditionally, tea is steeped in hot water. However, I especially like this tea steeped in ...
3 comments
Read more

1st Week of Graduate School

Hey everyone! Life has been so crazy! Since my last post, I have moved from New Orleans to Oxford, Mississippi (which has been a HUGE adjustment in itself) and also started graduate school. I've had to deal with somewhat of a culture shock during my transition here, and a terrible bout of homesickness. Nonetheless, school eventually started and I had to kick everything into super high gear and get my life together. This post takes you through my experience during my first week of graduate school. My first "real" week of graduate school was actually the 2nd week of August. During that time, I took care of the boring things. I had to fill out paperwork for Human Resources, get parking passes, go through an obnoxiously long safety training for my laboratory, get transcripts, register for classes, all of that.  During that week I also took a series of preliminary exams which allowed my advisor to see where I was academically and place me in the appropriate classes. So I...
2 comments
Read more

Ole Miss Bound

Hello everyone! If you are following my Instagram page (@12bre45), then you probably saw that I recently announced that I would be attending the University of Mississippi this Fall. This is such an amazing opportunity for me and definitely did not come easily. So in this post, I wanted to take some time to explain the process I went through to finally be Ole Miss Bound . *Also, before reading this post, it would be helpful if you have already read my post Choosing Biochemistry . On to Plan B As I have mentioned before, I changed my major very late in the college game. But in doing so, I had discovered something that I was truly passionate about. Although I had finally taken all of these biochemistry classes and had a lot of research under my belt, I still did not feel prepared for graduate school. Graduate school applications are usually due sometime during the fall semester when you're applying for the next fall semester. This is when sooooo many things finally occur...
2 comments
Read more