A Life Measured by Terms….

As parents will know, we measure the ages of our very young children in months because the measure of a year is not accurate enough. The same thing might be said about university. A lot can happen in a year. So much that we have to measure it in four-month increments called terms. Only then can we accurately describe what all it is we accomplish within twelve months, over four years, or more.
In talking with those-BSWs-who-have-graduated, I realize that this all eventually fades into a blur of “when I did my degree.” But for those-BSWs-who-have-not-yet-graduated (at least from our undergraduate degree), what happens and when is pretty important. Take course planning, for example, and practicum timing.
I’m excited to be looking forward to a fourth year practicum experience during the sunny Summer Session 2012 (May to August). My last one took place in chilly mid-winter, otherwise known at UVic as Second Term, from January to April. (First Term is September to December). The timing is important for another reason: the approaching Summer Session will be the last one of my BSW.

That lets me think ahead just a little to exploring MSW possibilities. Clearly, I’m not ready to leave UVic yet. Not even close.

**I’ve written before about planning and timing. I’ve also acknowledged that in the face of greater life events and/or losses, planning can (and maybe should) all go out the window. Do what works for you. Don’t be afraid to revise plans or chuck them altogether. Doodling around about when we might convocate can be fun, but especially for us adult students who have a ton of other responsibilities and commitments, don’t stress about shuffling courses around to keep a healthy work/life/family/school balance. The only difference may be an extra term or two. When it all becomes a blur down the road, that extra time won’t matter as much as it seems to right now. **

These images: At left, some weird, wonderful underwater life at the Vancouver Aquarium. At right, my favourite: my son at Spanish Banks, just after a tour with our nephew at UBC. I told Clayton to keep his jacket on over his UVIC hoodie, though (a gift from his mother of course).