Semester Completion

My first semester of graduate education has completed. Finals week was stressful only because I had to proctor a calculus exam the night before my algebra final, and then grade that calculus exam before turning my brain entirely off. Even that can only be brief, for I need to study for a qualification exam I am retaking in January. However, I'm just rushed to get things put together before leaving for Kansas City.

This is the first time I have reached a milestone such as a semester and not known what fraction of my education I have completed. As a freshman, I said, "I'm one eighth done!" Now, I have no idea if it is one eighth, tenth, twelfth, or more. It could even be less, if I don't have the chops for the advanced courses. From my vantage point, it seems that after the two levels of exams are completed the courses get less strenuous, but the other work picks up.

In order to be successful, I will need to improve my self-motivation. It's not that I'm not self-motivated to learn math, just that I need motivation to sit down and work on problems that I come up with myself and see them to completion amidst classes and teaching.

The break for the next ten days is very much needed.