Hello everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. I’m coming to you live from what is referred to by many as “the most stressful week in the semester,” the final week of classes.
Personally, I have two 8-page papers to write in the next four days (not that I haven’t been working on them already, of course). The first is a lab report on how well our mitochondrial DNA data supports Out of Africa theory of human origins, the second on whether other nations have a moral obligation to accept ecological refugees. With two such daunting topics as human origin and moral obligations, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, to feel that urge to tackle every little thing there is to know about the subject. But I come to you fresh out of a (somewhat emotional) meeting with my philosophy professor, who as we scrapped my over-ambitious outline, reassured me that “you don’t have to explain the moral history of all philosophy in an 8 page paper.” And that was a freeing thought to think about.
Although it’s always hard to scrap an idea right before a deadline, I’m really glad we had that chat, my philosophy professor and I. And I’m not entirely sure, at another larger institution, that I would have been able to meet with her spontaneously fifteen minutes after class, or that she would have offered to have a phone conference on Monday, once I’ve had some time to iron things out. So even as I recognize that Wellesley is a challenging place, the kind of place that demands two 8 page research papers due on the same day, I appreciate that it also allows for a framework of support. If we hadn’t had that chat, I’d probably be spending my weekend getting highly frustrated over whether or not morality should even exist, rather than focusing on the topic on hand, namely ecological refugees. Even though it was a tricky thing to do, I’m proud of myself in a way for asking for help.
I may not have much, but at least my bootstrap-less, distance-less phylogenetic tree is aesthetically pleasing and generally supports the Out of Africa hypothesis 😉
And this week hasn’t been without its triumphs. Break was largely devoted to studying for my last chemistry midterm, featuring the surreal experience of solving for equilibrium constants in the middle of South Station (another Wellesley girl recognized me, because solving for equilibrium constants in the middle of South Station is a very Wellesley thing to do). And I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch, but I’m pretty sure all that studying paid off. I finished my midterm with work-checking time to spare (!!!) and answers that made sense (!!!) in the context of the questions. Right after that, we had a end of the semester weevil lab outing to eat delicious Indian food, and not only do I get to do independent research next semester but I also have a potential recommender for my summer research applications. Things are going to be okay.
Anyways, It’s back to writing for me, the kind with citations, not corny science jokes a la this blog entry. Lots of work to do, but somehow it’s not quite as intimidating as it was before my morning revelations. Here’s to making it to Tuesday, papers in hand!
Ever lovely yours,
Eleanor
The light at the end of the tunnel (or the window of Green Hall)