Kalysha Clark

Tucson, Arizona - I have arrived! It is very different from NC. The land is basically all flat, but has mountains all around. There are cacti everywhere, but the same cannot be said about grass.

For the next few nights, I will be staying with my "boss" Allyssa, (more about her here) at her professor's house, where she is dog sitting. They have two mutts. I'm excited to be around doggies.

Quandary. She's a little older and took some time to warm up to me.

Quinton. He was friendly from the beginning.

He liked me enough to nap with me.

Tomorrow, we will go to the University of Arizona to get the rest of my hiring paperwork finished. Then, we will tour the University, grab some lunch, and possibly tour the Desert Museum, which would introduce me to some of the native wildlife around here. She also invited me out to Happy Hour tomorrow night with some friends, so I'm excited to get social.

We are going grocery shopping on Saturday to get food for the mountain, where we will do our research for ten or so days before returning to Tucson for a break. There's a deal on Saturday's where you can get a 60 lb. box of fresh produce for $10 so Allyssa and I plan to split that for some of our groceries.

I also have to get some shots, including my rabies shot. This is actually really awesome because the rabies pre-exposure is essentially a necessity for careers handling wildlife and it's free to me under my employment! Awesome.

When we are up on the mountain, Allyssa said I will get some orientation, but will basically be thrown into things, so I'm interested to see how that goes. I always put my best foot forward and this will be no exception.

I will post more updates as I go.

Since I will have four days of free time every two weeks during the summer, I've decided to make some goals for myself to make sure I don't waste too much time!

I got an amazing opportunity to assist with field work that is currently being conducted by a Master's student at the University of Arizona over the summer. I will be spending about 10 weeks in Mt. Graham helping to conduct research that focuses on two aspects of chipmunk dispersal:

1) How do individual characteristics (such as increase activity or aggression) influence how far a chipmunk disperses from its natal site, and
2) How those characteristics influence whether the chipmunk settles in a habitat that is similar to or different from their natal site.

The best part is that the position is paid and has several days off every few weeks, which will enable me to do some sight-seeing. I'm hoping to be able to take a trip to the Grand Canyon!

I'm excited about the position because it will enable me to gain additional skills in research. I will get to handle baby chipmunks and collar them, monitor nests, make observations and utilize two different methods of radio telemetry.

I also get to conduct an independent research project, complete with literature review, that will prepare me for my Master's degree and that could even be published.

I am grateful for the opportunity and will be posting about my adventures along the way.

If you are interested in donating to my gofundme page where I am raising the money to pay for airfare, please click here.

The Apartment Decor series will provide tutorials on budget-friendly DIY crafts that will spruce up your dorm or apartment.

Before

After

The Apartment Decor series will provide tutorials on budget-friendly DIY crafts that will spruce up your dorm or apartment.
As I prepare to move out of my shared house with roommates and into an apartment on my own, I have realized that I will have less space, especially in the kitchen. It seems like in my house, we have a drawer for everything. I won't have that luxury in my apartment. I decided to house my pens, pencils, and markers, which I use to label containers, make meal plans, grocery lists, and more, on the fridge instead of in a drawer.

I am a part of a program at NC State called Scholars Preparing for Admission and Career Exploration (aka SPACE). This program will help me get together everything I need to successfully apply for graduate school, which is importance since I will be taking a break between undergraduate and graduate school.

Personal statements are an important component of graduate school applications and so, throughout the program, I will be writing responses to the most common graduate school essays in order to put together a cohesive and unique personal statement.

Some of the essays include:

• Immediate Objectives: Why do you plan to attend graduate school? Explain how graduate school will contribute to your career goals. What do you plan to do with your degree?


• Career Plans:What are your long-term career goals? Where do you see yourself, career wise, ten years after graduation?


• Academic Achievements: Discuss your academic background and achievements. Of which are you most proud?


• Research Experiences: Discuss your research experiences. 


• Internships and Field Experience: Discuss your applied experiences in this field. How have these experiences shaped your career goals?


• Academic Interests:What would you like to study? Describe your academic interests. What areas would you like to research?


• Match to Faculty: Explain how your research interests match those of the faculty. With whom would you like to work? Who would you choose as your mentor?


• Personal Experience and Philosophy: Write an autobiographical essay. Is there anything in your background that you think would be relevant to your application for admission to graduate school? Describe your life up to now: family, friends, home, school, work, and particularly those experiences most relevant to your interests in psychology. What is your approach to life?


• Strengths and Weaknesses:  Discuss your personal and academic skills. Identify your strengths and weaknesses. How will these contribute to your success as a graduate student and professional? How do you compensate for your weaknesses?

I cannot think of a signle person who thoroughly enjoys the process of enrolling in classes. Personally, it never fails to stress me out.

I always plan my schedule out only to find that the classes I planned are either not offered or are closed because everyone has already filled up the seats. In the case of the latter, I am always having to go back and check the portal, hoping to get lucky and hop on the wait list.

As of now, I'm enrolled in four classes: Ecology, Animal Phylogeny and Diversity, Nonprofit Leadership and Development, Explorations in Creative Writing, and Fundamentals of Grant Development for Nonprofits.

I'm disappointed because I really wanted to take Captive Animal Biology, but the class fills up quickly and it was already closed by the time my enrollment period opened.

I'm also disappointed because my original planned schedule allowed me to have only three days of classes, giving me two days to work, but it now looks as if I will have to take classes and work on every day of the week. College problems.

Hopefully, it'll all work out in the end. I'm just concerned with making sure I get all my required classes so that I can graduate on time.

Anyone else have a pleasant or unpleasant experience with enrolling? Let me know in the comments. :)