Annotated bibliographies ROCK.
A year ago I was one month into my graduate schooling, and I'd given barely any thought to my thesis. It certainly wasn't looming large on the horizon like a juggernaut of doom the way it is at present! And if I could somehow send back a message to my First Year Graduate Self it would be: Keep an annotated biblio on EVERYTHING you read! It will save oodles of time that could actually be writing time, instead of searching futilely through book after book for a citation or quote by . . . wait, which author was that? Or was it an article that I have digitally? Oh, frick.
And then I'd smack my First-Year Self in the head and tell her, "No, really." Because I've realized that I got the same piece of advice from a mentor and friend in Maryland a few years ago, when I was just getting interested in the field. I asked his advice and he told me: "Read a lot. And take notes on everything you read." Which I did, for a while, and I'm certain it's why I flew through my Historical Archaeology class as though I'd actually gotten a degree in archaeology or anthropology as an undergrad.
You'd better believe I'm taking notes on everything I read now (and I'm telling all the new First Years who will listen to do the same)! It's already come in handy in class, and I'm sure when the actual thesis-research-and-writing phase kicks into full gear I will waste much less time frantically searching for a vague quote that was somewhere about mid-page on the verso side of a page about a third of the way into the chapter . . . .
I think my other good advice to myself would be get more sleep, and I think I'll take that advice right now. More to follow.
A year ago I was one month into my graduate schooling, and I'd given barely any thought to my thesis. It certainly wasn't looming large on the horizon like a juggernaut of doom the way it is at present! And if I could somehow send back a message to my First Year Graduate Self it would be: Keep an annotated biblio on EVERYTHING you read! It will save oodles of time that could actually be writing time, instead of searching futilely through book after book for a citation or quote by . . . wait, which author was that? Or was it an article that I have digitally? Oh, frick.
And then I'd smack my First-Year Self in the head and tell her, "No, really." Because I've realized that I got the same piece of advice from a mentor and friend in Maryland a few years ago, when I was just getting interested in the field. I asked his advice and he told me: "Read a lot. And take notes on everything you read." Which I did, for a while, and I'm certain it's why I flew through my Historical Archaeology class as though I'd actually gotten a degree in archaeology or anthropology as an undergrad.
You'd better believe I'm taking notes on everything I read now (and I'm telling all the new First Years who will listen to do the same)! It's already come in handy in class, and I'm sure when the actual thesis-research-and-writing phase kicks into full gear I will waste much less time frantically searching for a vague quote that was somewhere about mid-page on the verso side of a page about a third of the way into the chapter . . . .
I think my other good advice to myself would be get more sleep, and I think I'll take that advice right now. More to follow.
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