Application Preparation
During the month of August, I focused less on my research project and more on curating the materials I’ll need to apply to graduate school. I have been working on narrowing down my list of schools to apply to and looking at the specific application requirements for each school. So far, I have about five schools to choose from, all with programs that will align with my research interests. I have been revising my personal statement over the entire summer, and I finally feel that my draft is close to being polished! I’ve been working on keeping my CV updated as well, which has taught me just how annoying Microsoft Word can be when it comes to formatting. When I first learned that I would be writing my personal statement and finalizing my CV over the summer, I was pretty bummed out about having big assignments to do. However, looking back, I’m grateful to get these stressful pieces out of the way before application deadlines start creeping up on top of regular coursework during the fall semester. I’m feeling far more confident in my ability to submit quality applications, and I’m excited to see which of the universities I have been looking into will accept me!
Adventures
On top of the summer coursework this month, I have done a lot of traveling. My family and I have made it all the way around Lake Michigan over the last week, making several stops to see family. We stopped in Sturgeon Bay where we saw my aunt who lives in the area, then headed through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula toward Harbor Springs and Petoskey where we saw my aunt and uncle and their gorgeous dog named Jocko. While we were there, we also visited with my 91-year-old grandparents who live in a nursing home nearby. It was great to see everyone, especially since we don’t get to see that side of the family very often. While each visit was fairly brief, it was great to catch up and tell my family all about what I’ve been up to in college! As I’m writing this post, we are heading back to Wisconsin through Indiana and Illinois. Then, after a couple of days at home, my sister and I will be driving to Biloxi, Mississippi where we will be treating ourselves to some relaxation on the Gulf Coast. We found an adorable Airbnb on the beach about an hour from New Orleans, so we will have plenty of places to explore while we’re there!
Performances
A large part of our road trip around Lake Michigan was my sister’s classic rock cover band called Gravity of Youth. This is her third summer in the band, and her final performance will be before our trip to Biloxi. She had two shows in Sturgeon Bay, WI in which I had the opportunity to make a guest appearance for a mini set! We did seven songs together, and it was my first time performing in about four years. I was nervous, but I had forgotten how much fun it is to be onstage playing music, especially with my sister. The highlight of our time onstage together was when we did Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. This song was far more pulled back than most in their setlist, and it featured just piano and vocals. While we had rehearsed the chorus a couple of times, we had never run through the entire song until we performed it. Despite having to improvise, it was one of the best performances we have ever done together since we started singing together in 2013, and it was so special to be able to share the stage with my sister again like we used to! I will also be joining her for her final performance, and word on the street is that I might get to do a solo song as well… It’s been absolutely fantastic to get back in touch with my musical roots, and I can’t wait to find more opportunities to get back to doing what I love!