As I was posting my latest blog, I noticed that GradLife McGill was accepting applications for bloggers, instagrammers, and vloggers for the 2017-2018 school year. And so, I thought back to one year ago, and why I decided to become a GradLife blogger. Why would someone voluntarily commit to writing a blog, spend more time writing, more time on a computer, when time is always in short supply? My primary motivation was that I switched from science to social science, and I felt that that I needed to develop my writing skills. Added to the perceived need to write more, I had decided to go renegade and use autoethnography as my research methodology.  Kind of like science girl gone crazy.  Who switches from a scientific, passive voice where the researcher is as invisible as possible, to this reflexive writer using the first person? And so, well, here is where I ended up.  And was it worth it?  Time well spent?  Absolutely.  I would be in class, or in the library doing what I was supposed to be doing, and then saw the moment from a completely different lens. The cogs on the gear began spinning, and those moments then became blog entries. So, what was in it for me? An opportunity to reflect on my day or week. Perhaps even more important, the blog provided me with time to laugh at myself when things got too serious.  The GradLife blog has been the only out of department activity I could manage as I work full time during the day. Through the blog, I could be part of the larger McGill community. If you are thinking or hesitating about joining the team, just do it (I sent in my application in on a whim, with zero reflection). And the team is totally supportive, always there for help when you need it.

Banner Image by Heather M.