I graduated!

Yesterday, LSE held a graduation ceremony for the MPA program! 

While I wasn't there to attend in person, I'm now officially an LSE alumna! Earlier this week, we got our grades including the mysterious capstone grade that I'm sure all my friends were waiting for me to stop talking about. For those wondering, we did better than we anticipated. But, the release of the grades confirmed my graduation!

So, while I would have loved to celebrate in-person with my class and have a great night out in London, I'm getting ready to start my job on Monday!

But, don't worry...this was my version of a graduation ceremony!

Greetings from Las Vegas!

Greetings from Las Vegas!

I know that is has been over two weeks since I've last updated the blog. 

From packing and getting ready to move to driving across the country, something had to be cut off the to-do list! But, never fear...I'll this back up and running this week!

First up are re-caps of my days driving across the United States!

Stay tuned!!

A Whole Lot of Work...

My last post was 10 days ago. 

I have finally finished the last assignment in what could be called a midterm period at LSE. Except...none of my essays, presentations, or assignments in the last two weeks were graded. They are all formative assignments. So, I'll get feedback in terms of writing, preparation for the final summative papers, and general comments of my understanding of the course load. But, let's just say...phew! I'm tired!

Last week, I had a paper due in my media policy class. I wrote a short analysis about the increasing access to broadband in the United States and how educational policies aimed at teachers in secondary schools needs to change. It was actually a lot more interesting that I thought it would be! It might be a topic for my final essay. I also had a paper due in my US legislative politics class last week. That one was about the electoral connection! 

This week...I had an outline due for my final paper in my information systems for the public sector class. I'm writing on the organizational structures of two different web councils in the US federal agency structure and how those organizations effect the delivery of digital services to citizens. The graded essay is due in April (bit early), so I'm looking forward to getting that feedback right away! 

And, tomorrow, I have a presentation about the deliberation process in Congress for my US legislative politics class. 

Can we say "Katie needs coffee?" 

If you're wondering how everything else is going at school...

Our capstone project final presentation has been set for March 18th. It's the day after my birthday, so double the celebrations! We're aiming to have the entire 15,000 word report written by the end of this weekend. 

As for my policy paper, I changed my topic and focus, but I like my new idea much better. Plus, I think it will be much more feasible to write about. 

LSE is pushing me to the extreme, again. But, I am still glad that I chose the rigor of my program and the school. I know it's all going to be worth it once I finish in a few months!

Time Flies

The other day, I read over my blog post entries from last August. 

Crazy to think that is has almost been a year since I started grad school, huh?

The entries from last summer clearly focused on my preparations about London and grad school. Those pages still get tons of page views weekly, so I do hope they are helping others! If you can't tell, this summer, I don't have the same preparations as I did before.  

My visa is still active until after I graduate next June, my phone plan is still ongoing with direct payments from my UK bank account, and my housing is all set.  It's nice to have everything set up ahead of time while I was gone this summer. Although, I still have qualms about packing to go back in a few weeks. 

Not worrying about finding a new landlord or putting my belongings in storage was the best thing that I could have done. I'm staying in my same flat with the same company. After all, you can't beat Notting Hill/Ladbroke Grove! 

As for the preparations that I have made this summer, the majority of them focus on what is next. Of course,  I made a list of courses I'm interested in taking. I filed the paperwork to change streams from public and economic policy to public management. And, I even have my internships set for the fall! 

What remains on my to-do list before I depart at the end of September is preparing different versions of my resume and other career documents to prepare for the upcoming job applications. Luckily, though, I can do that in the comfort of my home with my dog at my feet. 

I've got about a month left before I hop the pond again. Stay tuned!

Local Levo: London

This past Monday, I attended the launch of Local Levo: London. For those of you who do not know, Levo League is "a community for Generation Y women looking for mentorship, jobs, career advice, and peer networking." I've been a big fan of the start-up from the beginning and watched it expand to Office Hours with women in the workplace that are making a change and leaning in. Recently, they held an Office Hours event with Sheryl Sandberg.  

The Local Levo: London launch event was an evening discussing negotiation of salaries, but also negotiation and asking for more in all aspects of the workplace. It was so inspiring to meet other young women that are facing the same battles that I am in terms of the job hunt and working towards their career goals. Plenty of connections and new friends were made. I cannot wait until the next event.

If you are in London and interested in attending, check out the Mightyball space for Local Levo London!