Thursday, February 22, 2007

Jamie, Meet Your Type A Personality

We had a really busy weekend with lots of awesome food and visits with my sisters and friends we haven't seen in a long time. For your rereading pleasure, I've reposted something that I wrote a while ago and didn't keep up.

Why I Should Never Redo my Undergrad...
Ever since I was 15, I've wanted to be a psychologist. I was pretty casual about this goal until the world shifted one sunny spring day in my second year of university. Feeling inspired after a really interesting lecture, I promised myself that I would do everything I could to get into grad school and become a psychologist. Thus began my descent into madness...

I found professors who would let me work in their labs. I got a job at the hospital as a research assistant. I started studying maniacally, having meltdowns the night before most tests and wailing to Kyle about how I "didn't know anything", which really meant I didn't know everything. Fourth-year was particularly bad as I wrote an honours thesis and started applying to grad school. Some of my friends managed to go through this process with a bit of grace and dignity (Fran). But not me! I became an insomniac with a constant stomach ache, losing sleep before every exam and presentation. I remember sitting in class at the end of fourth year, confessing to my good friend Ian that I had cried into my mini wheats that morning.

Thankfully, I did manage to get into graduate school and the pressure was off. Knowing that I only had to do well enough to finish, I became less ridiculous with each passing day. I can testify that over the past year and a half, there has been very little, if any, weeping into cold cereal.

I was walking to the university today to meet a couple of friends when I was struck by the fact that I felt really happy, joyful in fact. Things have been going particularly well since I began my practicum in September. I love the work and I'm pretty sure that I'll be good at it one day. Of course, it would have been better to get to this place with a little less stress and neuroticism but it's good to be here.















A behind-the-scenes look at Fourth-Year Jamie. It's probably 3pm and I'm still wearing my pajamas, sitting in my own filth at the computer. If you stare for a while, you can almost see my left eye twitching. I'm just about to pounce on my lovely husband and tear his face off for breathing too loudly while I'm styding.


Me and Fran the Evil Genius looking happy, successful, and well-adjusted at convocation.

4 comments:

Avey said...

You two look awfully smart in that picture. I'm so happy that you love what you're doing- what a blessing.
I had a lot of fun yesterday. I think I needed some good Jamie time.

kinneyland said...

Tell everyone the real reason you wanted to go into psychology...you just wanted to bring psych back into mainstream. Admit it

Jamie said...

I'm bringing it all the way, baby!

Paige said...

Ahhh, the final year of undergrad. I think I had my breakdowns (characterized by hysterical crying and saying "I'm going to quit" over and over again) timed to about once every week or two. So no tears in my cereal, just on my pillow. Thankfully we're much more well adjusted now!

 
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