Week Ten<title> </head><body> <div class="all"> <div class="content"><span class="title"><br> Week Ten</span> <br> <a href="journal.html">Back to Journal</a><br> <br> <span class="bold">Week Ten: I Did It!</span><br> <img alt="image by Sam Brown (explodingdog.com)" src="ididit.gif"><br> <br> After nine days of working on it - and nine other weeks of work on the research behind it - I finished up my final report today. I'm mostly exhausted right now, but it feels pretty damn good to have finished. The writing process was actually less painful than I had thought it would be - I mean, it took a long time to draft all the content, but after learning to use LaTeX I was so happy to see my paper take shape and look professional. Again this week working remotely has gone well - though Margaret is really busy meeting deadlines of her own, she gave me lots of good feedback about my drafts (that Post-It feature in Adobe Reader is so handy for mark-ups!). So, very soon (ie. as soon as I stop writing this entry and post my files) you can read my very own research paper, the first one I've ever written entirely by myself. I'm so proud :')<br> <br> Though it's been a lot of work at times, I can still say honestly that this internship has been a wonderful experience for me. If I hadn't already decided that I want to be at a university for the rest of my life (those who know me personally know I'm painfully academic), this would have definitely convinced me that I have what it takes and want to go to graduate school. I've always worried about not having the knowledge or technical skills to seem competent in research, but going through this internship proved me wrong - I worked this whole time on a field in which I had no prior experience and managed to get a lot out of it. If I don't know about some topic or don't know some tool or language in the future, I know at least that I will be able to find what I need to get caught up and competent quickly. This is the secret I've wanted to find! No one's instantly an expert on anything; it takes some time and effort to learn a skill, but if you're resourceful the time is less and the effort well worth it in the end.<br> <br> Outside of learning that I can help myself, I've learned through this process that there are great people out there willing to help me. Margaret has been a wonderful mentor to me and, from what I can see, a wonderful advisor to her students. It's been so great to work with someone who wants me to do well, who'll help me toward my best both in my work and my personal well-being. My only regret about my project is that it ended up deviating from her research interests - I loved exploring this new topic with her, but I know I could have learned so much from her wide range of technical expertise as well. If you're reading my webpage as a prospective DMP student of hers, get excited!<br> <br> It is difficult to know how to finish my last journal entry. I do know what I'll do after I finish - gather up my files, send them to the DMP organizers for my last stipend, and finally start watching the Olympics (yes!). As for you, thanks for reading what I've had fun writing. </div> </body></html>