The first several days of London flew by for me, so be prepared to start the race as soon as your first day. Here are some of the things I have learned from these early days.
Journey to the Centre of Campus – Early days
January 27, 2015
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Courses directed by LSHTM, Public Health | Tagged: blended learning, Canada, Distance Learning, Jillian, london, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, MSc Public Health | 
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Posted by jilliankowalchuk
Journey to the Centre of Campus- Departure and Arrival
January 14, 2015
This day has loomed over me with mixed feelings of nerves, excitement and exhaustion. The hours leading up to the actual flight always seem the longest.
I’ve made my packing and to do lists and checked them off (hopefully with none missing). Here are some of my essentials that were found on my packing list that you may have not thought about: Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by jilliankowalchuk
Journey to the Center of Campus
January 7, 2015Psychologists say it takes less than a tenth of a second to make a first impression judgement. My goal is to capture your attention for a bit longer than this and hook you on the first entry of my ‘Blended Learning’ series. My aim is to showcase possibilities and practical resources for other distance learners who may want to or will be studying on campus.
Now for a little about me…
My name is Jillian Kowalchuk and I am in my second year and final year of the MSc Public Health programme. It has been an intense endeavor taking six modules, juggling work and social obligations my first year. I am undertaking three distance courses, I will be taking two blended learning modules starting mid January, while working on my thesis project. I have structured my last year to have a bit of a ‘break’ from the distance learning and change locations and learning dynamics for a few months. Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by jilliankowalchuk
“Priorities, people!! Priorities!!” he squawked…
December 8, 2014
If you ask my Mum what life was like with me as a teenager, one of the things she’ll likely mention was her critical role as the ‘No Police’ as she liked to call it. She spent a fair bit of time helping me to say ‘no’ to the plethora of opportunities I managed to drum up for myself… and mopping up the proverbial mess when I still managed to overcommit when she wasn’t looking.
I don’t think I’m alone in the fact that I’m more than minorly addicted to overcommitting myself and biting off more than I can chew.
And occasionally it all comes to a head and it’s time to prioritize.
Leave a Comment » | Courses directed by LSHTM, Public Health | Tagged: Distance Learning, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, LSHTM, Lucy O’Donoghue, MSc Public Health, New Zealand, priorities, public health, self-discipline, Thailand, time management, University of London, University of London International Programmes | Permalink
Posted by lucyodonoghue
Better done than perfect! Studying in the gaps…
October 24, 2014Oh, did the academic year start again already?! Yikes… I must have missed the memo… or it could have something to do with my mushy postpartum brain.
A week before the school year began again, our little boy made his entrance into the world and he’s now a month old. We’re vaguely ‘emerging’ from that postpartum haze and hubby has been waiting on me hand and foot, becoming quite the Jamie Oliver, and being a total star champ A+ support.
I’ve spoken before on this blog about how much I appreciate the flexibility of the UoL programme, and that couldn’t be more so the case than now. Now that I’m a brand new Mum, with all the uncertainty that entails, to know that I can just chip away at whatever I can manage, and defer whatever I can’t, is a real relief!
4 Comments | Courses directed by LSHTM, Public Health | Tagged: Distance Learning, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, LSHTM, Lucy O’Donoghue, MSc Public Health, New Zealand, public health, self-discipline, study tips, study tools, Thailand, time management, University of London, University of London International Programmes | Permalink
Posted by lucyodonoghue
Gratitude for Leah, My Faithful Companion for Four Exams
June 20, 2014It’s 4.37pm the day after I sat my fourth of six exams. I’ve been studiously at work most of the day on my Health Services and Health Policy in anticipation of their exams dawning in about a week’s time.
I’m feeling like I’ve worked pretty hard (not just today, but over the last few weeks…as all those first year Public Healthers doing the core modules will appreciate…exam blast Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Monday…phew…). Instead of covering another Policy chapter, I think I’ll write a blog post…since it’s overdue by my timetable and, I believe, still a productive use of my time. 🙂
One of the things that has made the exams immeasurably more bearable (apart from the protein bars I had special dispensation to bring into exams, as my pregnant belly could now be likened to a bowling ball), was to have a fellow student to ‘post-mortem’ with.
This is the first time I’ve sat exams like this where there was a possibility that I’d turn up on my own and have no one else to talk to about the exam after it finished. Lo and behold (and gosh, I wish I’d known earlier!), I turn up to Basic Epidemiology last Monday and discover there is a lovely other young woman, Leah from Seattle, sitting the same exam.
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Posted by lucyodonoghue
Facebookers Anonymous… is it time?
May 7, 2014Over this weekend I was musing to my husband about my days studying for my final exams at high school. My high school years had prepared me reasonably well in terms of instilling study habits and an ability to just sit and concentrate, get away to a space that would ensure I wasn’t distracted etc. I’m not sure how well I would have done at school were I studying these days. Between Facebook and emails… and having the screen right there (“Well, I need it for webinars and the rest…”)… it’s no wonder ‘young people these days’ (and older people… and well, loads of us, I suspect) struggle to concentrate like we used to. With absolutely no solid evidence beyond anecdote to back up my claim (because I’m too lazy to go hunting for it right now!), I really do think my capacity to concentrate and put aside distractions is much more tested these days, and perhaps weaker than all those years ago when I ploughed my way through for those final exams. Granted, back then I had a mother lovingly cooking me dinner each night (thanks Mum!) and I wasn’t growing a baby (more protein?! Already?! We just ate…) but I’m not sure that’s a the whole story when it comes to my relative self-discipline.
3 Comments | Courses directed by LSHTM, Public Health | Tagged: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, LSHTM, Lucy O’Donoghue, mac, MSc Public Health, New Zealand, Procrastination, public health, self-discipline, study tips, Thailand, time management, University of London, University of London International Programmes | Permalink
Posted by lucyodonoghue
