CSUF MSW STUDENTS SPEAK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE STARTING THE MASTER PROGRAM [55:05-60:04]

I'll add I think it's something I've been thinking about because at least amongst our cohort this is off in joke of like we're almost done oh no. So I think part of me is now in this this way length of like recognizing like this is coming to an end and like I should try to enjoy it and not that I didn't enjoy the first year but I think it's more intentional now like you know connections come and go French have come and go like not all these things are going to be here forever so like I am now spending more time on campus more time at other students and obviously I'm pretty involved in school because we're having this conversation. Right now so I think for me like as someone who's a transfer student I've never been anywhere for more than two years so I'm very mindful like this goes by fast so now that I've like survived the first year I think I'm more in the space of like let me just like take advantage and enjoy the thoughts happening and it would have been beneficial to my mental health to start their versus end up there. I fully on board with that and I think my I wrote down I think I wrote down as release yourself from the tyranny of everything I think for me especially if you're in this field because you're you're enjoying it you're interested in it there is so much that you might want to do learn practice like pick up. There is so much you know reading to do and a lot of it is really exciting I think making friends with the idea that you're not going to learn everything that you could hypothetically or potentially learn you're not going to you know every every decision you make about writing on this topic is can sometimes feel like a decision to not learn about 10 other topics and that for me can lead to decision for Alice is a little bit so realizing like what it comes to. To your internship you know you can't pick an internship it's going to teach you everything that everyone else's internship is teaching them and giving them that experience you may have a week where you've got it like you've got so many things to do and I found it sometimes it's better for me to really dive into like my practice class reading and working on my case study response I'm picking up a lot from that and I'm going to miss some of the theory this week but I sometimes doing one thing well is better than doing 10 things. Barely and with really close to that is like don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good and I think it's kind of the same thing like giving yourself permission to not get it right at the time not be perfect try fail try again you know past failures don't mean you'll make the same as taking the future and then if you do then that's okay to. Okay oh yeah go ahead on me please oh I'm just going to say a lot less inspirational maybe than Gavin and everyone else but the things I tell myself when the semester like when it's crunch time is really that it's temporary so if I just like hunker down and get through this little chunk of time it'll all be over and then I'll be able to go and it'll be winter break and I can like sit on. On my couch for hours wishing that it was the semester when I had like stuff to do and then also to let go of the end result I have a little post it note on my computer that says that because it's. More process oriented as Gavin was saying like what is the learning that you can get out of the situation instead of the grade at the end. Yes yes and I would hope all students would take that as the takeaway messages that no agency is going to look and you know grimace if you got a B plus or an A minus and 521 they don't care they care that you're knowledgeable that you're equitable that you live social or values and ethics that you care about your clients and that you're skillful and it's all about what you learn that shapes that experience right not that. The grades you have but the learning that you've taken through this program and internalized and really connected to that's what's going to make you a good practitioner. So I like that all of this advice is really leading towards that same outcome of learn for yourself learn for the joy of learning learn for the clients so that you can be there for them right and I really appreciate all of you sharing your incredible wisdom your tips of the trade and your success story. I really appreciate all of these stories with our student body because I think you know pure support is the most important thing that you have going through a grant program and even professionally and I'm really just so thrilled to have been a part of creating this with you so thank you so much for your time. All right.