My application for a Career Development Loan went to RBS a month ago (late, I know, but my bank made false promises of a better option which came to nothing (what with the being false, and all...)) and is probably, according to the nice boy I spoke to yesterday, going to take another couple of weeks.  Term starts in - er, two weeks.  Am I worried?  Not really, but mostly because I'm trying really hard not to think about it.  Just call me Cleopatra...

I'm a bit concerned that most of my MSc modules are going to be run on a distance-learning basis - ie self-study, with access to the distance learners' VLE (which I wouldn't normally have, as a full time student).  I have nothing against DL, but if I wanted to do it I'd have applied for it.  I enjoy being taught, and that's how I learn best.  I'm going into the department today, so hopefully I'll manage to see the administrator who helped to put my course together, and she should know how it's all going to work.  I suppose I can change to a different Research Prep masters, if I want to, but I'm hoping to won't come to that.  Changing universities is out of the question for domestic logistical reasons - and probably couldn't be organised for this academic year anyway.

On a positive note, the reason why I'm going into the dept today is to talk about "my future".  I'm glad other people seem to have some idea of what my future may hold.  I'm having problems thinking a fortnight ahead, at the moment...

A quick introduction, in case anyone ever actually reads this.

I've just finished a BScEcon in Information and Library Studies.  My final undergraduate marks were posted on the website today.  I got a First - yay!  (Not that it was a surprise - I knew all the marks, after all - but it's nice to see it in print, so to speak.)

I begin a Research Masters in Information Management in September, and I intend to carry on and do a PhD straight afterwards.  (The curse of being a mature student, I think; I want to do it all at once because I'm not sure that, if I took a year or two out to work and pay off debts etc, I would come back to academia.  And I think I'd regret that.)  

I want to go into academia and research.  I'm interested in a wide variety of subjects; one of the wonderful things about ILS is that it feeds into so many different areas, from libraries to the Internet, local history to social networking.  My primary research area is one I've always been fascinated by and I'm looking forward to being able to immerse myself in it.  I just hope I come out the other side with my sanity intact!

I have an interview for a part-time Teaching Fellow post in my department next week.  This seems completely bonkers at my current level of experience (to me, anyway) but the job was pointed out to me by one of the lecturers, and the head of department seemed very positive about me applying for it, so... I did.  I'm not too scared about the interview, but the ten-minute presentation on what I can contribute to teaching in the department is freaking me out.  I know it will only get worse as The Day approaches, but hopefully I won't do anything too embarrassing, like hyperventilate or throw up.