An Independent Study

    Benefits of an independent study: it shows initiative, imagination, diligence, and—yep—independence. Why are these things important? The motivation to guide yourself is a key value any scholarship reviewer will appreciate. Each scholarship will be looking for its own specific qualities, but all of them want to know their money isn’t being wasted. Individuals who prove their dedication to their own success are a better investment than the average, acceptable GPA.

    Aside from scholarships—and the obvious addition to your CV, always a good thing—teachers and advisors are more likely to take you seriously and help you out in future. It demonstrates a sense of direction. Creating a proposal and syllabus for an independent study encourages an appreciation for what your professors go through in preparing your classes. Gaining that perspective will allow you to acknowledge their efforts. In my experience, that kind of acknowledgement is a fantastic way to gain loyalty.

    The best time to start thinking of an independent study is as early as sophomore year. It is unlikely that you will be ready to actually apply for one until junior (probably spring semester) or senior year. Discovering an area of interest is not enough to put together a solid proposal. Even if you start school with something in mind like I did, many surprising things change and redirect you in the first year and developing research skills will (should) uncover increasingly more narrow topics that need attention. This “narrowing” skill needs to be honed before an effective proposal can be made. Starting any later than fall junior year, however, risks running out of time to find a teacher to overlook your program. Each school will have its own process. Some may take a while. Leave enough time to find the best mentor match and fill out the appropriate paperwork, which there will be I assure you.  

    I mentioned last time the many subjects and titles that are not or cannot be covered. There are simply too many. An independent study is a wonderful way to enjoy more of those neglected books while incorporating more of your own interests. Your area of study can be a useful way to prepare for a future degree, or possibly save you from making a mistake with that future degree by discovering a new area of research. Sometimes the most productive class is the one that teaches what you do not want to do and avoid wasting time and money!

    My proposed (but not approved! Complaints to come in later posts) independent study was in Fairy tales focused on children going off to fairyland. I called it, “Lost in Fairyland: Abducted, Abandoned, and Renegade Children in Fairy Tales.” It was intended to be a 300 or 400 level course, which is another reason to wait until at least junior year. Follow the link in the title to see the full syllabus and reading list. 

    A lot of work goes into applying for an independent study. UMass Boston may be very different from other schools, but I am fairly certain it will be a universal requirement to find an appropriate professor to take you on. Keep in mind that this means an entire extra class for them to read up on (and possibly not be truly paid for) so that they can properly evaluate your work. This why it is important to start early and show the qualities I opened today’s topic with in all classes. 

Happy planning and may nerd-dom abound!

Katrina Pavlovich

P.S. I highly recommend an independent study to English and Education majors. Obviously, all majors can benefit by showing how imaginative they are, but creating a syllabus as an Education major…super smart practice!

Quote-of-the-day

“Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.” —Jalaluddin Rumi, The Essential Rumi

Overview: 

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a ship of her own making by Catherynne Valente

Book one of Catherynne Valente’s trilogy proves its whimsy from the outset by opening with a “Dramatis Personae.” This list of characters includes September, a young girl and main character, the Leopard of Litter Breezes and various winds personified and named by color. Valente’s old world style of captioning each chapter title with coming scenes (In which September is discovered by a Wyvern…) is an 18th century trope that further sets the tone as an adventure…into a world full of rules.

    The twelve year old, September’s real world is dull and undesirable. She runs away to escape mundane rules, but discovers Fairyland is ruled by a Marquess with a love for making laws. Regardless of the Marquess’s laws, Fairyland itself has its own rules rather like our world’s laws of physics (Do Not Eat Fairy Food!). September discovers the need for rules as well as how comforting order feels. But laws can be abusive too.

    Fairyland’s subjects are stifled, struggling, and unhappy. September’s adventure becomes a diplomatic fight and rescue between herself and the Marquess. The Marquess inflicts the rules and laws of our world as a revenge on Fairyland because she could not accept its innate rules of existence. For humans, Fairyland is a place to visit only and even that is a selfish act made by children. The path to winning requires September to admit her own selfishness, that she wants to go home and should not have left without saying goodbye.   

(Valente, Catherynne. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. New York: Square Fish, 2011.)