Published: July 27, 2016

Over the years, I’ve written to new fall and spring students as they embark on this grand adventure known as SJSU School of Information’s fully online program. The very first introduction to our journey is good old Info 203.

I say ‘old’ but this is just an affectionate endearment. The truth of the matter is that Info 203 is updated every semester in order to make each learning module as up-to-date and approachable as possible. The most recent update to Info 203 is a module called ‘Success as an iSchool Student’ which discusses program learning outcomes, core competencies and the eportfolio—an MLIS student’s final project—and resources available to help students achieve their graduate school and future career goals.

To get you going, here are a few posts I’ve written about how your first course works, what to expect and tips from some of the experts on Info 203—iSchool Director of Online Learning Debbie Faires and the peer mentors. Peer mentors are current students who are there to answer your questions about the 203 course or what it’s like to go to school on your computer.

• What to Expect in Info 203 and the Keys to Success at the iSchool
• Survive, Thrive and Feel Alive as You Learn Online at the iSchool
• Tips from Peer Mentors: What to Expect in Your First Course

Planning Resources
If you need further resources about planning your program, getting advice from iSchool instructors or deciding what career path you’d like to take, the iSchool website is an endless labyrinth of answers and possibilities. I encourage you to jump down that rabbit hole sometime and get lost flipping through the pages. You’ll probably find some really exciting treasures! If you’re looking for specifics however, here are a few posts that will point you in the right direction:

• Career Pathway pages on the School of Information website
• Posts from the iStudent Blog with details about each of the iSchool’s career pathways
• Course Planning pages on the website

Tips for Success
This post, similar to the one you are reading now, offers a list of links and guidance about core courses, time management and career pathways within the iSchool webpage. As you will learn, being organized and planning ahead will be some of the most important skills you will learn at the beginning of graduate school. Here are several posts about how people in the iSchool community successfully navigate grad school.

• A Day in the Life of California State Librarian Greg Lucas
• Life + Work + School—How Can I Get it All Done?
• A Day in the Life of Student (now Alumnae) Alison Peters
• Letters to the iSchool: From Student Basia Delawska-Elliott

Advising Services Guide and Support You
The iSchool has a couple of excellently organized and student-tested advising pages that can help you plan your entire graduate school program. The SJSU School of Information website advising pages will help you plan courses to help you meet the school’s requirements of core competencies for your eportfolio and connect you with iSchool instructors who are experts in your interested field of study. Once classes are open (four weeks ahead of the semester start date for Info 203 students) you will have access to the Canvas Advising Site on the Canvas learning platform where you will find all your coursework modules, class lists and discussion boards.

Identifying Possibilities – Where Can the MLIS Take You?
After completing Info 203’s Module 6, you can explore further career options and connections by reading through some of these blog posts and iSchool web pages:

• Advice for Finding the Best Career for You in the Information Profession
• The iSchool’s Best Resources for Networking and Planning Your Career
• Community Profiles (what students, faculty and alumni are doing in their career fields)
• Alumni Career Spotlights

Remember, you are not alone! If what you really need is a human being to talk to, the best people to connect with are the Student Services Team.

Don’t be overwhelmed by all this advice and information! Simply decide what is best for now and what you can come back to later. Sorting, prioritizing and labeling information—you’re off to a great start as a future information professional.