Julie Halitzka

Year One Wrap-up

Summer semester is nearing a close, I’m in my final push to finish assignments. Looking back on my year I’m pretty happy with how things have gone. I completed alot… 44 credits in the last year (including J-Terms), which should bring my total to 50 credits. I’m about halfway (88 for my degree +9 credits worth of prerequisites, plus 1 credit each for music lessons which mostly don’t count towards my program). I will NOT finish early, but I will be able to lighten the load in my last year.

Some things I’ve learned this year from both successes and mistakes:

• You are God’s provision for your spouse; keep family priority over homework.
• Studying at home means I get to see my work-at-home spouse – ALOT!
• Do NOT schedule J-Term weeks back to back.
• Do NOT take an online class – especially a language class – alongside 3 other J-Terms.
• Do NOT work or go to class every day. Rest IS necessary. Do everything you can to schedule one day completely off.
• Schedule time for dates with your spouse.
• Schedule time for sleep
• Lecture rooms don’t always have enough outlets for the number of people who bring computers. Carry an extension chord and a power strip with your laptop.
• Living and working on a bus line will save you LOTS of money (add up gas, insurance, car payments, and maintenance) This has the added bonus of relieving financial stress on your marriage, as finances are one of the biggest things couples have disagreements about.
• TARC, the local bus service, has a trip planner, which will give you times and transfers. Stilz is the shortest street between Frankfurt and Lexington to walk down, if you want to catch a bus on Frankfurt.
• Shopping at Sams Club keeps major shopping trips to once a month. We can also make a list and price trips out in advance (which is great when you are on a tight budget).
• Meijer has the best produce in town.
• It works well to create a category for each seminary class, and a task for each assignment in Outlook, you can paste the assignment details in the notes field, and not worry about keeping track of paper syllabi.
• It’s essential to keep focus on why you went to seminary in the first place – what has God called you to do, and what you are specifically looking to learn and accomplish.
• Women, know what you believe about women in ministry – and expect to sit in classes where people are debating the validity of women doing what you feel called to do.
• Treasure the Fellows and Professors who take the time to give you detailed feedback on papers, they are rare.
• You may not get your papers back unless you ask, or attach a SASE.
• Keep a list of books you’d like to read later (during the summer or once you are done seminary)
• Keep a list of topics you’d like to study later (during the summer or once you are done seminary)
• Keep great quotes in a file somewhere for each book you read.
• Keep an annotated bibliography of everything you read.
• Keep a list of future application points. Many professors will ask you to do this as part of your papers… I know if I don’t gather it in one place, they will be scattered on my hard drive and never applied.
• Be serving in ministry while you are in school. Make the desire to serve known to the leadership at your church.
• Women, find a church where there is a woman in leadership in your particular area of ministry.
• Married women in seminary – whose husbands aren’t attending too – are RARE. Anyone else out there?

A few of my favorite classes:

• Ministry of Teaching – I took it this summer as a J-Term. It was a small class, with lots of discussion and participation, and I really enjoyed my professor (Shane Parker). Don’t let the 10 pg Augustine Paper due on the first day scare you away.
• Intro to Biblical Counseling – I took it as a J-Term in the winter with Dr. Powlison. I loved him as a teacher, and his 3 trees model for sanctification will stick with me.
• Systematic Theology II – I enjoyed having class with Dr. Allison. I also really enjoyed the State and Defend Assignments. Plus there was a project option to create visual or performing art based on a theological topic, instead of a writing a paper.
• Intro to Music Ministry – Very practical content on both philosophy of and administration of a music ministry. I particularly enjoyed writing a philosophy of music ministry and personal mission statement.
• Church Music and Worship classes generally – They tend to be of a smaller size, less than 15, so there’s generally more of a sense of community and more interaction. Plus they are the classes in my major. I love learning about worship.