trendymatt's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- School days, school days... I did what was probably the most terrifying thing I've done in the last year a few days ago: I registered online to schedule my GRE exam. If all goes as planned, I'll be quitting my current job in August to do the grad school thing full-time. I've been mulling over this decision with various degrees of seriousness since I graduated from college three years ago. In the last four months or so, I've really been honestly considering the option, taking into account my finances, work situation, and general ability to go back to focusing on school work full-time. I've come to the conclusion that I'm finally ready for the commitment. I've been spinning my wheels in University research long enough. The fact of the matter is, even though I believe strongly in the research that I work with (for those who are recently joining, HIV and pregnancy prevention among high school students), I just don't feel any sort of inner drive to be fully committed to it. It's a worthwhile and rewarding area to involve myself with, but research of any kind is simply not my area of interest or expertise. I was bored with it while studying about it in my undergrad program, and I can't bring myself to be excited about it as a career. Plus, there would be no room for me to advance in this field without earning a Ph.D., which is not even close to my aspiration. I've known for a long time that my real interest lies in working with college students, namely in terms of undergraduate admissions and recruitment. At the same time, I have a strong interest in counseling. So, the ideal career for me would be working in some capacity with a college or university's student affairs or recruitment department, in a position that would involve both administrative and advising tasks. It is my belief that going to college is one of the most rewarding experiences a young person can have. I feel that, by and large, most colleges are competent at what goes on in the classroom, but their administrations are largely clueless when it comes to enriching students' lives outside the educational environment. I feel that I gained a lot from my college experience by meeting people who were different from anybody I knew from home, experiencing things around campus such as drama productions and music performances that seemed foreign to me, and eventually challenging many of my core beliefs all from lessons learned outside the classroom. After much searching, I've found a program that seems like it would steer me in the direction I want to go career-wise, and it just happens to be twenty miles from here. Eastern Kentucky University has an MA in Human Services degree with an option for Student Personnel Services in Higher Education that I've had my eye on for a while now. Taken from the department's website: "The Student Personnel Services in Higher Education option is designed to prepare persons interested in various student personnel and student affairs for functions inherent to institutions of higher education, such as in a technical school, junior college, or four year university." This program is aligned with their department of Counseling Psychology, so in essence, I could get a Higher Ed. master's degree with an emphasis on student counseling. This is right on the ball for where I want to go in my career track. The facts that it wouldn't require a move across the country and would cost a hell of a lot less than even my undergrad degree are some great bonuses. So, here's my current plan: If this works out at all, I'll be a happy camper. And I can put off my professional life a couple more years. Rock. 1:03 pm - 01.14.05 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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