Sunday, May 3, 2009

Going back to school

Ok well I was gonna wait a while but then I decided not too.

For some unknown reason I have been really wanting to go back to school to get my master’s degree lately. So much so I have been looking into schools. The hard part is deciding what to get my Master’s in. I have always wanted my MA in American History but then I was thinking what if I did something to advance my current degree, like media design? Then I can be a HUGE asset to my company and almost guarantee me staying there LOL.

I want my master’s. It is one of my goals in life. I have my undergrad and now time for the graduate degree. I also need to decide when to do it. Do I start now taking a class here and there either online or Saturdays or do I wait until I can’t work due to my health then mooch off the gov’t and have them pay for it? The last one is super appealing for obvious reasons (not having to add to my student loan debt), but who knows how long until I hit that mark ya know.

Then I wander about what happens when I can’t work and my student loan debt. We had a convo in chat one night and it seems that any gov’t issued loans will be forgiven when you are out on permanent disability. Of course I would have to check with my lender on this one but hell that is awesome! So then it kind of deters me from wanting to take classes after I can’t work since then I will be doubly screwing the gov’t. Why do I give a dam about the gov’t so much? I dunno but I do.

And of course the schools I am looking into for my MA in History are Temple, University of Penn and Villanova. Temple is the only one moderately priced and the other 2 are expensive. But Penn would be awesome if I could get in there. I would LOVE to go to Yale (always been a dream) but it’s too far away. So the next best Ivy League would be Penn LOL

Maybe I am a total idiot for wanting to do this. Who knows what my health will be like and if I will be able to work once I have the degree. Most likely it will be for a personal benefit of mine and not so much for a professional benefit. Only the media design would be. I did get some info in the mail about that from an online college. But that I am not as into as the MA in History.

Oh well I don’t know. Someday maybe I will be able to take the classes and get my graduate degree. Or maybe the dream will fall to the wayside like that of having babies…only time shall tell.

12 comments:

  1. I understand that...I decided to go back to school for my MBA for personal reasons. I still think that it was a good idea--though my firm did not. So...I say do it if you want to!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. yea yea do it do it!! When you do something for your own personal reasons it makes you feel so good!

    GO for it girl!!

    ((Hugs))

    ReplyDelete
  3. ahem, what's this about penn being the so-called "next best" ivy league after yale? i beg to differ, sweetheart ;)

    one amazing thing about an MA in history is that historians don't necessarily work "real world" hours, so it could be ideal for a disabled adult. with a degree in history you could write, research, and do all sorts of things that 1) you can do from home, and 2) you can often do at your own pace. both good considerations for someone considering disability in the future.

    of course, doing it for your own personal satisfaction is great too...the career thing is just a bonus!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Awe thanks guys :D

    HAHA Piper!!! Ok next closest best thing to Yale ;)

    Now to figure how to pay for it and how to study for my GRE.........

    <3

    ReplyDelete
  5. Do whatever makes YOU happy. :)

    Stacey

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Amy,

    Have you ever considered a PhD in history? Not that I'm suggesting that it's worth the few extra years of school, but the little known fact about PhD programs is that most not only pay for your tuition, but also pay you some sort of stipend for being a teaching assistant of some sort. And if you ever wanted to have the "non-real world hours" as Piper suggested, the PhD is essential for a job at a university and most community colleges. Food for thought...

    I finished my PhD about a year ago. Not gonna lie--it was hard work. Obviously something worth considering when it comes to how much energy you have to put into it and what your capable of based on your health needs. Mine was in chemistry, which is pretty non-stop and routine lab work, but I from what I hear from my liberal arts grad student friends, there can be more flexibility for humanities studies. Generally more coursework than science, but the "research" is different.

    Amanda

    ReplyDelete
  7. Go for your dreams...do it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Amanda, I had considered a PhD but figured I'd shoot for the Master's first then see how I do. I don't want to over extend myself too much ya know. But I always though Dr. Amy had a nice ring to it ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. If you're contemplating your options, you should check out myUsearch.com. They are free and unbiased. You answer a series of questions about what you're looking for in a school, and it tells you what colleges are the best match for you. You can even put in the colleges you're considering and the results will tell you if they match your criteria. Check it out at www.myUsearch.com.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks Marie

    I tried it but it only lets you do up to Bachelor's degrees...oh well!!!!

    ReplyDelete