This time it's decisions & deadlines...

Well, I've pretty much got my heart set on the Graduate Group program at Bryn Mawr...
sigh...

Bryn Mawr looks more and more attractive for graduate school by the day, hour, and minute. The problem is, well, will i get my hopes dashed if i apply to 4 or 5 schools, knowing that i will only accept one admission, and that i already have that school picked out? Meaning, even if i get into one or more of the other schools, beside Bryn Mawr, i dont know if i'd even accept anyway. THAT's how much i want to go to Bryn Mawr at this point. i wont go too much into details about why the other 3 schools are lacking re: my needs, but let's just say that i wouldnt get exactly what i want. and, i think graduate school should do just that - give you exactly what you need and want to meet your goals, or there's no point in spending/wasting your time, efforts, and money.
A plumber doesnt go to school to learn to make the pipes; he (or she, i guess, but honestly how many female plumbers are there?) goes to school to learn how they work.
Yes, that may be a strange analogy, but you get the point: in graduate school, you study a very specific line of work.

HA- i used a plumber analogy. *shakes head in shame...

As for the stress during this graduate admissions processes experience, it's at an ok level. some days, (and sleepless nights), and better or worse than others. The night before last, i slept only about an hour or 2 because i just laid there thinking. i shouldn't have been working on my Statement of Purpose (part of the application materials) right before bedtime. shoud'a known better! i kept drifting off into that limbo land between awake and semi-consciousness picturing myself sitting in front of my bookshelf full of course texts & other materials, just staring, trying to decide what i wanted to write about, & ultimately study. it's like facing that fork in the road, only the road ends into a haze of colors, but you can see the distance clearly. i know what i want to do for a job ultimately, but which way i take to get there is a bit confusing & uncertain.
anyway, it was a weird semi-dream which kept me up all night.

Most days I am excited about the whole thing, despite growing apprehension regarding applications and the related tasks, and of course- getting in. I DEFINITELY think that taking this year off, despite its own challenges, has been to my advantage & was also well-needed. I had very little direction for the course of my life after undergraduate work last fall, not to mention being busy abroad. there's no way i could have organized this over last year, nor that quickly. i needed the time to think and figure it out, rather than just jump into something. after studying abroad, finishing school, and then considering life mostly outside the frame of school for once in my life, i came to the conclusion about what my goals are, and also determined what skills i have and what i am good at. i have gotten so antsy floating between jobs that dont suit me and/or are not challenging me the way that i want, and then subsequent unemployment to boot, that i have become more genuinely ambitious than i would have been right out of undergrad. certainly, this is worth a great deal, not to mention peace of mind.

So, hopefully, graduate school here i come...

In other news, Nate got a GREAT job offer! It's at a company called LSS something or other in Eden Prairie. Im a bad girlfriend for not remembering exactly what they do, but it's computer programming stuff, nate likes it, and that's all that matters. Besides, he's been telling me about all these different jobs for the past few months and what they do, and i can remember alot of them, just not what name goes w/what city, and how big, and type of business, etc. I know one of the jobs does hospital software programming; does that count for something? Anyhow, this is a big deal that Nate has at least one option, because he needs to have a job soon after graduating this month due to money & insurance. He's still going to try to get a better offer, but we'll see. In any event, HOORAY for Nate!

Right now I am volunteering at Minnesota Center for Photography, a small gallery in N. Minneapolis, near one of the old Grain Belt brewery buildings. So, now i have 2 volunteer opportunities that i am participating in, (including the GVHSM). Of course, i do random things because they dont pay me. Like right now, i just tally the visitors & help people w/questions or t-shirt/book sales. You should come check it out- the website is: www.mncp.org

I think this is the first year that i finished christmas shopping early; in fact, i finshed earlier this week. Well, i mean with my family. I havent quite gotten to Nate yet. I should probably get a move on that....

OY!!! My long-time friends Mike & Liz (yes, you too Liz), got engaged last weekend!!!! awwwwwwwwwwwwww... Congrats you two! Mike & his twin brother Dave have a very successful computer graphics design business called Plaudit (they actually employ their dad, who quit his own job to work for his sons...!, and mike & dave are my age!), while Liz just took a prestigious (clothing) design position for Target Corporation. Awwwwesome you guys!

Well, i turn in my very last undergraduate paper next week, and then i am an official graduate.... whooooooo!! go me

that's all the news for now,
chris