Hokay, So...
... things on my to-do list:
1.) Get letters of recommendation for PhD programs.
2.) Print all materials, requirements, & contacts for said programs.
3.) Buy a wall calendar, so I can post important dates for upcoming events (computer calendar is b0rked)
4.) ???
5.) Profit!
---
I'm all set to go for the final year of my MSSW. Tomorrow I have an awards banquet to attend at some posh (and free!) celebration hall. Free food? Heck yeah! Free good food? Double heck yeah. Looking ahead, I've got a couple of days left in my middle school before they're out for the year, so after that, I'll be able to focus on living arrangements for my stint in New Orleans. It's a six-month tour, but if I play my cards right, I'll get into the Urban Studies PhD program at Tulane (http://tulane.edu/ccc/). Outside of Tulane (my top choice), I'm looking at the following programs:
#2) UT Dallas (Public Affairs) - http://www.utdallas.edu/epps/pa/phd.html <-- Free to apply for alumni
#3) Univ. of Louisville (Urban and Public Affairs) http://supa.louisville.edu/phd.htm <-- Also free to apply
#4) UNT (Public Affairs) - http://www.unt.edu/pais/grad/gpadm.htm
#5) UT Arlington (Public & Urban Admin.) - http://www.uta.edu/gradcatalog/2011/schools/supa/administration/#phdpua
As you can see, my top choice is based on preference, with subsequent choices being based on financial and geographical merits. I don't like my current school as much as I liked being in Texas, but free is free, and I won't pass up such an opportunity.
---
On the work front, things are going really well for me. With any luck, I'll be done with my current job within a year, although I'd like to stick around part-time for the discount. With my experience, any store I enter will want the weekend help, and the extra "fun money" can go towards savings or early student debt payment. I estimate that, upon completing my doctorate, I'll be roughly $95,000 in debt. As bad as that sounds, because I intend to enter the public sector upon graduation, any debt I have not repaid after 10 years will automatically be forgiven. I'd rather pay it all back, but the economic situation in this country is a train wreck, and because Congress keeps screwing around, it isnt' getting much better.
---
I've been thinking pretty heavily about flying to Japan to help rebuild. My academic foci are urban redevelopment and disaster management, so if I don't get into a program straight away, I'll spend 12-18 months as an international volunteer, then come back to re-apply.
---
Some of my friends seem hurt by me staying away for so many years. I don't know what to tell them, since this is my future, and my livelihood. As much as it sucks to be away from people for so long, and as lonely as it gets up here, I have to do this. I can't sit around Dallas, waiting for opportunities to float past, and I have to go where jobs are. In my field, that place really isn't North Texas, at least, not at the moment.
---
I'm growing out my hair. I'll probably have it cut and styled before I fly down, and my eventual goal is collar-length, but not any longer for the time being. At the moment, the back is too long, but until next pay-day, that's how it'll remain.
The car is holding up well, and while I'd like to eventually get a new one, I haven't quite reached the "driven into the ground" point yet. If I had to guess, I'd say that this car will make it about 50,000 more miles before she dies completely, and becomes more expensive to fix than replace. By then, I'll (hopefully) have some cash saved up, and will be able to get something else to drive until it too needs replacement. Here's hoping?
---
At this point, there's little left to say. Things have been rocky, but are moving in a positive direction. With luck, this trend will hold. Like I said before, I'll be in town next week, so hopefully I'll see a few of you around.
1.) Get letters of recommendation for PhD programs.
2.) Print all materials, requirements, & contacts for said programs.
3.) Buy a wall calendar, so I can post important dates for upcoming events (computer calendar is b0rked)
4.) ???
5.) Profit!
---
I'm all set to go for the final year of my MSSW. Tomorrow I have an awards banquet to attend at some posh (and free!) celebration hall. Free food? Heck yeah! Free good food? Double heck yeah. Looking ahead, I've got a couple of days left in my middle school before they're out for the year, so after that, I'll be able to focus on living arrangements for my stint in New Orleans. It's a six-month tour, but if I play my cards right, I'll get into the Urban Studies PhD program at Tulane (http://tulane.edu/ccc/). Outside of Tulane (my top choice), I'm looking at the following programs:
#2) UT Dallas (Public Affairs) - http://www.utdallas.edu/epps/pa/phd.html <-- Free to apply for alumni
#3) Univ. of Louisville (Urban and Public Affairs) http://supa.louisville.edu/phd.htm <-- Also free to apply
#4) UNT (Public Affairs) - http://www.unt.edu/pais/grad/gpadm.htm
#5) UT Arlington (Public & Urban Admin.) - http://www.uta.edu/gradcatalog/2011/schools/supa/administration/#phdpua
As you can see, my top choice is based on preference, with subsequent choices being based on financial and geographical merits. I don't like my current school as much as I liked being in Texas, but free is free, and I won't pass up such an opportunity.
---
On the work front, things are going really well for me. With any luck, I'll be done with my current job within a year, although I'd like to stick around part-time for the discount. With my experience, any store I enter will want the weekend help, and the extra "fun money" can go towards savings or early student debt payment. I estimate that, upon completing my doctorate, I'll be roughly $95,000 in debt. As bad as that sounds, because I intend to enter the public sector upon graduation, any debt I have not repaid after 10 years will automatically be forgiven. I'd rather pay it all back, but the economic situation in this country is a train wreck, and because Congress keeps screwing around, it isnt' getting much better.
---
I've been thinking pretty heavily about flying to Japan to help rebuild. My academic foci are urban redevelopment and disaster management, so if I don't get into a program straight away, I'll spend 12-18 months as an international volunteer, then come back to re-apply.
---
Some of my friends seem hurt by me staying away for so many years. I don't know what to tell them, since this is my future, and my livelihood. As much as it sucks to be away from people for so long, and as lonely as it gets up here, I have to do this. I can't sit around Dallas, waiting for opportunities to float past, and I have to go where jobs are. In my field, that place really isn't North Texas, at least, not at the moment.
---
I'm growing out my hair. I'll probably have it cut and styled before I fly down, and my eventual goal is collar-length, but not any longer for the time being. At the moment, the back is too long, but until next pay-day, that's how it'll remain.
The car is holding up well, and while I'd like to eventually get a new one, I haven't quite reached the "driven into the ground" point yet. If I had to guess, I'd say that this car will make it about 50,000 more miles before she dies completely, and becomes more expensive to fix than replace. By then, I'll (hopefully) have some cash saved up, and will be able to get something else to drive until it too needs replacement. Here's hoping?
---
At this point, there's little left to say. Things have been rocky, but are moving in a positive direction. With luck, this trend will hold. Like I said before, I'll be in town next week, so hopefully I'll see a few of you around.