Well, things worked such that I was able to take my comprehensive exam on the regular date a few weeks ago. I still haven't heard back if I passed or if there will be additional requirements for my graduation. If the department finds that my answers are lacking, they could assign an oral defense, a research paper, a retake of the exam, etc.
In a fresh turn of events, I got an email from the administrative assistant of my department. (She is a wonderful woman, who really deserves a career title better than 'administrative assistant,' which makes her sound like the person who directs phone traffic and pushes papers all day. She is the den mother of the department, always there, always making sure that everyone has filled out and turned in necessary paperwork, talked to the correct advisor, been given the right information, and knows about the latest administrative changes. In short, the department would not exist without her because nothing would get done--she is the glue that prevents professors and students alike from losing everything from their keys to their heads.)
A few weeks ago, she forwarded an email to me asking 'if I had been informed of this situation.' I read on to an email that had been sent to the department stating that the graduate school had put my application for candidacy on hold because they were contesting 2 of the classes I was counting towards my MA. I immediately emailed my advisor, cc'ing the administrative assistant. The AA emailed me back to say that with spring break the following weak, my advisor had already cut out and gone to Hawaii. I emailed another faculty; three days later I got another email back that the other faculty member had taken a look at my academic record with the AA and figured it out. Two of the classes I am counting toward my graduate degree were technically taken when I was an undergrad, and I will need to file a petition to have the graduate school accept them.
So now I am writing a petition to the dean of the school politely asking that graduate level classes that I took as an advanced undergraduate be counted toward my MA. I am also filling out the transfer request form and hunting down the necessary signatures that I need from incredibly busy and hard to reach faculty. Telling my supervisor about this situation, he remarked that it was kind of ironic that I was seemingly getting punished for being an overachiever, because the reason I counted undergraduate work toward my degree was that I took graduate classes as an undergraduate and passed them beautifully. Because I did this, I even had to take PhD level classes while doing my MA to make up the deficit.
I'm feeling a little like the graduate school is behaving like an insurance company by denying my claim to see if I can file the necessary paperwork in time. If I can't, the school could--in theory--milk me for another $2,500+ worth of tuition for next semester. And I thought the comprehensive exam was going to be the end of the technicalities.
In other news, I am still pushing forward trying to complete my NLP class, but the professor has yet to assign the work I need to do. We decided that I would complete homeworks 3 and 4 of this semester and the final exam, but he hasn't posted them yet (he knows I'm on a deadline, so I'm not sure what's up with this).
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Why I smile
Yesterday a friend remarked to me that I get a silly smile on my face every time she says the word "homework." She's not talking about my homework, but that belonging to herself and my husband.
There's something about getting an academic degree that few people realize when signing up for one. When you sign up for 2-6 years of college education, everyone will tell you that you're doing something great, but secretly believe that you're crazy. You'll get the look every time you strike into a conversation with an anecdote starting with "the other day in class we were talking about..." or turn down a social function because you need to do homework. The same goes for any time you talk about worrying over a term project, final exam, or having to post to a discussion board.
The truth is that even with people looking at you like you've made the choice to eat liver over ice cream by putting yourself into academic slavery for a few years, you'll know you've made the right choice for yourself. You'll know because you can see that when you have your degree, despite the fact that you'll be exhausted, you'll be standing atop a mountain with a view that's unbelievable. You know about the view on faith because you have a goal, and the degree is your ticket to achieving that goal.
I used to get the "you're an academia nut" look from my friend and husband. Now, as I am completing my MA, My husband has enrolled in his own Master's program, having realized that it will be a great move for his career. My friend is looking into a degree from a fine arts school that will allow her to take her talents to a professional career level, and has started taking classes already in subjects that interest her. They talk about homework with all the seriousness that I used to.
My friend accused me of having some sort of sick enjoyment out of seeing her suffer the way I used to, but that isn't why I smile every time she says "homework." After years of suffering the look, I'm glad to know I'm not the only person who sees the goal and imagines the view. It's good to know that I'm not the only one crazy enough to sign up on faith, or who takes homework so seriously that I'm willing to endure the look.
As I write this, my husband is still sitting on the couch, diligently typing up an assignment, still in his pajamas because he hasn't taken a break since starting earlier this morning. A while ago he asked if I could make him lunch because he couldn't break his train of thought. It's good to see that level of hope, passion, and devotion in the people I care about, and that is the reason I smile.
There's something about getting an academic degree that few people realize when signing up for one. When you sign up for 2-6 years of college education, everyone will tell you that you're doing something great, but secretly believe that you're crazy. You'll get the look every time you strike into a conversation with an anecdote starting with "the other day in class we were talking about..." or turn down a social function because you need to do homework. The same goes for any time you talk about worrying over a term project, final exam, or having to post to a discussion board.
The truth is that even with people looking at you like you've made the choice to eat liver over ice cream by putting yourself into academic slavery for a few years, you'll know you've made the right choice for yourself. You'll know because you can see that when you have your degree, despite the fact that you'll be exhausted, you'll be standing atop a mountain with a view that's unbelievable. You know about the view on faith because you have a goal, and the degree is your ticket to achieving that goal.
I used to get the "you're an academia nut" look from my friend and husband. Now, as I am completing my MA, My husband has enrolled in his own Master's program, having realized that it will be a great move for his career. My friend is looking into a degree from a fine arts school that will allow her to take her talents to a professional career level, and has started taking classes already in subjects that interest her. They talk about homework with all the seriousness that I used to.
My friend accused me of having some sort of sick enjoyment out of seeing her suffer the way I used to, but that isn't why I smile every time she says "homework." After years of suffering the look, I'm glad to know I'm not the only person who sees the goal and imagines the view. It's good to know that I'm not the only one crazy enough to sign up on faith, or who takes homework so seriously that I'm willing to endure the look.
As I write this, my husband is still sitting on the couch, diligently typing up an assignment, still in his pajamas because he hasn't taken a break since starting earlier this morning. A while ago he asked if I could make him lunch because he couldn't break his train of thought. It's good to see that level of hope, passion, and devotion in the people I care about, and that is the reason I smile.
Monday, March 7, 2011
School and Family
I graduated with my Master's in Library Science and Information Management in December; now, I am studying to complete my MA in Linguistics. I have an incomplete leftover from last spring when my husband was hospitalized, but I've been working with that professor for the last few months to coordinate the completion of the class. Other than that, the last thing I have to do is the comprehensive exam, which takes place this Friday.
I've studied and prepared for it, and I am ready, but my grandmother passed on this morning from complications that arose from a stroke that happened several weeks ago. Now, I'm not sure when the funeral will be, and I'm not sure if I am going to make the planned exam date. I've informed the school, which has in turn advised me that if I miss the exam date, it could delay my graduation for a semester. This is exactly the kind of thing that has me incredibly disenchanted with the world of academia lately--I tell them that I have had a death in the family and may need a 2-3 day extension before taking the exam to attend the funeral, and they see a reason to charge me another semester's worth of tuition.
Last November my husband asked me to take some time off before starting my PhD (there were several reasons that came together on this, some financial, personal, and career-related); I was disappointed that I wasn't going to start right into a PhD as planned, but ultimately, I am wondering if it's for the best. I feel that my life has lacked balance in the last several years as I pushed to finish my degrees, and I ultimately ended up making a lot of decisions and excuses about why I was choosing school over family related functions. Frankly, since my husband was hospitalized, I've begun to see that (for certain schools and programs, at least) it's not about providing quality education or career mentoring for the schools. It's not about passing on knowledge or creating knowledge societies--it's about the money to the schools. To some measure, it's also about the money for the students (why bother doing a program instead of picking interesting classes a la carte? --the degree can translate to higher pay or better career options). But for me, a lot of it has been about the education, and I'm finally realizing that I have spent a lot of time pleasing people who really don't care that my grandmother has died. The people who care about that are the ones I have been ditching for school, and it's time that I stopped doing that.
(Note: the main reason I wanted a PhD was to continue working where I am working now, because I love my job and the people I work with. And those people have been wonderfully caring about my family situation, and have basically let me take off from work for as long as I need until I figure out the funeral, the comps, and the family. I just wish I didn't have to deal with emotionally dead graduate schools to get a PhD--the quest for a great program continues.)
So, I am now quietly thanking my husband, parents, and best friend for speaking up and telling me that I needed a break from school. I need a break, and I can admit that now. I need balance, and when I have it, I will reconsider dealing with another helping of academic bureaucracy. In the mean time, I am searching for a new job which does not require a PhD, focusing on family, and seeking balance.
I've studied and prepared for it, and I am ready, but my grandmother passed on this morning from complications that arose from a stroke that happened several weeks ago. Now, I'm not sure when the funeral will be, and I'm not sure if I am going to make the planned exam date. I've informed the school, which has in turn advised me that if I miss the exam date, it could delay my graduation for a semester. This is exactly the kind of thing that has me incredibly disenchanted with the world of academia lately--I tell them that I have had a death in the family and may need a 2-3 day extension before taking the exam to attend the funeral, and they see a reason to charge me another semester's worth of tuition.
Last November my husband asked me to take some time off before starting my PhD (there were several reasons that came together on this, some financial, personal, and career-related); I was disappointed that I wasn't going to start right into a PhD as planned, but ultimately, I am wondering if it's for the best. I feel that my life has lacked balance in the last several years as I pushed to finish my degrees, and I ultimately ended up making a lot of decisions and excuses about why I was choosing school over family related functions. Frankly, since my husband was hospitalized, I've begun to see that (for certain schools and programs, at least) it's not about providing quality education or career mentoring for the schools. It's not about passing on knowledge or creating knowledge societies--it's about the money to the schools. To some measure, it's also about the money for the students (why bother doing a program instead of picking interesting classes a la carte? --the degree can translate to higher pay or better career options). But for me, a lot of it has been about the education, and I'm finally realizing that I have spent a lot of time pleasing people who really don't care that my grandmother has died. The people who care about that are the ones I have been ditching for school, and it's time that I stopped doing that.
(Note: the main reason I wanted a PhD was to continue working where I am working now, because I love my job and the people I work with. And those people have been wonderfully caring about my family situation, and have basically let me take off from work for as long as I need until I figure out the funeral, the comps, and the family. I just wish I didn't have to deal with emotionally dead graduate schools to get a PhD--the quest for a great program continues.)
So, I am now quietly thanking my husband, parents, and best friend for speaking up and telling me that I needed a break from school. I need a break, and I can admit that now. I need balance, and when I have it, I will reconsider dealing with another helping of academic bureaucracy. In the mean time, I am searching for a new job which does not require a PhD, focusing on family, and seeking balance.
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