I found out yesterday morning that I have been accepted into the PhD program for Counselor Education. My interview was Wednesday and so this all happened very quickly and I was pretty surprised to hear back so soon!
I am still in disbelief and the details are starting to sink in. It’s an odd feeling for me because I do feel very young to be taking on such a “big deal” kind of thing. I never thought that at 23 I would be preparing to enter yet another academic program. My parents have always joked that I am a professional student and it seems that they have me figured out. There are so many things that I am excited about with this program. I’m going to get to take on a new role as a counselor looking at things from a different angle. The emphasis on research will certainly push me to think of things in more outcome oriented ways.
One of the best things about this program is that I have been guaranteed a full-time assistantship which means that I won’t need to worry about how everything will get paid for. Having that off my mind is a huge relief and is letting me focus on the planning aspect of things. What will my cognate be? What classes will I be taking in the fall? How are things going to be different making the shift from a master’s program to a doc program? I’m anxious and excited about all of this. I feel ready for the challenge that I know I will get in this program and I’m proud of myself for making it this far.
It’s an odd feeling to be at the beginning of such a huge amount of work and learning, but its an thrilling one. Who knows what I will be like in three years time. I am so thankful for this opportunity.
And…I’ll be able to continue knitting in class! 
My goal for the weekend is to get a few knitting pictures posted since I haven’t posted much knitting content this year. Jered and I will be celebrating this weekend, he recently got a new job, and is preparing for the transition this coming week (he starts Friday). There have been plenty of positive changes lately and it feels like things are finally starting to fall into place.
Three more years February 24, 2006
Interview February 22, 2006
So just three weeks after turning in my application to the Ph.D. program, I had my interview. It was intense! Jered helped me prepare last night and I am really glad that I took the interview seriously and prepared for it as much as we did. Everyone in the clinic has been telling me not to worry about the application process and that I have a great shot at getting in…but there is something about that that is unsettling to me. It’s one thing to have confidence in someone, but another to assume that you are “in.” I’m just not comfortable doing that, especially not with something that is this important to me.
I thought the interview went fairly well. I was really nervous which I think influenced the organization of my answers. In my head I had everything planned out and ready to say, but my nerves did get the best of me and I felt like I was babbling on a few times. At this point it doesn’t make much sense mulling over how I thought it went. This part of the application process is over and it is now out of my hands. I did the best I could, and if my work so far has made a positive impression on them, then I think that I could very well make it into the program. Gosh I hope so. I want this really badly.
Wish me luck! I’ll keep you posted!
Wanna Curl Up? February 14, 2006
Jered made some great Valentine’s Day Cards that I gave out at the clinic today. Stop by his site to check them out. I was very impressed!
This week I’ve got a lot going on. Tomorrow my day starts at 8 am when I have to attend an in-service at the health center to be fitted for a respirator in case of SARS (or something like that), then I’m off to work until 3, office hours from 3-5, client at 5, and then class from 7-9:45 pm. Long day ahead!
Thursday starts equally early with an 8 am division meeting, class from 9-11:30, work for two hours, class until 4:15, and clients from 5:30-9:30. Two marathon days.
Usually I have Fridays off which makes the long days somewhat more bearable, but this Friday is the VACES grad student conference. I’m presenting with a group of my classmates on our experience working in a student run family counseling clinic. Should be fun stuff. Our presentation is from 5-6 pm, so I am hoping that people show up.
This weekend I’m planning on sleeping. That is it. Just sleeping. After 8 am wake ups and 10 pm homecomings I am going to need a little shut eye.
Jered and I spent V-day at home. I made steak and rice pilaf with asparagus, it was quite nice. Better than anything we could’ve gotten at a restaurant and cheaper too! For dessert we’re having lindt truffles left over from Christmas. I love that we aren’t buying into the commercialism of Valentine’s Day. Guys have it tough, there is an awful lot of pressure from the media telling guys and gals that diamonds and chocolate are the only way to express love. Why should we let other people tell us what we like and should come to expect? Diamonds don’t mean much to me. Chocolates nice, but what does it mean? Sure, its nice when your significant other goes the extra mile and does something special for you, but how many commercials have you seen where a woman gets a man a gift? I haven’t seen a single one. So men love women, and are expected to show it by spending as much as they can afford on rocks and cocoa, and women (presumably love these men back!), are expected to stand by and wait for their cliched roses and chocolates. Love it.
Sorry for the cynicism. I just believe that love is more than something we should stop and think about once or twice a year. For me, love is a mutual respect and a constant process. I understand that some guys might want to express their love by buying flowers and chocolates, and that’s okay! I’m not trying to say that we should all poo-poo Valentine’s Day, I just feel that the media has really given us a warped look at what we as women should come to expect.
Back to watching the Olympics, Happy Valentine’s Day!
Stupid Bowl Sundae February 5, 2006
Referring, of course to the stupid bowl I ate my ice cream sundae in and not the all-day tv marathon that is actually 90% commercials (which are all the same!).
We watched Star Trek on SciFi tonight and only clicked over to ABC once to see if the game was really on. Surprise surprise, the Steelers won!
Anyway, I guess I’m bitter because Gray’s Anatomy just now came on and I need to be up early tomorrow.
I started my socks today. I tried to join the Knitting Olympics, but it didn’t show my name on the gigantic list, so I think my comment might not have made it, so my olympics started yesterday. I am knitting two very plain top down socks for myself and at the same time. They are coming along quite nicely. I’m about 5 inches into both of them.
Pictures…. soon?
