Thursday, September 17, 2009

Back to school

Later today I will have my entrance exam in a state university for my grad school application.  It may sound silly but I'm actually really excited about it.  I've been thinking about going to grad school for so long and just never got around to it.  First there was raising my daughter to do, then I just didn't have the time to do it, then later I didn't have the funds to enroll.

A couple of years ago, some of my TK students from BJMP told me that grad school need not be so expensive.  You just need to know where to enroll.  U.P., Ateneo, La Salle, UST --- entering these four creme de la creme schools is important (gives you an edge when applying for jobs) when getting your bachelor's degree but is not as important when it comes to grad school.  What is important, is that you still get quality education, wherever you end up enrolling after.

I finally made the decision to enroll this second semester when I discovered that a friend of mine enrolled in the grad school course I was interested in at the school I was considering and he assured me that he wasn't being short changed by attending this state u.  The only real problem I would encounter is wading through flood waters (hello galoshes!) when we have heavy rains, which, incidentally, happens quite often.

Going over the requirements for application was also a revelation for me.  On the list of requirements it said that I had to give a copy of my transcript of records and that my GPA had to be 2.0 (which at the school I went to was equivalent to 88% to 92% - Good) or better.  I was consistently on the Dean's List in college but I really had no idea what my GPA was.  I had hoped that I made the cut, at least.  And so I whipped out my transcript, did the math and was surprised that my GPA was 1.5 (96% to 97% - Excellent).  Woah!  I kicked ass in college! 

I guess I really did have good study habits back then, which (I suppose) translates to good work ethics now.  When i was in high school I don't recall being that good a student, especially not in the 3rd quarter of every year.  But then I realize this is most likely because I hated high school and could not wait to get out of it.  If I was given the chance to go back to high school, I'd turn it down.  I think I got the breathing room I needed in college.  I got the freedom to truly be myself in college.  If there were any mean girls in my class, I only had to suffer them for a subject or two, not the whole day.

When I went to the state u to submit my requirements for application and to get my entrance exam schedule I was able to get a peek at the answer sheets we would be filling up (since the guy processing our papers was compiling them in front of us) and I am confident of passing.  The categories listed where synonyms, antonyms, sentence completion, etc.

The state u's website states that to be admitted to the master's program I must:
  1. have an appropriate bachelor's degree from a university or college of recognized standing, but if I took an unrelated course for my bachelor's degree I would need to take 18 undergrad units first
  2. have a GPA of 2.0, B, or 85% in the baccalaureate course
  3. pass an interview with the Academic Program Chair/Dean
  4. demonstrate English proficiency
  5. possess computer literacy
  6. submit all documents required by the grad school
I don't see any problem with any of the requirements.  Looking forward, I wonder if I can use my laptop to take notes in class?  I wonder if the campus has wifi?

I do hope I do well in grad school.  Even though it is still many, many years away, I've actually already picked out my Doctorate degree.  I want a Doctorate in Anthropology focusing on mythology and folklore.  That's been one of my dreams for a long time.  I hope I will be able to fulfill it.

I'm like a little girl at Christmas time waiting to open a huge gift under the tree.  I can't wait for school to start!