what the fuck am i getting myself into with this grad school stuff

thomp, if you do go the masters route, remember to try to work on getting a couple of academics to know your work (and ideally you/your plans) well enough to write strong letters of recommendation. they are looked at closely by applications committees for phds.

since i haven't done any applications and wouldn't hear anything until at least august anyway, i reaaaally have to work on dispelling dark thoughts about what having to miss out on a 2011/12 start beyond having missed the 2010/11 start would do to me.

so, two further things:

i. does anyone have any advice on contacting my old professors, other than being appreciative of their time and apologetic for how late i'm leaving this? it's been three years, now, since i graduated -- worried i might have missed the boat in terms of goodwill and in being well-enough-remembered

ii. am i right in thinking that, were i to look for a secondary school teaching position in the states, a master's would be better than a british teaching qualification? i also hold a TEFL qualification and will have some experience in this field by the time i'd be looking, though not a great deal

does anyone have any advice on contacting my old professors, other than being appreciative of their time and apologetic for how late i'm leaving this? it's been three years, now, since i graduated -- worried i might have missed the boat in terms of goodwill and in being well-enough-remembered

depends on circs, but you contact them by contacting them. i had a four year gap between graduating and applying for my phd (sans MA) and it went ok.

re: ii. my understanding is that a PGCE is worthless in the states, and the masters is only useful if it's in education. this might be bollocks though. i assume you've got the visa situation covered, because you won't get a H1-B to teach in schools.

hm otm wrt contacting old professors. I wasn't academically stellar at undergrad but my tutor wrote what was apparently a stellar letter of recommendation for my MS.

So what happens if you decide you did the wrong MA program and need/want to go back. Ugh. I can't imagine more school and have no idea how I'd pay for it but I think I really want to go to nursing school. :/

what was your MA in?

Women's Health. But it's an MA and was designed to address the sociological aspects of Women's Health with the aim of training researchers, policy analysts, advocates etc. but I was one of the fist 6 ppl the year the program began and we were total guinea pigs. The directors had no idea what they were doing and neither did we and, well, it sounded/s a lot better on paper than in reality. I don't have the hard skills necessary to compete for a lot of research positions esp when the other applicants (mostly MPH ppl) so have those. Also, I realize now that I'm really interested in the clinical aspect of Women's Health and really really want to become a NP with a specialization in Women's Health. There's a program here just for that and it sounds amazing. It's just . . . more school and more money and I'm getting old etc. Bah. Maybe I should just take some stats courses and go into research it's not really that appealing to me.

Kate - this is the program I'm interested in: http://www.mghihp.edu/academics/nursing/advanced-practice-nursing/nursing-specialties/adult-womens-health.aspx

I'd do the Direct-Entry Master of Science, Nursing (NP curriculum) track

I do research right now and I did clinical women's health for years and years. If I may make a recommendation: go to NP school and get your adult health specialization instead of your women's health. There are more jobs there and as a female practitioner, all the female patients will be punted to you anyway. If you get tired of the ladies, you'll still have options and that is the great thing about nursing.

...and if you do decide to go the NP route DO IT QUICKLY. The ANA is going to require PhDs of new NPs by 2015.

wow, why? (i don't know anything about the field; sorry if that's a dumb question!)

Good question HS. I'm interested as well.

Oh wow that's really good to know. That means I'd have to enter next fall. If I were to do that I'd be finished by the spring of 2014 which means I'd get in just under the wire. That program is dual Adult/Women's Health so I think that would work. Thank you! I may email you to ask some more specific stuff. :D

Short answers: degree creep and more money (for the universities, not the practitioners).

:(

Erica: I also really strongly suggest that you work in a clinical setting to get a feel for it and confirm that you don't hate it before you spend any more money and time. Planned Parenthood is always hiring, although the pay is shit.

Kate - I have worked in a clinical setting before, a family planning clinic and loved it. Like I said though I'll probably email you soon if you don't mind giving me some details from your experience.

Not PP but a clinic inside a major urban hospital.

whatever you do in grad-school learn some statistics, that shit is useful. (goes double for Eng Lit Phds)

I know some basic stuff and have used SPSS but what really seems to be in demand for what I'm interested in is SAS and I have no experience with it. :/

Stats is a required course for nurses.

I should hope so.

SAS is not difficult to pick up especially if you've used SPSS. It's conceptually pretty similar. They are really tight with their academic licensing so its not easy to get a copy to learn on. You can download a demo copy of JMP IIRC, which is the lovechild of SAS and Excel.

Right now I use R which is a lot like programming with punchcards, but its open source, free and the O'Reilly book for it has an Eagle on the cover so it makes a good solution until our Cognos/SPSS server is up and running.

whatever you do in grad-school learn some statistics, that shit is useful. (goes double for Eng Lit Phds)

― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Wednesday, 1 December 2010 20:37 (17 minutes ago)

why do lit ppl need stats?

to be employable afterwards (boom-tish)

An exceedingly facetious comment, but it is a really useful skillset to have.

that was a serious question

like, yeah, generically useful....but not especially for lit ppl i'd have thought

just finished my phd thesis iirc

listened to cavalry cross (live) while it printed. very chilled out.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1126.snc4/148868_10150352619855305_673235304_15822375_1218999_n.jpg

oh my god, a side dock in the wild

congrats btw! lol british plug

:D awesome - congratulations!

congrats caek

nice!

totes jeal

how many pages?

CAEK

CONGRATULATIONS

haha thanks guys! i am vibing to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFpv1LKrA9s&feature=player_embedded#! now

it is 236 pages, with a truth bomb per page ratio of about 0.01

#!

there ain't nothin on page 237

shhbang

who will become a doctor first, gbx or caek

BOOMING

can u post an edited highlights on 77 at some point or am I a cheeky scamp

'who wd u trust if u had a hernia on mars, gbx or caek'

Go caek!

congraets caek!

Well done, caek!

mazel tov / congrats

I remember this feeling

a printed out thesis in the hand feels so, er, heavy and thick and satisfying

enjoy it!

Well done!

Almost the anniversary of my viva, and now I realise I miss my thesis ......

(as well as not being able to remember any of it, much)

congratulations, caek!

congrats btw! lol british plug

― .\ /. (dayo), Thursday, December 2, 2010 2:57 PM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

aren't HK plugs british? britain, ireland, malta, hk i thought?