G is for Graduate school.
Researching…networking…applying..waiting..and waiting..and waiting. First I wasn’t sure where I should apply, then I wasn’t sure how to apply, and now that it’s all settled down and I actually have the ability to make some decisions, I’m wondering if I should start all over again and apply somewhere new.
Can I be decisive about anything in my life???
From the beginning…the lucky call came the first day back to work after Pesach. I had just walked in from work and I went straight to wash up so I could get a start on the rest of my day. Then the phone rang. My grandparents were in the kitchen and were available to take the call. (To this day I have no idea why the school didn’t call my cellphone. My family isn’t known for answering the house phone; or checking caller ID for that matter-there’s a reason why I only list my cellphone on important documents). There was a bit of uncertainty in my grandfather’s voice as my legal name is one that he is unfamiliar with. The woman on the phone may have thought I was going through some identity crisis and was unsure of my nameJ (note to self: change your legal first name on your marriage certificateJ) Finally, the moment we had all been waiting for. The graduate school I applied to was pleased to inform me that I was suitable for their program, and I was more than welcome to put down a deposit ASAP.
How to express the feelings going through my mind at that moment?? There was no thought process, it was pure emotion. With tears running down my face I couldn’t even think of calling someone to tell them the news. It was just me and my siddur, thanking Hashem for enabling me to see positive results to all the months of hard work, tight deadlines, and severe stress at times. Finally! Finally I could have a plan for the coming year! Finally I could plan my summer accordingly, and begin looking for a suitable job. Finally I would have an answer to give to all the people who kept asking what my story was for next year. I was on a high for about the next week. I was so relieved to be finished with the decision-making portion of this journey. I had only been accepted to one program and my future was clear. Or so I thought…
Less than a week later, an emails pops into my inbox from a new email address address. The title reads “Announcing our new MS in Speech Language Pathology program”. You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kiddding. Me. I’m supposed to be DONE with this!!! Why should I even consider this when my decision was made? On second thought, this new program had some factors that were high on my priority list. Here I could attend a Jewish program! No worries about explaining yuntif (did I mention that orientation for choice A is on Shavuous?) or clinicals that might be close to Shabbos in the winter. Not to mention the significant price difference.
And so…after asking advice and thinking it through rationally, I came to the realization that it made sense to through myself into the application process once more. If I wanted to do this right, and in the best way possible, I had to put in all my effort into this. Gotta check my resume to update it once more, and adjust my personal statement to meet the requirements set forth by this new program… Here we go again…