I have been excited about being accepted into grad school for a few weeks now. I’ve been looking through the courses and trying to determine which classes on want to take and how many hours I should start off with. But the whole time, it was seemed so… hypothetical. I hadn’t really DONE anything. Sure, I took the GRE and I worked a long while on putting together my application, but I haven’t quite felt a part of it yet.
I’ve been chatting over email with the department director about my plans for the upcoming semester. We made plans to meet up this week and actually go over my options. It was so nice to actually get to sit down with her, talk a little about the program and get some advice on starting back to school for the first time in five years.
We went over the required courses for the program and I asked her what is the usual workload for someone who, like me, is attending part-time and has a full-time job outside of class. Basically, you have the option of taking 1, 2 or 3 courses. Three is full-time, so that’s obviously out of the question. I’d like to take two, but at the same time, I don’t want to overwhelm myself right when I start, especially since my study habits are a little rusty. So my options would be to take one course first semester and see how it goes. Then I could determine if I feel capable of taking a second course the next semester. Or I could go ahead and two classes and have the option of dropping if need be.
I decided to go with the first option. I think I’d prefer to start off a little slow and just get a feel for being back in school. I think once I make it through that first semester, I’ll be better equipped to move on to more hours for the next. And I’m already signed up for my first course! COM 561: Human Communication Theory (I can see how exciting that sounds to all of you.)
I even had some free time after my meeting, so I spent some time on campus, enjoying the sunshine and reading a little Jane Austen. Being able to meet with the director and being back on a college campus made it all feel real.  I really am looking forward to being back in this environment and finally going after the degree that I’ve wanted for a while now. The work does seem a little daunting right now, but I’m hoping once the summer rolls around, I will have the opportunity to prepare myself and get ready for a great return to the classroom.