Masters Programs

I don't have a notebook and a pen next to me, so I am going to use my blog as a notebook. I am looking up masters programs that are at least near me. I have decided, for now, that I am interested in higher education/administration programs.

Northwestern University - Evanston, Illinois
MS in Higher Education Administration and Policy
Total costs for program: $53,625

Indiana State University - Terre Haute, Indiana
MS in Student Affairs and Higher Education
Total costs for program: $19,000

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Michigan
MA in Higher Education with a Concentration in Student Access and Success
Total costs for program: Approx. $22,000?

I have kind of had my heart set on U of M for my grad studies for a while now. But, you know me, things change.

And The Excitement Grows...

I'm sitting in the living room, a Bar Rescue marathon is playing in the background, I am looking at Michigan university websites (U of M, MSU, CMU, NMU, EMU, etc.) at their job openings. I am specifically looking at their advisor openings. Why am I doing this? Because the qualifications, both required and desired, are listed! I am learning now what I need to do to prepare for the future. I suggest everyone does the same. Go look for open positions in the field you want to go into and look at the requirements, both required and desired!

The other day I was poking around the Eastern website and found myself, again, on the honors page. Every time I look at it I want to do it more and more. I did something I hadn't done before and read the whole honors student handbook. I may be obsessing. What stopped me from applying before was just the laziness. I didn't want to write an essay and I thought I would have to take more classes, extending the length of my bachelor's studying. Luckily, that isn't the case and the essay prompt was not even an actual essay. I just had to talk about myself. How hard is that? So the essay is written. If anyone would like to be a proof reader, let me know! I will gladly send it to you. It's fairly short- about 800 words.  All I am looking for now are letters of recommendation, references, and I'm waiting for my transcript to fully update. I'd like to get the application, letters, and essay sent out to Eastern in two weeks. This is contingent on my transcript being updated and sent out within a week. 

So I'm excited to work as an advisor, I'm exited to be a member of the honors college. I'm excited to start my Eastern Michigan experience!

That Moment When Others Truly Discover Your Passion Pt. 2

Today, I made an appointment with an academic advisor. I still cannot remember why I did it. So two hours later I go in and he asks me what I want to do. I tell him I want to be an academic advisor at a university. He is shocked. I tell him my whole plan and he asks me to hold on a minute and leaves the room. About a minute goes by and he brings four other advisors in the room with him and tells me to repeat everything I just said. So I tell them my story and plan. For the next 45 minutes all these advisors are giving me advice, pointers, words of wisdom, tips, secrets, and basically fighting over me. They wanted me to chose them to help me transition over to PSU. unfortunately, I didn't really nee anyone's help with transferring from KCC. So I thanked them all for their advice and an appointment that was scheduled for ten minutes lasted an hour. I appreciated everything I got from them and I am for sure going to use a lot of the advice!

Early this morning I asked my psychology professor from last semester about the Summer developmental psych professor (a class I need to take) and he said it depends on where I am going and what I want to do. So I told him Penn State and Education/Advising/Psych minor. He freaked out. He didn't even answer my question, but we scheduled a meeting for Thursday morning... He said he has never known anyone from KCC to transfer to Penn State and he wants to help me. So I don't know what I am going to get out of this meeting, but I am really excited because this man is INTELLIGENT. He taught at WMU for a long time too. Really great professor.

ON TOP OF ALL THIS, I got officially accepted into KCC's honors society. Induction ceremony next Thursday! Very excited... if I don't have to work.

Today was just a great ego boost. Amazing. Loved it.

That Moment When Others Truly Discover Your Passion Pt. 1

Alright. So a lot of my close friends and family know this already, but I am totally scary when someone puts me in front of a person who either isn't sure what to do with their life, doesn't know how to get started in school, what classes to take, how to get a degree, what universities are right for them, the list goes on and on. I will sit down with someone for hours and make someone really think.

EVERYONE- okay not everyone, but A LOT of people have told me they don't see me teaching kids. They don' see me teaching elementary, middle school, or high school. And I can understand how they see that. To me it just made sense. I want to help people. I want to make a difference in people's lives. I want to do that without being involved in the medical field. I love social studies. So teaching social studies just made the most sense in my head- not so much in anyone else's.

Last Summer, I sat down with two of my best friends from high school, who also go to KCC, separately and helped them develop plans. During Winter break, I helped one of them make a plan to graduate with a degree and we brainstormed ideas on what he could do with the degree. Last month, I was sitting in a car riding home after helping a high school junior think about college, the importance of ACTs, and a bunch of other common knowledge, but also universities, future planning, made him a comparison chart, and had him take career quizzes, and other fun stuff. The student's mother turned to me and said "Why are you going for education when you were BORN to do what you just did with my son?" Okay. Maybe not EXACTLY those words, but pretty darn close. And I sat there. And I thought. And I thought some more. And I went online. Then I put it aside. Last week, a girl came up to me at KCC and said "Help me, PLEASE." So I sat down with her and she now has a serious plan. The motivation I saw in her eyes was an amazing feeling for me. I did that. And a few days later a new plan was developed.

Most everyone on the planet knows this already, but just for the fun of saying it again, I am going to The Pennsylvania State University in the Fall of 2014. Original Plan: Go. Get my secondary education social studies degree. Go teach secondary education. New Plan: Go. Major in secondary education social studies. Minor in communications. Get my bachelors. Go back. Get a masters degree in higher education with a minor in psychology (NOTE: Psychology and communications may be switched around). Graduate with masters. Have a job lined up in an advising office or as a professor (dream would be both) and go to said job. Study, slowly, for doctorate in leadership in education. Graduate with doctorate. Be department head. Live my dream of advising and also be a professor, hopefully in History, because I love history.

I know a lot of you are thinking that I am crazy. There is no way I could ever possibly do that. If you are thinking that, then you haven't been around me when either A. I am helping a student, B. I am talking about helping a student, or C. talking about history. Words cannot explain the feeling I got when "what about becoming an academic advisor?" entered my brain. It was seriously just so... eye opening. I am more driven than I have ever been before. I am more passionate than I have ever been before.