HopefulBoiler

Hi ya’ll! I’m 31 and this is my first cycle of applying to graduate school. I graduated in 2009 with my BFA which was a case of wrong degree at the wrong time. I spent 18 months unemployed after graduation because I either had too much experience or was beat out by seasoned veterans for entry level jobs. I have struggled in my career path and started thinking about grad school a few years ago. I knew I didn’t want to get my MFA. I knew that while I was working towards my BFA. I’ve talked to a lot of people in my previous field and determined that it was pretty useless for what I wanted to do. My focus has shifted away from the creative world and more into academia. The last year has been intense to say the least. Studying for the GRE and all of the practice tests (Specifically the math) were awful. I managed pretty average scores which I was proud of considering my difficulties with math, my verbal and essay scores are slightly higher than the average. The only catch for me is that I only applied to 1 school, Purdue University. (I know, I know I did the 1 thing you’re NOT supposed to do when applying for grad school!) I’m a townie and after living in a few different states for school and work, coming home has been bittersweet. I love being close to family and friends and watching my godson grow up. Did I think I would want to spend a significant amount of time in Indiana as an adult (Heck No!) but it has been a great experience. It’s also in my blood, three generations of my family went to Purdue and I’d love to be the first in my family to obtain a graduate degree from there. That’s not my only reasoning for wanting to attend Purdue for my PhD studies however. It wasn’t the right fit for my undergrad degree, but this time around I think it is the perfect fit. I have been in contact with a few POIs and they weren’t at all deterred by my unique background and I’m hoping for the best. It also looks like their current grad students are more in my age demographic and older, which is comforting. I know I’d be the old maid if I were going into a MFA program! Waiting it out is killing me!!!