bethanygm

Yes, but why do an MA when I can do a PhD? Especially if it ends up being a fully funded one. I may not get tenure somewhere if I go to the lower ranking school, but the MA could be limiting, whereas the PhD should not be. I have the type of personality that makes me want to sit in a library - 24/7- reading books and analyzing problems, for fun. (Interesting (well, I think it is interesting haha ) tidbit about my genes. My grandfather, a factory worker, once read through the entire set of encyclopedias A-Z, because he had a drive to know everything in there. The Army wanted to put him through medical school, but he turned them down for some reason and decided to do a 9-5 manual labor job. He retired at 40 and spent the rest of his life reading absolutely everything and fighting with his doctors over which medications were healthy and which ones were bad, and acting as the political "watchdog" in our old town. I think the elected officials dreaded his appearance at their meetings lol. Of course I am not my grandfather, but it's amazing how much I can identify with him. I'm afraid I might end up going down a similar path, working an easy dead-end job just so I have lots of extra time to pursue my insatiable desire to learn everything. If I go the academic route, I will have some credibility, first of all, and second of all, I will have an outlet for that drive.) If I could just stay in school for the rest of my life, learning about many things, in depth, that would be amazing. Of course, I can't and I do want an income, so this seems to be a nice way to go about it. The PhD will give me a chance to really develop some in-depth expertise in at least one area. I am more interested in all the time I get to spend learning new things, than I am about what I will do, exactly, when I get the PhD. However, I want to be able to bring in a decent income, so I have to look at what area would be most practical. The Middle East is interesting to me, and a lot of other people right now, so it seems like a good choice. I actually can envision myself working part-time as an adjunct, doing part-time bookkeeping, maybe teaching some singing lessons - for an income (I can charge $20-30/hr in the case of the last two), and then also doing research on a topic I am interested in, or homeschooling my children. If I magically got a full-time job that gave me the time and resources to write and submit many articles or books for publication, I'd take advantage of that, too, probably. My goal is to be happy in life. I have thrown away my old ideas of "success" and embraced some new, maybe somewhat eccentric, ones. The PhD isn't totally a means to an end. I'd do it because of the inherent worth I feel it has. also- The government does pay more if you have an advanced degree. A PhD comes in at a higher rate of pay than an MA would, and an MA comes in with a higher rate of pay than a BA. There's a standard pay scale with the government jobs.

My husband has a very promising career going on in the military. He's on the "fast track" to making it to a top rank. He would also be getting out when he is half way to a life-long pension and health care! However, I hate being a military wife. I don't want to follow him around every few years and never get to do what I want. I also am tired of the deployments and the constant stress and anxiety I feel over his safety. It's really rough. So, after three years of this, we have decided to get out. I convinced him that we could make it on our own, and that in this way, we could both be happy. He had some dreams for himself in the military and he is actually making quite a big sacrifice by getting out. I got him started in college, and it revived his older dream of being a software engineer. That is the main reason he was able to see that getting out was a viable alternative to staying in for the obvious benefits retiring from the military provides. Marriage is about compromise. I want us to both be happy. He'll move to where ever I get into school, and he'll try to finish his college nearby. But! I am somewhat limited in where I can go, because the new G.I. Bill only pays enough for a state school, and we need the rent money the G.I. Bill also will be paying us, so he can't do distance education (so, I can't go to an expensive private school that he would have a hard time getting into and paying for with the G.I. Bill, and if he did distance education through a state school, we wouldn't receive the rent money we are counting on while he's in school full time). Our first and most important goal is to finish as much education as we can before having kids. My husband is already 31 and I am 24. I love my in-laws and after living for 4 years thousands of miles away from any family, I feel ready to be near some family. Also, after 10 years in the military, my husband is probably going to experience some difficulty adjusting, and our marriage is going to probably experience some rough patches through the coming transition. I think having his family around would be a nice buffer. I like the area we'd be moving to, and the school just happens to have every program we thought about getting into. We could go to the same school. So, you see, my current plan provides solutions for many, many of the issues I can see us having. I think I'd be perfectly happy working as an adjunct. I'll probably have my kids toward the end of grad school, and if that happens, it would be great to work part-time for a small school. See.. I have thought about this very thoroughly. There are tons of factors to be considered. My husband is making a sacrifice for me, and if you can't tell, our marriage is more important to us than a job. That is why he is getting out, and that is why I am looking for the best situation for the both of us (I am the planner, obviously, lol). Also, I realize that life is unpredictable and all my plans can go up in smoke at any moment. I just really like to make plans, and many of my past plans have helped me to achieve things other people didn't think possible. Plans are worth making. (I get a lot of, wow, why are you planning so far ahead?!?!?)

Well, it seems to be. If I wrote a dissertation on some particular area of conflict in the Middle East, I would look into many areas. The history of that area (and the history of the ethnic make-up of the people of that area)- that would illuminate the origins of some old conflicts. I might look into gender relations and the social status of people (sociology, women's studies, even psychology). I'd see what sort of governmental institutions they have in place, and who holds the power (political science aspect). I would look at the area in geographical terms (who lives where? Does one group have more access to resources than others? This is also in economical terms, then, too). I would continue to study the language of my choice, and I realize that language also tells a part of the story. The cultural anthropology aspect (holistically, who are these people? What do they believe in? What makes them tick?) In international relations, I can approach everything from a very global perspective, or focus in on a small piece of the world. If I graduate and get a job analyzing this stuff for someone, I'd be looking at all of this, in order to give a more complete picture of what is going on. If I'm asked to present some ways of dealing with stuff, I'd take into consideration ALL of these things, holistically, to come up with some ideas. If you don't fully understand the people in another culture, it's quite easy to step all over them and not even realize you are doing it. That generally leads to more conflict, in the long run. (case in point- the arbitrary way in which states were divided up after the west colonized other places. Nobody bothered to think about and try to truly understand the PEOPLE involved in the situation, and we are now seeing the political fall-out of too many different cultures shoved into artificial "states").

I feel like I am jinxing myself if I actually type it. They do research at this school, and they are allowed to issue PhDs, so it can't be too bad. :oops: Can we just talk about a hypothetical low-tier school and my chances of getting hired? pretty please?

Is this pretty much career suicide before I even have a career? I did a google search and I see that graduates of this program actually have jobs as professors at other colleges, so that is a good sign. My husband is getting out of the military and finishing college. We want to move by his family. I was thinking... If I have a really good GRE score and GPA, that might make it so I can get fully funded at a school that usually draws applicants with lower scores. Funding is the most important aspect for me. I am thinking of focusing on the Middle East, and learning Arabic. I can't see why it would even matter where I go, as long as I know my stuff when I am finished. I think NGOs and the Government would be happy to hire specialists in that area. What do you think? I was advised not to do any history PhDs at low tier schools, because the market is so flooded. I would need every edge I could get. This doesn't seem to be as bad. (I am interested in a lot of stuff. I've looked into history and anthropology on these boards, and also school psychology. I was looking at the faculty and what they are studying in IR, and it is quite interdisciplinary. My main concern with grad school is that it allow me to analyze things in an interdisciplinary way. Also, IR seems to be more practical than just history.) EDIT:: Also, I don't think I care at all about tenure if I end up getting a job at a college. I think I would be happy teaching undergrads part-time and doing research on the side or writing books and articles and trying to get them published. I don't care if I have a full-time job supporting my research, although that would be nice. I want the freedom to move around and do what I want more than I want tenure at this point. My husband is going to be a software engineer, so we won't be starving, and we'll likely have health insurance. If I need extra money and don't want to trade flexibility for a 9-5 job, I am sure I can work something out in life.

My biggest concern would be whether or not we could afford the repairs if anything major (or even minor) happens to our house. I would love to buy one (and we have the VA loan to help us), but it would be very hard and very stressful to come up with the money needed if our roof decided to start leaking or something. Do we really need that when we are working toward degrees? Probably not. It is probably better to rent for a few more years, keep putting money into savings, and get a house when we find out where we are living after school. If your SO has a steady, well-paying job, then go for it. Mine will be in college (using his GI Bill) still.

Like most psych programs, the answer here is not so clear cut. You can research a WIDE variety of topics and it could be related/applicable to the field. One of my potential advisors for the program I got into was researching the spirituality of Asian children. I currently do research on spirituality and body image and proposed to research urban youth motivation and achievement. Since my research interest is urban youth, I also applied to Developmental and Community Psych programs (and will actually be attending a Developmental program in the Fall). Your research doesn't have to be about curriculum or teaching. It could be about youth development, diversity, gendered behavior, motivation, achievement, learning processes, psychopathology of children....and the list goes on. Whatever you like can most likely fit in :wink: Hope this helped a bit! Good luck to you

I have been posting in various areas of this site to try to get different ideas about career paths. I was double majoring in History and Psychology, so I first explored the History PhD option. It seems to limiting for me. I am now investigating the School Psychology PhD option... and I think I am dropping my history major down to a minor. I'm hoping some of you can guide me: *First, what is the difference between educational and school psychology? If I get a PhD in education psychology would it also allow me to work as a school psychologist in a K-12 environment (I have browsed a lot of college sites and I am still unsure). *I am taking all of my classes online and I am really worried about recommendations. Does it matter is some of my LORs are from history professors? I want to take more of my classes in a classroom, but my program is a military base program (an extension of a regular nearby liberal arts college.. a decent one..) and right now most of the courses are offered online. I can't attend the regular off-base classes because they are about 3 times as expensive. It is too much. I am afraid I am only going to be able to get weak LORs, or none, because no one knows me. Will weak LORs kill my application even if I have a decent GPA and GRE? *Research. I don't have any and have no idea how to go about getting into it. My schools most popular program is psychology, and I would be competing with all those students from the main campus who actually know the professors.. Do I absolutely need research experience? Can I fashion something of my own to show I can do research? Please advise. *It now looks like I am graduating with a 3.7 overal GPA, and a 4.0 (or maybe 3.9?) GPA in my psychology major. I will study very hard for my GRE. Do most schools require the general GRE AND the subject GRE??? Will I need to take the subject GRE? *I live in Hawaii. My husband is getting out of the Navy in time for the Fall 2010 term. If I apply this year, I technically could attend next year (I'd have to move alone, first), but if I even get invited to interviews, there is no way I can afford to fly to all of them. I am planning to apply to colleges in Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, maybe Georgia, and maybe Virginia. Should I just wait and apply to schools for Fall 2011? I have no idea what I am going to do for a job for all those months in between. Or how we can afford to move twice if I even get in anywhere. *I'm going to be 26 by the time Fall 2010 rolls around, and I will probably want to start having kids around my third year of grad school. Is this even advisable? I a not going to wait until 30. I am wondering if I should get a job for a few years (doing what? I don't know), and then have kids, and then try to go back in my later 30s. ;( I am married, so all these decisions (esp. concerning where my income/funding is coming from) involve my husband and our future children. *What exactly do you research in a PhD program in school psych? I was more clear on my research options for a history PhD. Could I develop curriculum, or write a thesis supporting certain ways of teaching kids? I know I need to go read some articles in the school psychology journals. If anyone could take the time to address my questions, I'd be really grateful. My husband decided he wants to get out of the Navy, and I am feeling a very high level of anxiety about this. I really need to figure this out.

Yes, sir. a) I am not planning on using that paper as my writing sample. I have stated that the thesis was somewhat frivolous, and I do realize it is not graduate level work. We have had quite a long discussion here on the problems with applying our modern perspectives to the study of history, and I now know more than I knew when I wrote that paper. And anyway, there is only so much I can do in a short, undergraduate paper (6-15 pages). I can only address a finite number of the points that would undermine my thesis (or destroy it all together). Therefore, I get to choose how much attention I want to pay to them. Also, I don't think my thesis could stand up to a more in-depth analysis than I was able to subject it to in 15 pages. (Of course, I knew that when I started it, and I also knew I could get away with ignoring some of the important points that would destroy my thesis, therefore, I decided it was safe to go with it. Undergraduate papers are usually never meant to be an in-depth, far-reaching analysis of a subject. They merely force you to dip your toe in the water. Certainly most of you must realize this. Most of my professors put a cap on how many pages we can write, and that, right there, decides how limited the analysis is going to be). I am also not expected to be sophisticated enough to "know better" than to apply modern cultural perceptions to historical figures, at this level, so I suppose I was allowed to get away with it. I did get an A in the class. I guess my teacher forgave the transgression and chose to focus on the quality of my analysis (even if it was based on an apparently pointless thesis)! It could be jarring to go from online classes to working with real, live people, but I don't suppose the quality of interaction I am getting with my professors could get much better if I attended class. When I attended class, I was "talked at", not with. That is what lectures at this level are all about. Also, my professors in class rarely had enough time to sit and talk about the subjects one on one with me. In my online classes, I send detailed questions and comments to my professors, and they often reply with very long, well thought out answers. I have found that the quality of interaction I get is actually better in online classes. I was even able to have a few good telephone conversations with one of my instructors in which we talked about the material, and discussed what I wanted to do with my career. That said, I do plan on establishing some working relationships with the professors at my school through taking a few classes in person, and by connecting with some of tenured professors, to seek their advice. (I can also do some research on the instructors teaching the courses online that I need, take classes from those I would like to know better, and make sure I at least have the chance to show them what I can do.) c) I don't think I want to teach at a high school level (although I have no way of knowing if I will always feel that way). I have reasons for this, but I'm not going to bother with them right now. Someone in the Chronicle forum explained the PhD track using an hourglass metaphor. The narrow part is the graduate training. When you have sufficient training in one area, you can afford to branch out (the wide part, obviously). The benefit of cultivating a solid foundation from which to branch out is obvious. I don't really see a PhD as being somehow limiting.

Either mindlessly become or consciously evolve.

I just ordered that book from Amazon. It hasn't arrived yet. I am all about "How To" books and seeking the advice of as many people as possible. I never would have made it as far as I did in music without all the knowledge I gained by finding and reading all the information I could. I really think that is what set me apart from all the other dreamers out there. Of course you need to learn as much as you can about the subject you are studying. But I think it's well worth your time to seek advice on things. Once you have enough of it, you can more easily discern what advice you would like to (and should) take, and ignore the rest.

If I've learned anything from all these separations and deployments, it is that my marriage and my wonderful husband are what makes me the happiest. I want to be able to take care of myself, should I ever need to, and I love to learn, so I do want to finish my degree. However, I am not willing to spend months and years apart from him. I'm just not. Life is short and I want all the time I can with the ones I love. I'm willing to make some sacrifices for a career, but I will draw the line at how long (a few weeks, a few months?) I am willing to live away from my husband. I spent three years pursuing a music career, to the exclusion of all other relationships. It was my life. Then, a few weeks after I left L.A. and moved to Florida, I met my husband. I was never this happy chasing a career, and all the material things and "success" I might make (and that my ego would like) are empty in comparison to what I have in my marriage. I think seeking balance is the best way to go about planning what to do in life. And if you don't like who you become in a very competitive situation, I would not go for law school... you will be very unhappy after a few years as a lawyer. Why can't you work and save money and get your PhD when he graduates? Can he choose a job according to where you get into school? Work and save up money for the next two years, and then see where you are at. I was always taught never to rely on a man, or to put my own life on hold for a man, but I rather think it is better to compromise than to hold such strict rules for myself. (And, I feel much better now that I almost have my BA. A grad degree is just icing on the cake, as far as being able to take care of myself.)

My husband has decided I am his priority, and he is getting out of the Navy to make sure his actions can reflect that (damn Navy.. if you don't understand, the Navy insists on always being the sailors #1 priority. 12 hour work-days, low pay and no compensation for over-time - fun travel to war zones. He was totally alright with the situation, and was planning to stay in for 20 years, but I am unhappy and our marriage suffers because of his job). He said he'd be willing to go wherever I need to go for school next, but if I manage to get into any schools in the two states we would BOTH like to go, then we will most likely go there. I want us both to be happy. Our marriage is also my priority. We are a team, and we strive to act like it when we make important decisions. As for the situation, he has supported me through four years of school. When we get out, I will either secure funding for grad school, a job, or both. He will be finishing his degree using his Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, which pays him BAH w/dependents (a sufficient rent allowance- according to zip code- that may also pay some bills) each month. So I will be making up the difference. It is his turn to take it easy and get to stay home. He's been working so hard for so many years, and it would be cool if I could give him a break and we could have more quality time before we have kids. (We won't have much money, however. )

I agree.. but still, I found CA to be way ahead in this area. (And Washington, and Hawaii. I can't speak for Oregon, though I do believe they might be more conservative.) If you move to a city, you generally can find more tolerance for your differences than in a small town. That is a given, and probably has been for awhile now. (That said, in general, I love the West Coast for the tolerance and openness to different ideas that the people there show.)