NavyMom
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Posts posted by NavyMom
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Hey everyone!
I am nearly halfway through my 3rd semester and all is well.
I got a new job starting in July and things have just taken off! I am no longer in a support position (administrative assistant), but a Policy Analyst... which is exactly what I am studying in my masters degree. Got one hell of a pay raise and good benefits. Never imagined it would happen this early in the game.
So far I haven't had any struggles with my professors or fellow students, although I am not going to be finishing with any "strong" or "close" friendships. Most of the folks are a bit younger than I am, and well, they have formed their only little "click" that I am not included in... most likely because I am much older.Anyways - hope everyone else is well.
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I just finished my first year of the program, and I have two more (part-timer).
I have a topic, and I have my first advisor. I also have major jitters.
Has anyone started early, or know anyone that started early - and benefited from it? There is a class or two that I still need to take that I might possibly use for my thesis, but wondering how far I can get before taking these classes...
My advisor is off for the summer on a sabbatical. So my question to all of you is... what do you suggest I do for my first step to this enormous project?
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I have chosen a topic for my thesis already (I am done with my first year, but I have two years left as I am a part timer). I have also chosen my main advisor, but still have yet to select my second reader.
I have been given the direction to work on a prospectus for my chosen topic... the thing is, I haven't taken that class yet (It will be this fall) and I would like to get started on it this summer.
Does anyone have ideas on how to do this? I am not getting much help from my cohort (unfortunately).
I am going to do a cost-benefit analysis on suicide prevention and early intervention programs for youth (k-12).
My program is Public Policy and Administration.
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You can often use university computers to access statistical software. That is what I do when I need to run homework in SAS.
I will need to purchase the software... The university doesn't have the STATA... only has SPSS.
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I am so stressed out. I finally got a partner for my Quant Methods class and our research proposal is due on Tuesday so I will be spending a couple hours on campus today after work finalizing this project. Then I need to work on the school computers to run STATA to do my homework.
I am exhausted!I will need STATA for my research methods class next year... don't know where I can get it cheap though.
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Just wanted to say that although I'm not an older student, the oldest person in my cohort (10 years older than me) is literally the coolest and most awesome person in our year. He's an inspiration to me in so many ways and I really value his experience and advice. He adds flavor and perspective to discussion, and since he also went to our institution as an undergrad, knows a lot about the system and is always helpful when I have a question. He's an expert at navigating professor interactions and has truly amazing social skills (he knows what to say in every situation). And this is all on top of being incredibly hard-working, perhaps the most dedicated and committed person in the cohort.
I just want to let all of you know how utterly awesome you are for working on an advanced degree at the same time as having many responsibilities, little time, and often other people that you have to take care of beyond yourselves. If the other people in your cohort/department don't respect and value your experience and perspective, they are really missing out
Thank you for your inspirational words!!
I have to ask you people one thing though, I have a huge fear that when I finally get into a PhD program (I have a long way to go despite graduating a couple of years ago) I may be somewhat intellectually crippled.
Let me elaborate, the kind of environment I did my medical school studies was not very stimulating and that combined with my own lack of initiative lead to a very poor academic record. My passions weren't instilled within me from an early age, unlike most of my peers who have insane levels of drive and are in great places now. After becoming more disciplined and proactive, I have developed a somewhat idealistic (naive maybe?) view of what I want and feel real passion for it.
But what worries me is that am I really going to learn how to think? I know I need a good deal of research experience before I can get anywhere, but in the department of formal education I am also lacking. Does formal education have such a big role into moulding thinking processes? Especially in my case where I'm transitioning from clinical medicine to a more fundamental basic science approach.
Yes, I believe it does. I feel that I have already learned how to think differently, write different, and even read differently. My own experience so far has given me a more effective way to be productive in a shorter amount of time. It's also easier when the subject is interesting to you.
Wow, some of you have very late starts to the semester. We started back on January 5th.
Our first practicum starts in late April, however. I'm not sure how late the semesters run for those of you who just started back.
We had a 5 week break for mine. Fall classes started the day after Labor day and ended mid-December. Spring classes begin today, and last through mid-May.
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So tonight is the class where my last professor did not show up. We are currently getting some snow from Juno and it is supposed to intensify tonight. I really hope class isn't cancelled
We have to meet our new professor and get a syllabus and everything. Today is also the last day for add/drop and I really don't want to have to drop this class and find a new one so late into the semester. I am nervous. I've been hearing about that storm all weekend and I am in Cali! I used to live in Manassass, VA though so I remember those days. I don't envy you! Are you able to talk to your advisor on what you need to do?
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Just got home from the first meeting of my second class, have several assignments to do over the weekend, and I am waiting for the Amazon fairy to deliver the books.
Thank god for the Amazon fairy.
Indeed! Amazon Fairy is good.
I am trying to get my head in the game... after being off for 5 weeks, I feel discombobulated. I can't imagine how I will feel after summer break.
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So anyone starting their 2nd semester? I just got my first assignment and all of my books... Class begins next Tuesday.
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Well my professor was a no-show to class last night. Turns out that my professor actually said that he was not going to teach this class this semester and the University did not step up and get another Professor.
You've got to be kidding!?!?! Are they going to do something about that?
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My class schedule is a hot steaming pile of a mess. There is almost no regularity to it. I was prepared to be a good sport about it, but new weekly scheduling commitments just got added on (and ran into multiple conflicts with other commitments, so currently being revised), and now I'm pretty cranky.
Probably wouldn't feel as frustrating if I wasn't preparing for the possibility of needing to euthanize my sick dog any day now while desperately grasping for any signs that she's getting better, but that's my situation right now, and it sucks a big one.
Oh hon, I am so sorry. I can't imagine the rollercoaster you are on. My thoughts are with you.
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Ah, planning weddings within military constraints. We had about five months from engagement to ceremony, as well!
Exactly! He's supposed to graduate from Prototype Mid-to-Late-May... so they are trying to schedule it around that time so when he gets his first official set of orders they will already be married and she'll be able to move with him wherever he's stationed. Smart move for them.
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If he did A-school at Great Lakes after boot camp, he may have crossed paths with my husband, who just finished a military training instructor billet there! Bless the Post-911 GI Bill, without it, I wouldn't likely BE an "older graduate student!"
That's fantastic! No he didn't stay in Great Lakes. He went to North Carolina for the Nuclear Power program. He just finished C school in November, and is at Prototype now. While on Christmas break, he proposed to his girlfriend (finally)! Looking at a possible May wedding.
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My first semester was incredible- aced all my classes, applied for some grants, worked in a great lab, established a wonderful social and professional network, etc. It was all I could have hoped for and I truly enjoyed [almost] every minute of it
But now that second semester is starting I suddenly find myself completely out of steam. I feel like I have zero motivation and am not sure I even want to be here right now. Having 4 weeks off for winter break gave me a glimpse back into the world I left behind- the world of free time, friends, family, a paycheck, etc.- and suddenly grad school doesn't seem quite so wonderful anymore. I'm sure it will get better, but I need to get through this slump.
Has anyone else experienced this depressing low after such a high? I figure I should just wait it out and hope that things get better. Thoughts?
I feel similarly. The break has caused me to become a lazy lump. Not in the mood to do anything, not even read for fun, which is something I used to love to. I knew this program would be very hard for me, and I have done well considering the set backs I had going in. But I fear not being able to follow through with it. I just hope I have the backbone to finish this challenge.
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Thanks, NavyMom. Navy wife, here.
I bow to you my dear. I am a ex-Navy wife and military brat. Navy blood runs very deep in my family. My son joined in the summer of 2013. Very proud of him!
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Officially saying hello to my "older" friends.
I'm excited that it's 2015. After two years of thinking, debating, and planning, I'll apply to Ph.D. programs this fall -- the same time that I turn 39. It's been 10 years since I finished my masters, and 16 since I finished my bachelors. For the past year I've been taking a couple of online courses at the university I hope to get my PhD from. I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I've enjoyed the classes and homework! I'm now certain that I can commit the the PhD journey.
What's giving me some anxiety is how much technology has changed how students work. I'm learning about Mendeley and Workflowy now. I can see that tools like this will be extremely helpful, but in the meantime I'm struggling to get caught up and learn what the 20-somethings in my classes seen to know intuitively.
And the GRE.....whoa. I'm having to relearn so much of the math, which is humbling since I know a great deal of is it taught at the advanced high school or early undergrad levels. I can successfully run a nonprofit healthcare organization and lead 22 staff, but the rules of algebra? I'm lost.
Thanks to all for keeping this thread alive -- it's been one of my favorites on GradCafe so far!
Hello, everyone!
Excited to find a forum/thread that addresses my situation. I'm about to start my graduate program, an M.S. in counselling psych, and have 80% excitement and 20% nerves/trepidation. I'm 37, and received my bachelor's degree in 1999. Since then, my only coursework has been in the form of training for work/continuing ed type stuff, or just classes for fun, not hardcore academic work. I've always been a strong student, but I still have some anxiety about getting back into the swing of things.
I've been a teacher, myself, so I'm not head-in-the-sand about how much technology has changed elements of education...but I've been more on the educator end of that than the student end. A little anxious about that, but I think it'll be fine. I feel like I've got a lot of advantages as a person starting graduate school in my upper thirties, in that I'm not a parent, and am able to attend full-time without working, so I'll have less to juggle than many at this stage of life. However, I'm also a newlywed (relatively, my husband and I celebrate one year at the end of this month), and starting a family if possible is on our list. This is a bridge that will be crossed when we get to it, however.
Mostly, I'm just nervous about getting back into student mode. I've been in the working world from age 23-37, so it will be a switch. But as a person who always treated schooling like it WAS a job, I'm hoping the transition will be easier than I might think. I'm less worried about relating to younger peers, because I've spent a lot of time in the past seven or eight years working with that cohort, and manage to relate fine.
Welcome!!!! Glad to see you join the family! I understand your anxiety...I went through that too. i about to start my second semester now. The good news, is that once you start, that fear goes away and yoi become more focused on work.,
Looking forward to talking more!
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Hey fellow students...
If you all want to chat, they created an off-site chat room if you are interested.
Just go:
http://client00.chat.mibbit.com/
rizon[webirc]
username (create one)
#gradchat
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Yes, I'm applying to US grad schools. I'm aware of how friendly US Americans are, however my concern is towards academics and adjustment to the city and its ways.
Your comment about your experience calms me, I'm sure it will be a great experience and hopefully I'll accomplish my goals.
I agree with shrinkgirl... I believe your experience will be amazing. In my own observations as an American, I have had nothing but respect and admiration for those who want to better themselves through academics, and work hard to achieve their goals. I have friends of many different nationalities, and I love learning about their heritage and customs. I know there are others like me who only want to help you, and encourage you to succeed in whatever it is that you are doing.
Good luck on getting acceptance letters, and keep us informed!
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Hi, everyone! Very excited to find a thread like this one.
I'm a 30-something as well, and will be starting the first year of my counseling grad program this month. Eek! Hope to learn a lot from you "jugglers" here.Hi Shrinkgirl! Welcome!
I see you are in the mental health field. Its the field I currently work in, myself. Good luck on your first semester!! Keep us posted on how you are doing! Feel free to add me to your friends list, as well.
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Yours isn't so uncommon a scenario, Navymom. Which might not be entirely consoling, though at least maybe it'll be comforting to you to know that you're not alone. :-) It's a common cry, especially (I think) among us females, who have the best-friends of grade school, high school, etc.
I don't have any magical answer for it. I'm a social butterfly, of sorts, but I don't really care for the Meetups I've went to, though they're fine enough for what they are. I think it's just a season-of-life thing that we all have to come to terms with: some people will come into our lives forever, some will be for just a moment. I'm still pretty young, so I don't have the "whole picture" view yet. But I have had the bad-breakup with a friend that was like what you described, and only recently came to terms with letting it go. I still have my 2 best girl friends from uni. years, so that gets me through the hard times. But I live in a city that I've yet to make quality friends like I've always been able to before, albeit on a lesser level than my ladies from college. I've heard married life is like that, having less and less personal friends, especially once you have kids (I don't yet), but both my husband and I are rather young and social, so we at least can keep married acquaintances. Though my mother has one or two close friends that's she's made, post-marriage and raising 6 young wild things! ;-)
All this rambling to say: if you're looking for a soul-mate girl friend, it's probably going to take some time, and there's the chance that relationships will come and go; things change all the time, unfortunately. But I doubt you'll be friendless forever. I've had friends who graduated and found it difficult to find a peer community like in college, and I've had others who have fit right into their post-graduate years. I myself went overseas and became best friends with a young lady in her 40s, and we're still friends, even though I'm "home" and she's in China. It's probably just one of those "seasons." It sucks, it's not comfortable, and no one likes it. But it happens to us all. You don't strike me as the kind of person that won't be unreceptive to possible new friendships, so I would just try to enjoy the other aspects of your life; relationships will happen. Focusing on the "other" may not be as special or desirous as finding a heart-mate friend. But, then, that kind of friendship wouldn't be so special for the having, if it came too readily or often. I suspect that kind of friend will come around where you least expect it. I certainly never expected to find another best friend overseas! Do try not to be too sad. You're definitely not alone in your longing. I hope you do find that special friend, sooner rather than later. Goodness knows many of us girls just need that good, social outlet! *^^*
Thank you!!! I guess I just needed to hear that I am not alone in this... (meaning there is nothing wrong with me). It has gotten harder, the older I get, to connect with others. Hopefully I will have the chance to have some close friendships into late adulthood.
Thank you everyone for your generous input and encouragement.
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I like the idea above of joining Meetups to meet people in the same "season of life" as you. I know some of my acquaintances have met their besties in crafting groups or fitness groups organized either by Meetup or by their local recreation centers. Might those be an option for you?
While the suggestions are good, they do not apply to me. I do not like to hang out with "groups" of people. I prefer to just relate to one person or two at the maximum, at a time. I am not a fitness guru, and while I enjoy crafts, I simply do not have the energy to be creative. I have a small art studio that has gathered dust in the last year. When I am in school, I spend a lot of time away from home, so a lot of my free time goes to my husband, or taking care of my disabled mother.
I know you are probably thinking "well, if she has no time, how can she commit to a friendship". It doesn't sound rational. I just simply miss having that close friend. All I have is my husband and my mother... and well, I just wish I had a friend on the outside.
And for those who don't believe anything like that can exist... I have seen it for myself. My mother who is in her 60's, is still very close to her childhood best friend. My ex-husband, is still close to his grade-school best friends. I have seen close relationships that have lasted 30+ years so I know they exist. When I moved to California, the friendships I thought were close (and were 15+ years into it), fizzled because I became "out of sight, out of mind", and they moved on to the next close friend who lived near them.
Anyway, I must sound like I am whining, and I apologize for that.
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I agree. I have found this to be difficult as well. I have loved my co-workers, but I was the young one who joined an established social studies department, and I've been the baby for awhile. The other two women in my department I have really loved, but one retired this year and the other will reture in two years. I love them, but our relationship teeters back and forth between being maternal and friendly. Both have older children, and one has grandchildren, so sometimes it's been difficult to relate for me.
If I get into a doctoral program, I'll be surrounded by those mostly younger than me, who are trying ro find a significant other (I am married). I'll be closer in age to my advisor(s) potentially. I'm shy and introverted, so outside of work or school, I'm unlikely to find companions as it is.
So I get what you're saying.
I have a 20 yr old son who just announced his engagement to his girlfriend, so I am a ways off from being a grandmother. But I am still a fairly young mom. Most of my old friends my age are just now having their babies. He's in the Navy and doing his own thing, so it's not like I am tied down with children.
My husband goes to school and stays home so he's available to help my disabled mother, and I am the one who works and provides for our family.
Heh... My 12 yr old self says "bring me a best friend that I can have forever".
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Well I already started the thread "Older Students" which turned out to be a hot thread... never expected that.
Here I am now about the subject of making new friends. I am talking about close, life-long friends.
I am 39 years old, and I have moved around a bit for a while, until I settled here in Northern California 5 years ago. I still have yet to connect with someone to create that wonderful friendship that I feel I have missed for so many years. While I am married to a wonderful man, I still long for that best-girlfriend...
Does that sound too weird?
I had a very close friend for many years... and after I moved out of state, it became apparent to me, that the friendship wasn't as close as I thought. I attempted many times to connect, but over time she stopped putting the effort into it. It hurt a lot, almost like a breakup I suppose.
I am finding it fairly hard to make new friends where I live, and lasting ones at that. As soon as I meet a person, they slowly disappear. I know some of them have been due to differences in interests or beliefs and I am okay with that. I wouldn't want someone to fake their interests to keep a friendship.
I try to tell myself that I am very unique and not many women share the same interests or similar personalities with me. Should I just leave it to that and accept that I will be mostly friendless into my older ages?
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Who's ready for spring semester?
I am totally ready.
Took 3 classes/ 9 credit hours and got all A's this semester, but don't feel like I worked that hard.
I got an A- and a B... but I am okay with that. My classes were hard as you-know-what!
Older students?
in The Lobby
Posted · Edited by NavyMom
I am not originally from Sacramento. I am from Florida... only been here 6 years, so it's always been Sac State to me because they refer to themselves as such.