MindyC

Michigan Girl, Nope - there are no Library Science programs in Oregon - the only program offered is hosted at PSU through Emporia State University (Kansas) - they offer a distance SLIM featuring some online and in-class. It's $25,000 a year - which seems pricey for what is being offered. Especially since many other schools offer an entirely online experience for under $20,000 a year. There is one school in Washington - The University of Washington program is wonderful and I considered it, but it's $45,000 a year for out-of-state grad tuition. For a state school. To me, that is NOT worth it. It's about as much as a year's salary as a librarian, and I already have $30,000 in student loans from undergraduate. I'm not looking to get into an insane amount of debt. I've taken several classes online through PSU because I work 32 hours a week and go to school full-time. I am comfortable in an online environment and have successfuly passed many courses with A's and B's. Since I'm not aiming for a pricey school - the internship/assistanship angle isn't one of the selling points of the MLIS program for me. Thanks for all your help everyone!!

Mrkupe Thanks for a speedy reply with some great questions. I have to stay in Portland because I've committed myself to helping my parents pay the mortgage for the next few years until the economy picks up, and while my husband finishes up his degree. I'm very much interested in youth services - I was a reading tutor in an elementary school and am committed to youth literacy. But I'm also really nerdily excited about information structures and systems. As far as my background - I will graduate this August from Portland State University with a BA in English and minor in Professional Writing. My GPA is 3.5, and I haven't taken the GRE just yet - going to study for a few months before I attempt that. I assume that most colleges are looking for a combined score of 1000 - what I've seen frequently while scanning the admissions pages. That's what I'm going to shoot for. My math skills are somewhat weak, but I've always done pretty well in language. I've volunteered in libraries and held a clerk position for six months, but the plan is to get a part-time job in a library once I graduate...and failing that - some kind of volunteer position. I've also taken some library media assistance courses in children's literature and an introduction to reference. That's me - I'm hoping that someone might be able to suggest or speak to their experience with any of the mentioned schools, or perhaps suggest others with better online programs. Thanks again!

Hey All, I'm a newbie to the forum looking to apply for a 2010 program (Summer/Fall). I have four choices, as I must do the program online. My top are: 1. University of Alabama 2. San Jose State University 3. Clarion University of Pennsylvania 4. Emporia State University (which operates here in Portland, OR out of PSU) Anyone have any tips and suggestions? I know lots of folks here are looking at top ranking schools, but those are quite out of the question for me. Thanks in advance!