avflinsch

But make sure to wear them anyway - just in case you need to stand up or move away from the computer for some odd reason.

It is good to have someone like that to talk to, it makes you both realize that neither of you are completely crazy. We actually got to take a 'course' together a few years ago, while we were both undergrads - Underwater Basketweaving - yes it is a real class here at Rutgers - 0 credits offered by the rec department. If we weren't both busy we would try taking it again it is being offered again tonight - it was pretty fun the first time, her basket came out way better than mine.

Finally - someone older than me (but not by much) Don't worry, and just ask for the LORs, you got the As because you deserved them, not out of any sense of pity. The worst that can happen is that you need to wait for a while before the prof gets back to you, and who knows, you might end up taking classes at the same time as your HS child - happening to me right now. Fortunately my daughter is in a totally different program (same University though).

Personally I find that a glass of warmed bourbon mixed with honey works wonders. It might not help with the cold, but it sure makes me feel better about it.

If you have them - copies of publications would be appropriate to upload. Another option would be an additional writing sample, perhaps something that was longer than what was requested. Especially it you only added an excerpt of a longer document for the writing sample.

Ruby Tuesday

As others stated - send the scores to whatever schools that you think you will be applying to. The schools will keep track of the score until your application comes in. If you end up not applying to one of the schools you sent the score to it won't be a problem. Just make sure that you don't do what my daughter did. She knew what schools she was going to apply to, but did not submit the scores at the test time. ETS ended up charging her for all of the score transmittals when she went back to their website after she finished the applications. The 4 free transmissions are only free if you send the scores at the time that you take the test, any score sent after taking the test will incur their usual fee.

a former work colleague of mine did that (MS Comp Sci, MBA, MPH), but sequentially, not simultaneously

Check with the undergrad departments - they usually have some sort of formalized 'non traditional student' group, and can possibly point you towards a similar informal grad student group.

Depending on the university, this also falls into the category of information science, which might actually be hidden under library sciences (at least it is at Rutgers where I am)

Some reasons they are asking for the ssn on the application - 1 - If you went to or applied to the school before (even as an undergad), then they can use it to merge any data about. This is usually to match up (mostly female students) who have married and changed names. My school uses this as one of the keys for the identity management system (along with name/birthdate/student id/employee id/and an internal id). 2 - The financial aid system (which is probably keyed by ssn) may be completely separate from the application system and student record system. It makes it easier for everyone to consolidate the data. You really don't need it for the application, but will need it for any financial aid/stipends/grants/employment or any other money they might be giving you.

I have lived in/around Boston - perfectly doable if you are living in town or Cambridge. It is also pretty easy if you are in the suburbs AND live near a commuter rail/express bus/t station, it could be difficult if you were not within an easy walk on a mas transit connection. Currently I am working / schooling in New Brunswick NJ (Rutgers), the RU bus system is usually ok, but can get crowded at times. If you are living on campus or within walking distance, you should be OK there also.

The final push for me was getting a job at the university that I am attending - free tuition for employees & their kids, so it finally made sense to complete the degree. I am now in a race to get my master's before my daughter gets hers, I have a 2 semester lead on her, but I am part time, and she just started full time, so it very may well end up as a tie.

Not quite the same boat - My path - high school - some college - work - some more college - work - some more college - work, family, career – back to college part time - finish undergrad @ 52, then straight to grad school, considering a PhD after the masters (or possibly a second masters) I know of several other folks that finished their PhD while in their 50’s so it may not be all that common, but it certainly is not unheard of.

If your end goal is curator or collections manager, Instead of a PhD in Art History, what about a following a special collections track in library sciences (MLIS degree)? This would end end with more of a professional degree than an academic one, and would be less competitive to get into.

The first year went well, 4 A's and a Pass (0 credit course). Looking forward to the start of the fall term, as it should be an easy one. I had taken a professional training class in one of the technologies used for the Info Viz class I am registered for -- same instructor too, that should be interesting. I am also getting excited for the upcoming spring - my previously intended concentration will now be an official concentration. I am also excited for my daughter, she didn't get into any of the grad programs she had applied to at other schools, but was asked to apply for an expedited late admission to a new program at RU that she hadn't previously considered. She should find out later this week. Either way, I know that she will be coming to a few of the seminars that I need to attend, as they overlap with her interests. I also need to clean up my home work area - there is a bunch of junk piled on top of my desk right now, mostly papers that need to find a place in a filing cabinet. Of course that means I need to actually get a filing cabinet over the weekend.

Dr. LastName unless specified otherwise, I have had few that preferred Prof FirstName or just FirstName. It really depends on the individual.

red fish

The last 4 terms should be the last 2 years - Assuming that you are on a traditional 2 term/year system (with optional summer/winter sessions). If you took summer/winter courses - include them also.

end run

I finished my undergrad at 52, then went straight to grad school. I know several other 'older' grad students ranging from 45-60, so age should not be a factor. Like Daredevil said above - the work experience is a definite advantage over the folks entering grad school immediately after finishing their undergrad at a more traditional age. I think the biggest advantage is that you are used to dealing with typical corporate BS, the academic version is different, but a few years work experience enables you to deal with it more easily.

Yes

good morning

fastest, easiest, and cheapest - pick any two. ​Fastest would be full-time study, for a typical 36 credit program, you could do this in a year (if you did summer courses). It might also be the cheapest route if you didn't need to move or did it online, since there would be no moving expenses, and you would be limited to only 3 sets of the 'fixed' fees related to whatever university you went to. It would not be the easiest - you would have no life other than school - even less than other grad students. You would also be at the mercy of the school's scheduling department - not every course me be available when you need/want to take it. Cheapest might be online (beware some schools charge an additional course fee for online if they have a traditional on campus route also), but it may not be the easiest. I have found that online courses tend to be way more time consuming, especially if you need to participate in message board discussions/debates weekly. Any group projects can be difficult to do online also - way more coordination is needed between your project partners. Just a warning - library schools are big on group projects. The head of the library that you are working at is correct the mls/mlis is mostly a hoop to jump through to get that next pay bump. I'm in the same position that you are, I am on the info science side of things with a full time job, and just want the mlis to pull out of my back pocket if it ever comes time to job switching (or to give me something do do in retirement). It probably won't help me at my current job, but would open more opportunities in the future. FWIW - I am going part time, 2 classes/semester and have finished 1 year already. I refuse to do a summer session course, so I should be finished in 2 more years.

What you have planned is pretty good, since you are using a Mac, you can just use the filevault encryption on your external drive and be just fine. Just don't do what my daughter did - she forgot the passcode that she used to do the encryption - fortunately she had an additional backup that was unencrypted locked away.