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amiinside

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  • Gender
    Female
  • Location
    Southwest US
  • Application Season
    2016 Fall
  • Program
    MA Literature

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  1. Thanks to both of you for the responses. This is all very helpful. Going to grad school to study this subject is what I really want to do. I think it would be fulfilling for me on a number of levels. After years of working jobs I hate and struggling to get through my BA, I want that intellectual satisfaction. Right now, I'm leaning in this direction even though I am afraid of the risks. Teaching secondary school is my second choice, as I said, but not my dream. Another close friend is a middle school teacher, and while she likes the stability, she says that she spends about 70% of each class period trying to get the students to sit down and be quiet. She taught reading one year and said that it was a miserable experience because the kids all hated to read; and when they did read, they read sports magazines. It's an admirable job, but not something I expect will make me happy beyond the steady paycheck and vacation time. Wyatt's Torch, thanks for your input. It's good to know that I'm not the only 35-year-old out there who is about to begin this process. By the time I actually begin a program next fall, I'll be 36. I feel old compared to so many who are about to go into grad school, but I know that I would not have been prepared for this in any way at the age of 22, or really at any time in my twenties. I will pm you. And I guess I should have mentioned that becoming a professor is not necessarily the ultimate goal for me. I would be happy to find a career in another line of work if it involves the interests that are most important to me. Working for a museum or some other organization involved in this subject would be fine. I just really love it. And that's part of why, aside from the probable rejections I would get, I am not planning to apply to any PhD programs right away. I want to start with an MA to see where this can take me. So, I'm going to look through that Cambridge Companion and see where all of these professors are these days. And I guess that leads me to another question. I've never written to professors at other institutions with these kinds of questions, but as you say, I need to reach out to them. Any suggestions about what exactly I should be asking? I do feel a bit intimidated approaching them, but I know I need to. I'm not exactly sure where to begin.
  2. So, here's a little background on me. I'm a non-traditional student. I went back to school later in life, and at 35, I'll be graduating in December. I hate that I waited this long to finish something I should have finished ages ago, but here I am. In the meantime, I racked up plenty of life experiences that I hope have prepared me for graduate school, if that is the route I take. I'll have a BA in English with a minor in philosophy from a decent state university. I have a 3.9 GPA. I'm also in the English honor society and was able to present twice at the conference last March. I have a friend in an Ivy League PhD program and who works in higher education already. He is really encouraging me to shoot for graduate school because he thinks I can do it, but I'm afraid. I'm afraid of putting all this work into something that will possibly or likely provide no payoff in the end. For instance, my friend thinks I should go; but he has suggested that my area of interest may not get me anywhere and that I might need to rethink it. But if I can't study what I love, then why bother? My main interest is war literature and the history surrounding it, mostly WWI and WWII literature. But my interest extends to other periods as well, like the American Civil War. I haven't been able to find much information on which schools in the US would be a good choice for this focus. There are plenty in the UK, but I can't find many here. I would be happy to relocate to the UK, but I'm married, and my spouse needs work, too. Anyway, is this worth the time and effort? I love the subject and would be happy to research it for the rest of my life. But is it a wise choice as far as a career goes? Would I be better off pursuing secondary education, which is my other option for now? Right now, I feel like it is a choice between following a real passion or choosing the sensible option that will at least get me a stable career and benefits. Both have some appeal. I'll be happy to get some feedback. Thank you.
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