Need Coffee in an IV

My applications are done and submitted except for my last letter of reference. she's always late to submitting things so I excepted it. That doesn't make it any less painful! I still have finals and I have a tour/interview for a school coming up. I'm just nervous all the time now.

@meo03 There seems to be so many good schools, its hard to decide! I'm already a nervous wreck and its not even the deadlines yet. Plus i need to study for finals ha

@Sg693 Yeah I've worked at state and regional museums and I really liked the work environment. Plus I like smaller cities compared to bigger cities. I would cross out George Washington. But I find it too expensive. I mean it could cost 120,000 and that debt scares me. Particularity since I won't be making a huge salary. The Smithsonian is amazing but I couldn't live in or near DC.

@Mystic_Fog I'm going for my masters! A lot of my friends have gotten funding for their master programs so I know it's possible. They are in master programs dealing with geology, so they are getting MS while I'm most likely getting a MA. But if I don't get funding, I'm definitely going to the cheapest/most affordable option. I'm also not too worried because I have zero debt from undergrad so I have a clean slate. I have my finals left so thats my distraction plus hgtv...

We are in a similar situation as well! Except we have a possibility of being long distance. My boyfriend actually went to Alaska for grad school, but he realized that grad school wasn't for him. So now he is applying for jobs. He already has some leads since he is applying for federal jobs which is a lot easier because he is a veteran. But the possible locations aren't close to any of my possible grad schools. Our plan is for him to accept a job and work there for several years while I'm at grad school. We don't have our hearts set on a certain state, but we would like to stay in/near the mid Atlantic region. So after grad school I'll apply for jobs in that region and he will try to get a transfer. Long distance sucks but we are making it work.

@Mystic_Fog Yeah I want to keep costs as low as possible. I'm getting a BS in geology and my GPA is sorta low so I'm not sure how competitive I am. I guess we will see how it goes! It's above a 3.0 though, I'm hoping my experience will give me a boost. Most of my professors have sent in their letters except for one, I expected her to wait till the last min though ha. I love my adviser but she gets flustered very easily.

@Mystic_Fog Grad School competition does feel like the purge sometimes! That's pretty much how I feel about my schools. Plus funding would always be nice ha. I've never had a "dream" school. My undergrad is a regional university that most people haven't heard of. But i've been able to gain experience through internships and form personal relationships with all my professors. So I'll most likely go to the most affordable option, then again the possibility of attending a Seahawks game does sound like fun!

@Sg693 It looks like we are applying to similar schools! If you look at my signature we have some in common ha. Tbh, I never planned on being a curator and I eventually want to work at museums that aren't the "big names". So getting a masters in Museum Studies/Non-Profit Management is the right choice for me. I've finished most of my applications, I have two left. I also looked at San Francisco but I decided not to apply because it's so expensive and most of the professors are adjunct.

@Mystic_Fog You are not alone! I feel super spent this semester as well. I've finished most of my applications and now I have to wait. Waiting isn't my strong suit. But it looks like we are applying to University of Washington and University of Kansas!

@righthanded No not yet! My references are taking their sweet time ha. I'm hoping they get them done soon.

@verycunning I've actually noticed that trend too. I had volunteer experiences and internships where I worked with a variety of degrees. Of course the curators were PhDs, but everyone else had masters or bachelor degrees. TBH, no one really talked about their degrees that much and we all did our jobs pretty well. From my short time, networking has given me opportunities while my education was an added bonus. I'm still in undergrad and hopefully off to grad school if the fall. So my opinion may change! Plus I have a geology background so I also don't know if the history world is different.

@EAJONES Hey I'm in a similar situation! I rather be a big fish in a small pond as well and I would like to work in a museum or a nonprofit in a very small city vs a big city. I can't really say anything about those schools since I'm applying for next fall. Also it seems like some of the universities I'm applying too are huge but the actually cohort will be small. So I think that's a better situation for me than a small school but big cohort. It seems like the programs we are applying to are barely mention on gradcafe.

I thought about what credentials I would need so I've been looking at job postings on websites like indeed.com. Do you guys think that's a good way to get an overall idea on the education requirements? Most of the postings I've been looking at say they prefer a masters degree. Hopefully, I will be able to get one of those jobs and not have to compete with PhDs.

Good luck! I'm not applying to those programs but I share your nervousness. I feel like a teenager all over again...

My dream jobs have changed so many times but this is where I'm at right now! Being best friends with Larry David/be on TV shows like Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Having a lot of land and rescue all the dogs. A director for a museum Director of a Non-Profit focusing on community outreach/education of scientific research I originally wanted to be a speleologist (cave geologist) but my eyes hurt too much when looking into microscopes, so I'll be a spokesperson for science!

I haven't. My programs only submit students in the Fall and I'll be finishing my last semester Spring 2016.

@rococo_realism I'm applying to grad school so I can also be in the museum world! My background is a bit different from yours though. I'm getting a BS in geology and I've mainly worked with science museums. I want to become a director for community outreach, organize lectures, etc. So I'm focusing on an MA in Museum Studies/Non-Profit Management. I've been involved with museums for several years now and I never want to leave ha. Where are you thinking of applying?

@Christine_Des Not sure if you are still around but I'm also applying for a MA in Museum Studies. My background is two and half years of museum experience, including, internships, volunteering, and a manager position. All the job postings seem to at least require a Masters so I'm heading off to grad school. I'm applying to 6 schools. I'm also not trying to become a curator. I want to become a director for community outreach so our end goals may be different.

I'm not sure if this belongs in government affairs or interdisciplinary! I think its both but I'll like to post here. My goals are to eventually become a museum director for a science museum. I would like to be the director for community outreach and organize conferences, lectures, etc. My undergraduate degree is in geology and hopefully I graduate this year ha. My past experience includes, Student Museum Manager for two years, two volunteer positions at museums for a summer, and will have completed two summer internships at a well respected museum. I've gone on excavations and have been promoted from volunteer positions to my current job and my summer internship. I've also been a work study who has helped tutor some people in geology courses, not an official TA though. I've set up labs and grade papers. I've also organized lectures for visiting professors and have done community outreach for local schools.What programs best fit your passions / desires / plans and why?The programs that are the best fit are museum studies programs and non-profit management. I doubt I'll get a PHD since I just need a masters for my career goals. My lowest grades have been physics, chemistry, and math. I think this will matter since I'm getting a masters that isn't a "hard science" and I feel like the programs I'm applying too won't care about those classes. In my geology courses, I've only gotten two Cs. The rest have been As and Bs. I'm applying to University of Kansas, Texas Tech University, University of Oregon, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, University of Washington, and CU-Boulder. I've narrowed it down by looking at cost and the programs themselves. I originally had around 10 schools but a lot of them weren't affordable. I also got a lot of positive feedback from these schools so that helps too! I've submitted three applications so far!

nvm awkward turtle moment haha

I've put my gpa on my resume because the schools that I'm applying to have it as a requirement.

I submitted two last night and only have four more to go! And i have a phone interview next week, i'm so nervous!

I'm applying for Fall 2016 too! I'm almost done with all my applications but I always get to nervous to click the submit button ha. My plan is to submit them all at the end of October. I sent my transcripts and my refernces have already been notified. The suspense is already killing me

@mockturtle Yeah that is an annoying catch 22. I've already contacted everyone and my references have submitted their letters already so there's no turning back now... I've had my mentor/boss look over a lot of my introduction emails to make sure I didn't sound like an idiot ha. So I barely had the guts myself. I'll be happy if I'm accepted to any of the schools I'm applying too, but I would be much happier at some schools compared to others.

My GPA is at a 3.185 right now but I'm expecting to take a hit because of calculus and physics. I wish those classes weren't required for my major. I'm hoping to get Cs or pass. Yep its that bad ha. At least my adviser said there was no way I can get below a 3.0 but its still nerve wrecking when you are applying to 6 schools...