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dwb331

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  1. A quick search didn't turn up much on the matter, so here we go. I got a great offer to do my PhD at a big state university. It's a nice offer (funded position with a departmental fellowship). I am excited about the opportunities for me and my scholarship in the department but also to see what being a TA is like. I am studying Hispanic Linguistics within the Spanish department, so my TA duties will be teaching intro Spanish courses it seems like. I will be asking more about that when I go for a visit in a few weeks. Anyway, I am super curious about what it will be like to teach college kids after teaching HS kids for a decade. I've taught all levels of HS Spanish (from 1 to IB/AP Lit) and freshman to seniors. I have also been in private schools, so there is a mix of the chance to be really rigorous in some courses and the expectation that I both lead the horse to water AND make it drink in other courses. I know those things will be different. To make it more fun, I will be teaching classes I never took in college: as an undergrad, I placed right into 300 and 400 level classes. I did my MA while I worked, so I never TAed there. I actually have no idea what a 100/200 level university Spanish class at a big state school looks like. I know a lot of skills and practices will carry right over, but I am more curious about the feel of the classroom. Anyway, this will be fun (clearly), so has anyone else made a similar transition? I certainly don't expect any answers (as I didn't really ask any questions) but would love to hear experiences.
  2. Thanks for the response. I actually did look into it a bit, and I couldn't find a country that had the right combo of a clinical care center that is set up to deal with a multi-system disorder like mine, has such a favorable set-up for internationals in terms of generosity in program funding, and has programs that were quite the right match. I kept finding one out of three. Long-term, hoever, working internationally is an interest of mine for just these reasons. Thank you, though, and I am glad it's worked out for you!
  3. I was recently accepted as to a doctoral program with full funding and a nice one-year department fellowship. I am also waiting to hear back from two other programs. I am super excited and feeling very honored, but it also got the gears turning again on a concern that owns some real estate in the back of my mind. I live with a rare genetic disease that requires regular monitoring with MRIs and a few other tests. I also have to have occassional surgical interventions and take daily medications. For better or worse, I manage the physical symptoms of the disease better than these sorts of concerns. I have talked to grad student friends who shared their experiences with health insurance in their universities, but my situation is a bit unique. I have to be seen at a hospital with a team of doctors focused on my disease, and while I have chosen programs located near these centers, I am concerned about managing costs even with what looks to be generally good insurance. In looking over health insurance documents for the UK Grad School, I could see myself hitting the deductibles quickly (something I typically do anyway) and then hitting the out of pocket max nearly every year. I have been working at good jobs for 10 years, and I am used to having more of an income cushion to deal with these costs. My current employer has also spoiled me with what boils down to a really good plan. I can make the adjustment to living day to day on $20-25k per academic year again, but I am concerned about the medical bills even for a normal year sucking up a huge chunk of that really quickly. Is there anyone else here dealing with a similar situation? I would love to hear any others' experiences. I have options to continue working in my field, but this is really the one shot I will have to give the PhD a shot. While the physical issues are a concern, I have overcome major surgeries before and have my emotional act together around those challenges. Unfortunately, having to do battle with American health insurance companies and hospital billing offices scares the heck out of me.
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