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modern_muslimah

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    Female
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  • Program
    LIS

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  1. I don't know anyone that attends Drexel's iSchool but like Mrs. Grad pointed out, Drexel is a good place to go if you're focused on more tech based specialties in LIS. I know people who attended Drexel for other programs. They generally seemed to love the classes and the campus. However, a common complaint I've heard about Drexel is that it's expensive and the financial aid they offer is usually not very good.
  2. I got accepted to Wayne State's MLIS program last month. Is anyone attending in the fall? Maybe I'll see you at orientation?
  3. What's even more wild is that the book yanked was 1984.
  4. Hi summerkiss! I'm also attending an online program for similar reasons. For funding, it really depends on the university that runs it. Make sure that the university offers financial aid for its online program. One of the reasons I didn't apply to UPitt was because no financial aid is offered to online students. For Masters programs, the bulk of funding is usually loans. Grants and scholarships are much more scarce for Master students. In fact, depending on the college, your entire aid package may be loans.
  5. I'm checking in as part of the "non-traditional" route to BA crew. I went to three different colleges and took six years to get my BA. I went to my first college for two years but I only completed about six credits and had to leave on a medical leave. My GPA was an awesome 2.67. I went to community college for two years where I got my GPA up to a 3.86 and then transferred to another four year college for two years with a GPA of 3.77. There are withdraws on my transcripts and some Cs from my first two years. After I graduated, I took some time off to work a full time job. In fact, I waited three years after I graduated to apply to my MLIS program. I was nervous too. I really thought the fact that I went to three different colleges would make me look bad but I think the lesson I learned is that admission committees are more understanding than I gave them credit for. In the end, I think my GPA during the last four years plus some awards I won in my major and relevant library experience helped a lot. I worked in a library as a teen and also worked in a children's literacy program during a summer I was in college. I'm not sure if this made the difference but I do know that Library Science programs place some emphasis on relevant experience. I think falling_leaves advice is great: Get your GPA up above a 3.0, build a good relationship with professors so that they'll be able to write good recs, highlight your library experience, etc. Good luck!
  6. Hi summerkiss! I applied for fall 2011. I just got accepted last week! Good luck in the application process!
  7. I had really practical considerations when applying to grad school. I wanted a school that was accredited by the ALA and had low tuition. I'm applying to Wayne State because they offer in-state tuition fees to people living in my county in Ohio and also students who do online courses. Their program is also accredited by the ALA. I want to work as a librarian in a public library, preferably in an inner city. So I think getting an MLIS from Wayne State will hopefully allow this to occur without having to pay too much or take on too much debt.
  8. Thanks Phyl! I'm not looking to get paid. Not right now anyway. I just want to get practical experience that I can put on my resume so that when I graduate I have that in addition to the actual degree. I'm interested in working in a public library so I will ask about volunteering this week. I have a book that needs to be renewed so I'll just renew it in person and ask about volunteer opportunities.
  9. I've read that one of the most important factors, if not the most important factor, in getting a job after getting an MLIS is having relevant experience when you graduate. I live in a city where there are no universities that offer the MLIS degree. So I would have to do a program online. I don't have any issues with this. The only thing I am worried about is how I would get work experience while doing the program. Do colleges that offer online MLIS degrees have arrangement for their online students to get work experience and be employable once they complete their studies?
  10. has not set their status

  11. That is encouraging. Again, this is encouraging and makes me feel better. I meant that I don't think I would have time to take it before apps are due not that I don't have time for the GRE. The thing is, I liked college (well, the papers not so much but I don't think I'm out of the ordinary on that and even then, researching for the papers was always interesting). I liked going to class and discussing different issues with intelligent and intellectual people. My passion really lies in studying religion and more specifically, Islam. I write a lot on Islam and gender. I did independent study on it, I write a personal blog mostly about it and, I write for another blog on media representations of Muslim women. Since starting my job, I just feel like something has gone wrong. Basically, I just didn't have the time or didn't feel like it. It's quite draining. I realized something was just wrong. I just wasn't happy. I get no type of intellectual stimulation at my job. Besides my supervisor, who is really awesome, I can't talk about any of my interests to anyone anymore. I can talk to my husband about it sometimes. It actually feels really ironic considering that I work in an Islamic environment. What's also weird is that being a secretary isn't hard but it feels so much harder, so less natural than being a student. As an undergrad, my dream and goal was to go on to grad school and study more about Islam and perhaps even study in a Muslim country. Deep down it still is. However, (I think my mom has a lot to do with this) I wonder how practical it is to get an MA and PhD in this area. I would need an MA since I would need to be proficient in Arabic and another language such as Farsi. I'm not there yet and I know I would have to be to get into a PhD program. I've read all the horror stories of PhD's who have to take menial jobs that have nothing to do with their actual degree just so they could have some income and then still couldn't pay off their student loans. I know not all PhDs have these types of stories but I still worry that this would become my fate. My husband has basically told me that there's no guarantees in life and that I need to suck it up. I've realized that I need to be back in a university setting and that I really, really do not need to be back at my job come August. I refuse to go back to my job in August. I would love to go back for an MA in Religion or Islamic Studies but honestly, I don't think I would have enough time to study and do well on the GRE by the time I would need to apply for Fall 2010. I think Spring 2011 or Fall 2011 would be more feasible. Going this route though, I still have to figure out what to do in the meanwhile. Jobs are exactly plentiful where I currently live. I'm just afraid this fact will lead me to settle for another job where I'm really unhappy. No, I don't think you're sounding like an ass. I'm happy you replied because I was looking for someone to be blunt (you probably have this expression on your face right now). How did you do to get out of your conundrum? How did you get on the right track and what are you doing with your life now? I hope you don't think my questions too personal. It's just good to hear from people who were in similar shoes (I thought about law school until I realized that truly was not right for me).
  12. I've been out of college since August 2008. I graduated from Case Western with a degree in Religious Studies. My GPA was a 3.77 and my major GPA was a 3.87. My husband moved to Toledo right after I received my degree and I had a hard time finding a job. I didn't want to do grad school in Toledo plus I just felt that I needed a break from school. I finally did manage to find a job as a secretary at an Islamic School. I do like my job for the most part. I love the children and the staff that I encounter but honestly, I am ready to finally move on grad school. However, I am afraid that I will be seen as a horrible underachiever for only working as a secretary. I was thinking that perhaps getting an MSW would be good for me since I did take a lot of sociology courses in college (I was one class short of having a sociology minor) and since I do blog frequently about social issues, especially among Muslims. I guess the main issue I am worried about is 1) perhaps I am not really meant to be a social worker 2) graduate social work programs might perceive this in my application and wonder if I am simply applying so that I can go back to grad school. I have a lot of interests but I just don't think that most of them will allow me take care of myself. With an MSW, I will probably always have a job. Yes, I know that I won't make huge amounts of money but I'm sure it will be much more than what I currently make. Plus, it's not as if I don't care about making the world a better place. I would love to get a graduate degree in religion but honestly, I don't know if I will be able to get a job after I graduate and additionally, I will have to take the GRE probably and frankly, at this point, I don't have time to take them. I've talked to my mother and my husband and I still feel confused. I figured getting honest, unbiased feedback from strangers might be more helpful. All I know for certain is 1) I do not want to be at my current job come August and 2) I want to be back in school by that time. Help! ETA: I know some of you might suggest teaching. Please don't. I have substituted as a teacher and I do not like it.
  13. Hello all, I just graduated with a BA in Religious Studies from Case Western. I'm moving to Toledo with my husband for two years. Besides taking the GRE, what else should I do in these two years to make myself attractive for a graduate program in Religion? I want to focus on Islam and gender, specifically as it relates to convert Muslims. If you take time off, does this reflect negatively or positively on an applicant?
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