What is your Journey?

[CP3]

We all come from different areas of expertise, backgrounds, ethnicities and countries.

 

Does anyone want to share their journey to applying to grad school???

 

I will begin---

 

I graduated from xxx University with a Bachelor Degree in 2006. 2 weeks later, I began a Masters degree at the same University. I goofed off, taught classes hungover and got mediocre grades my first two semesters. It took me a few years, but eventually I got my $%% together.... then I took a one year break to sell products to make good money. Then, I returned to school to finish my Masters Degree. 

 

I graduated and got married, now I am applying to PhD programs. 

 

I think it would be really great for all of us to share our unique stories, instead of the usual bitching and moaning that we all participate in on a daily basis! 

[msakbo01]

Here is my story ---

 

I'm from SE Asia. I went to the US for school, graduated with a BS in 2003, and MS in 2006 both in chemical engineering from the same university.

 

Continued to work in my professor's lab while I looked for a job in the US. Because I'm not a US citizen/PR, it took me 8 months to find a company who's willing to sponsor my work visa. I worked there as a researcher for about 2 years, and then decided to come home.

 

Got a research job at a petrochemical company, been working there since 2009

 

Got bored with my job, decided to apply to PhD programs for Fall 2012....only applied to top programs, waitlisted from a few schools, didn't get in anywhere

 

And here I am, trying again this year...

[Darth.Vegan]

Almost failed out of high school but managed to get the bare minimum requirements to graduate on time. At 24 I decided I couldn't stand my full-time retail job and decided to enroll in community college. I did alright in community college but had to work near full-time hours most of the way through and ended up with a 3.3 GPA. I transfered to UH Manoa in 2010 and soon after arriving one of my professors suggested I consider going to graduate school. Once I had done my research, found out how incredibly competitive the process was and how weak the job market was I started to take my academics very seriously. I managed to find a research position in my department and enrolled in the honors program. I managed to graduate in the top 5% of my class and now here I am. 10 years ago, I never imagined I would be applying to PhD programs...crazy. 

[RiffRam]

No one in my family had attended college or moved more than 15 miles away from the city I was raised. I informed my mom I wanted to do both, and wanted to go out of state for college. Right away, her reaction was very negative. She basically told me she would not help me pay for it if I went anywhere out of the city we already lived in. So I stopped caring. Did the bare minimum to graduate, and got a job right out of high school. The job I got was very good, and I loved it. However, after 5 years, I got laid off. So I bounced around from job to job, got married, and relocated 2.5 hours from home for another job. I was still young and making dumb decisions, and eventually got fired from that job. My wife and I discussed the fact that one of us had to go to school, and we decided it would be me. I went to the local county college, and did well enough to transfer to a larger 4 year university where I am currently finishing my BS. I never thought I would graduate from college, let alone have the opportunity to go to grad school. Part of my motivation comes from the fact that I will have a 2 year old daughter when I enroll for grad school. I want to show her that going to college is something she should strive for. If it weren't for the support of my wife, I would have never made it this far.

[vision15]

My father lost his job when I was in high school. My parents did random odd jobs to support me through high school and college, I saw how much they toiled so that I could lead a better life. Got into one of the best technological schools in my country, did some good research, got papers published, got good figures on my GRE and TOEFL but after graduating with a BS relocated and took up a development job at one of the biggest software firms in the world so that my parents finally have it easy. Slowly realized this ain't for me - I missed research, so decided to apply for PhD although it probably means financial frenzy all over again. Was amazed to see how supportive my parents were, want to make them proud and happy - that's all.

Edited February 14, 2013 by fall13applicant

[madricka]

Mine is kinda wonky. Gifted/ADHD, homeless at 13, gradually finished high school by age 23 (mom kicked me out, no drugs/alcohol or anything crazy). Did my first degree (BA in sociology/psychology) with grades ranging from A+ to F (yep, an F, I wanted to see what failure felt like, so stupid looking back but whatever). After that degree worked with street youth (started an educational bursary for street youth, did research, did celebrity catering, was a board member for a health clinic, etc). Did another undergrad degree (BSc in nursing), graduated with honours & worked for 2 years in surgical oncology then went back to school for a post-grad certificate in Critical Care Nursing (honours again). I subsequently worked for 3 years in critical care/trauma. While I was in nursing school, worked in my university's library & continued with the celebrity catering (basically every feature film & major concert coming through this city), helped pay for school. So yeah, did it all on my own. Last year I sustained a neck injury when caring for a violent patient and have been off work for almost an entire year. Grad school is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but now it's kind of necessary. I have income (WSIB) so it's not a financial need. More of an intellectual/emotional need. I can never do bedside nursing again so I've been kinda forced to stop and think about what I really want to do with the rest of my life. I'm 40 years old and have another 25 working years left (at least), how to spend that time? I'm kind of excited to see what happens next!

[GodelEscher]

Graduated HS early (one month after 17 yr old birthday) and graduated with Associates from Community College. Applied all over for undergrad - went to CALARTS then got injured while performing/ choreographing in LA. Then went to Nursing school, went to mortuary school (hated it, dropped out month later), went to Cardio Tech school (bored) then started working as gasteroenterology tech (surgery) and later became anesthesia assistant. Tired of working for 50-60 hours a week with no respect, so finished my last 52 credits in one year, was RA for 3 labs, did posters, etc...and now graduated 3.78 GPA and a paid RA for one lab while I wait on acceptances.

 

I am not the first to go to college, father went to Stanford (Phd) and Columbia - mom has Masters in administration, so I have some big shoes to fill (dad has 4 + books, prominently published in Chicano Studies and grad w/ Phd at 29, tenured soon thereafter...like seriously)

 

Oh and I had a child while working 50 hrs a week, taking five classes and doing research. I only missed two classes to have my daughter to resume to the craziness as usual. I'm seriously eager to get in to a PhD program, especially when I spent a lot of time & money & energy on 16 applications....

[Seeking]

All of these journeys are amazing and deserve an acceptance into Grad schools!

 

It's interesting to see the absolute contrast in the journeys of Fall13 Applicant and Madricka, one following the other - both very inspirational in their own ways.

 

Reading through Fall13 Applicant's journey I felt s/he could be from India and then looked at their location and signature line - yes, sure enough. 

[vision15]

@Seeking: Ha ha! What about your own story?

[viggosloof28]

Mine's not too crazy...I think!

 

I was the high school wonder kid and got basically a full scholarship to my undergrad.  I had thought I was going to be a dental hygienist, but quickly realized I wanted to follow my passion for the arts...so I switched to English Literature and History (focus on Medieval and Renaissance Studies) in my first semester.

 

Things were kind of crazy in my family for my last two years of undergrad, and I let my grades slip quite a bit.  After graduating, I waited a couple of years to see how things would turn out in my family...especially to see what state/country we'd end up living in.  Once we were settled, I worked for a year to build up in-state residency and earn money for school.

 

When I applied for MA/PhD programs in history, I had no real idea what I was doing (hadn't discovered this site yet!), and got rejected almost everywhere I applied.  Thankfully, my current program gave me a chance!  I was accepted to their accelerated BA to PhD program.  I discovered almost immediately upon arriving there, though, that it might not be the best fit for my interests in European history (seriously, I had NO idea what I was doing back then!), and decided to switch into the MA track.

 

Now I'm writing my thesis and finishing up at my current program, and I feel much better prepared to tackle my PhD at a program that really suits my research interests and professional goals!  I can't wait to see what the next few years will bring!

[Soleil ت]

My story is neither interesting nor inspirational. :/ Attended undergrad on a full-ride scholarship, graduated with honors and top 5%, took a year off and now applying to PhD programs.

[Sconnie]

I went to a small community college in my hometown the first year out of high school.  I hated every minute of it since it was just a continuation of high school.  The community college had a guaranteed transfer to the large state school if you met a middling gpa of 2.6 and thats what I got.  Once at the large state school I employed the same study habits I had at the community college (read:none) and was academically dismissed after that year.  I spent the next year trying to get into other schools as well as get readmitted to the one that kicked me out.  No other schools would touch me but thankfully after that year I was readmitted.  I spent the next three years trying to dig myself out of that gpa hole I was in.  I did an ok job of that but I graduated with a less than stellar gpa.

 

I graduated around the same time the economy went to crap so I was stuck in a 65 hour a week retail job making very little and struggling to get by.  I had always thought  about going to law school so I took the LSAT and applied to schools.  I only got into one which was my safety school and I enrolled.  After packing up my stuff and moving 8 hours away from where I was, I started school and hated it.  The professors all wanted to prove how great they were and the school obviously didnt give a crap about the students.  In November of that year I met with my advisor and said that I didnt think I would be back in the spring.  He told me to drop out before finals so I didnt have a transcript so the next day I did that and moved home a month later.

 

I ended up back in the crappy retail job and applied for a Masters program at a small state school nearby.  I got in and in the second year was offered an assistantship.  When I graduated last spring they offered to keep me on as an adjunct knowing I was planning on taking the year off and applying to PhD schools.  So here I am.  

 

WOW that was a long story I doubt anyone read any of it 

[Sadie_Bea]

I started undergrad at 16, graduated at 18 (yeah, I had no life...).  I desperately wanted to go to grad school, but I knew I was too socially and emotionally immature so I didn't even apply. I got a fulltime professional job, completely pushed all of my research interests and dreams to the backburner, and just enjoyed being young.   In that time, I didn't so much as peek at a scholarly article.  Then last year, I applied and was accepted to a Ph.D program, but I still didn't feel ready, so I decided not to go. It was a hard decision since I believed I'd never get that opportunity again, but I knew it was better to risk that than to jump in prematurely. This year, I applied only to my first choice school (different school than last year), only hoping I would get in this time if I was really ready.

 

And this time, I know I am ready. I just found out I was accepted, and I am chomping at the bit.

[AnonymousAcademic]

Here is my story...

 

When I finished high school, I didn't want to go to university, so I enrolled in the local college in online learning courses - I completed the Legal Assistant Certification, took some legal courses and started the Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario Diploma Program in September 2007. All of these programs were influenced by my high school co-op where I worked for a law firm. In October 2007, I obtained full-time employment as a Law Clerk. 

 

My initial goal was to go to law school... eventually... I approached the junior lawyers I was working for and asked if it would be alright to attend university and still work. The two lawyers let me re-arrange my working schedule with my academic schedule. I bounced around full-time employment - it was difficult! I started the HBA program in January 2008. I applied literally 2 days before Christmas holidays to start the first week in January, so I had no scholarships. I believe that if I would have waited the extra 9 months, I would have obtained scholarships since my high school and college GPA were well above 85%. 

 

I got married in June 2008, four months after starting university.

 

I ended my working relationship with my full-time employer in May 2010, but worked part-time at a different firm as a Law Clerk until February 2011. I attended university and college at the same time. I graduated from the Law Clerks Diploma Program in December 2010 and I graduated First Class Standing with a double major in Gerontology and Women's Studies in May 2011. 

 

In September 2011, I started the M.Ed. program at the same university. This time though, I was lucky. I have been a research assistant since May 2011 and I have been a graduate assistant since September 2011. I hold two national awards (one federal scholarship and one national fellowship) and four university scholarships. My M.Ed. thesis is under examination right now - I will graduate in June 2013. 

 

My hubby and I had our first baby in September 2012... and here I am applying to a PhD in Legal Studies. 

 

We joke about when I am eventually done a PhD, what will I do... I have jobs in mind, but I say hrmmm.... law school?? lol

[Soleil ت]

I have more time, so I can actually write my real story now!

 

I was born and raised in Florida, and I went to Florida schools until I was almost 15.  I didn't have many talents beyond academia as a child, nor did I have many (if any, in retrospect lol) friends.  Needless to say, virtually all of my time was spent studying for state spelling bees and playing Pokemon (a balanced lifestyle).

 

When I made the choice to live with my dad and my step mom in the southwest, I started high school not knowing anybody.  I didn't find friends very easily, and I even felt a little culture-shocked, since I was about half an hour from the Mexican border.  It was a big adjustment period for me, but I adapted quickly and excelled.  I participated in many clubs, including the French club (where I was president), political and social action groups, Invisible Children (yes, it existed back then lol) and even chess club for a day.

 

I had high test scores, ranked seventh in the country two years in a row for advanced French exams, and received a full-ride scholarship from the state university in my city.  I knew immediately what I wanted to major in: linguistics.  I had studied French and Spanish in high school, and I was totally enamored with French and Francophone studies. The school I attended had a really small language program, and they had very little to offer in the way of Linguistics.  Yet, I did the best I could with what I had been given. 

 

I continued to take French and Linguistics classes as they became available, while also dabbling in economics, fitness classes, and creative writing, in search of the career that would sound more exhilarating than "professor."  My parents always kind of assumed that my passion for foreign language would land me a career as an ambassador in the UN.  I tried international business and even considered med school, computer science and engineering.  I always went back to language.  Let's just say you never quite forget your first love! 

 

Every semester I made it on the dean's list, and I ultimately graduated with French, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Latin under my belt and a 3.9 GPA.  Somehow in my undergraduate career I developed a bad case of procrastination, which led me to literally not study one bit for the GRE.  I made the mistake of 'winging' the GRE, and the scores show.  I miraculously scored in the 87th percentile on V, but in the 35th percentile on Q and an eye-sore 3.0 in AW.  I was worried about my GRE scores and my lack of advisor-led research due to the size of my program, so I took a year off to prepare better (read: work, play and not prepare). 

 

This year, I knew I had to apply.  I struggled with putting together my list of schools, but I finally submitted applications to some great programs and some other not-so-great-but-more-like-safety programs.  Now, I'm currently sitting here playing the waiting game, but not stressing out as badly as before now that I have one great acceptance under my belt.

Edited February 18, 2013 by m ♥