figuring it all out... with many questions along the way

[oenofrancophilia]

Here I am, four years out of college with a BA in French from a university not known for prestige, humanities, or academic merit, but rather for the competitive edge of it's football team. I've spent the past four years in a variety of manners; mostly a combination of traveling and climbing the ladder of fine dining service skills and wine snobbery. The tips pay well and the wine tastes good, but to say the least, I am ready for it to end.

Come autumn I am taking a step most French majors do right after college; the English assistantship in France. Step one for escape is complete. Then comes step two, which brings me here; graduate school.

I loved college. I was so deprived of school in my early years in any formal manner (home schooled from 3rd through 10th grade) that the moment my parents allowed me to enroll in 11th grade and challenged me to succeed at it, I did so with the fanatical resolve of a steroid imbibing athlete. One B plus in high school, and two A minuses in college were the extent of my deviation from straight A's, and because my university gave A pluses, I graduated with above a 4.0.

The problem was, I was maladjusted to real academia and uncertain about what to study. I had intended on majoring in French and another field, but spent so much time changing my second major that by the time my fourth year came around the prospect of completing my French major and traveling the world seemed far more alluring than picking a second major and hunkering down for another two years in the dismal university town I was in.

Now aged, and wiser as I am, I understand more about what to do with life, and am ready to proceed. I had thought of going back to my original university for that once forgotten second BA, but upon learning that I'd have to either pay out of my pocket or deepen the trenches of my debt, I am reconsidering a whole second degree and leaning towards just another year of upper division courses to readjust to academia and broaden my knowledge for graduate study. Would it ruin my prospects for graduate school if I went back for a year of undergraduate work without obtaining another degree? What if I did stick it out for a second undergraduate degree, will my not straight and narrow academic history put a sour taste in the mouth of the admission decision makers at top tier schools?

I would like to gain admission to an elite school, something I probably could have done out of high school had I not been the first prospective college student in my family and had an ignorant guidance counselor and ignoranter parents (lexical error intended). I would like to become a professor, however I do not at this moment in time (and this may change) feel a distinct drive to obtain the status of professorial glitterati. I would be happy teaching at a good university or college with a less than flashy institutional title, but the ability to make a genuine impact on the critical thinking skills of my students. In other words, I want to rise to the top in terms of my credibility and capacity for success, but ultimately want to work in a place that prioritizes student education over scholastic meritocracy.

All in all, I suppose I'm really just seeking advice from those who have forged ahead with their steeds, torches, and laptop computers.

Anyone?

[academiccricket]

I'm sort of in the same boat as you...I was homeschooled from 3rd grade - 11th grade, went to a community college when I was 17...only I had to work-full time to financially support my collegiate studies (first gen college student), coupled with my competitive, overachieving nature while trying to figure out how to function in a classroom--I worked 40+ hrs a week, double-majoring...the second quarter before I was about to graduate, I got sick(literally. hospital and all) and burnt out--receiving 2 F's and 2 C's on my transcript, which meant that my shot at anything reputable was down the drain (or so I thought). I entered a bottom-tier M.A. program, got decent grades/decent experience, and now I'm in a good program at a good school. Ten years later, I have 2 B.A.s, will have 2 M.A.s by next June (hopefully), and just want to start a Ph.D. program... :-)

My advice to you would be...to apply to an M.A. program in your desired field of study in a top program. Since your GPA is stellar (and assuming your GRE scores would be the same) and if you've taken courses in whatever it is you want to study, you should be okay. Your personal statement seems like it would address your course choices /ill-focused transcript decently, and maturity is a huge plus in admissions. I don't think that pursuing another B.A. would be worth your time, when you could get an M.A. and do a lot more intense research and gaining valuable research experience.