The Appeal Of Going Back To School...

I went to UNO today to talk to the head of the Counseling PhD program. A very nostalgic feeling came over me being back on that campus. I got my bachelors in psychology at UNO and I have so many great memories from my college days at that school. Nothing has changed. The campus looks exactly the same and feels exactly the same except for parts of it still being closed since Katrina. I'd love to be back there as a student.

The meeting went well. I'm less anxious than I was before. The thing that worried me most was that a big part of the application leads you to believe that you need experience as a counselor in the field before you can apply as a PhD student, but the lady I met with told me that they do have a few students go straight through into the PhD program from a Master's program and encouraged me to apply. She also said that the majority of the students in the PhD program work either full time or at least part time, so I wouldn't feel so guilty about putting off working...I could actually make money while going to school. She did recommend that in the last year or two that students typically don't work while focusing solely on their dissertation. Basically she told me not to be discouraged by my lack of "real world" experience...that they look at the individual as a whole and consider everything...they assess how the individual will fit into their program to see if he or she will be a good fit with their values. So I feel good about it and I think I will apply for the spring. She told me about the interview process and if I make it that far, I promise you their will be a nervous breakdown at that point :p But hopefully I can hold it together for the interview itself if and when I even get to that point.

I'm glad I met with her...it really sounds like something that I want to pursue. I'll continue to think on it before I make my final decision, but as of now, I'm leaning towards applying for the spring...and of course, still looking for a job....what a fun process that has been :/