...well, ploot.
May. 1st, 2005 11:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missroseroseJust spent the last half hour or so looking at my transcript and at the requirement list for an English degree. Ironically enough, one of the degree requirements is that "the student complete the Junior Portfolio by the time the 62nd credit of study is reached". I'm about to go over the 62 mark after this semester, and yet so far as an actual degree is concerned, I'm a year and a half along. Maybe. (I should probably check with an advisor if that's the 62nd credit of study, or 62nd credit of English study...)
According to one of the more recent geek tests that's going around, you qualify as an academic geek if you have seriously studied three or more unrelated fields. I guess I'm a geek then - I've studied psychology, theatre, and English all seriously (with voice lessons on the side); while one could make an argument that the three are related, I think they're distinct enough to qualify. Although I've studied the variety less for any particular love of being in school than because I haven't been able to make up my mind about what I want. After six (serious) semesters of school, however, I've come to realize that it's less about what you study than just the fact that you have the little piece of paper saying "Yes, I jumped through the hoops and had the discipline to stick with a pointless system for four-plus years - which makes me an excellent candidate in today's job market, since if I've done it for four years or more, I can likely do it forever!"
In any case, although the myriad topics I've been studying have probably made me somewhat more well-rounded than your typical type-A personality get-the-degree-ASAP sort, it's left me in something of a pickle, time-wise. I've found that I do best semester-wise with 12 credits or fewer and a part-time job; my first semester I tried doing more than that the homework really weighed me down and I went belly-up. I could probably do it now if I ditched the job, but if I'm not bringing in some sort of money (even if it's all of $7.75 an hour) my self-esteem tends to suffer. Besides, now that I've got to pay gas and whatnot for my car (not to mention food), that's not really an option.
Unfortunately, this means that it's going to take me longer than another two years (my original goal) to graduate, because I've got a bit over 48 credits to finish if I want an English degree. I can't do summer classes because I have to work during the summers to pay for tuition...so it's looking like it'll be another three years or so. Which is all right, I suppose, but certainly not what I was hoping for. Plus if I get this library job I'm hoping for so desperately, it may well be longer - I'm not sure I can work a 12 credit schedule around 30 hours a week. (On the other hand, I may be able to do summer classes - word has it University benefits include 6 free credits of tuition per semester. Not bad, even with all the additional fees and whatnot they tack on.)
I guess the first thing to do is see whether I get this job or not. After that, it's going to be mostly a question of how much I can take, and when...so I guess for now, I'm going to go with a revised estimate of three more years, give or take a semester depending on course load.
I'd grumble, but then I recall how many people end school in debt up to their eyebrows just so they don't have this exact problem...I've still got that, at least.
According to one of the more recent geek tests that's going around, you qualify as an academic geek if you have seriously studied three or more unrelated fields. I guess I'm a geek then - I've studied psychology, theatre, and English all seriously (with voice lessons on the side); while one could make an argument that the three are related, I think they're distinct enough to qualify. Although I've studied the variety less for any particular love of being in school than because I haven't been able to make up my mind about what I want. After six (serious) semesters of school, however, I've come to realize that it's less about what you study than just the fact that you have the little piece of paper saying "Yes, I jumped through the hoops and had the discipline to stick with a pointless system for four-plus years - which makes me an excellent candidate in today's job market, since if I've done it for four years or more, I can likely do it forever!"
In any case, although the myriad topics I've been studying have probably made me somewhat more well-rounded than your typical type-A personality get-the-degree-ASAP sort, it's left me in something of a pickle, time-wise. I've found that I do best semester-wise with 12 credits or fewer and a part-time job; my first semester I tried doing more than that the homework really weighed me down and I went belly-up. I could probably do it now if I ditched the job, but if I'm not bringing in some sort of money (even if it's all of $7.75 an hour) my self-esteem tends to suffer. Besides, now that I've got to pay gas and whatnot for my car (not to mention food), that's not really an option.
Unfortunately, this means that it's going to take me longer than another two years (my original goal) to graduate, because I've got a bit over 48 credits to finish if I want an English degree. I can't do summer classes because I have to work during the summers to pay for tuition...so it's looking like it'll be another three years or so. Which is all right, I suppose, but certainly not what I was hoping for. Plus if I get this library job I'm hoping for so desperately, it may well be longer - I'm not sure I can work a 12 credit schedule around 30 hours a week. (On the other hand, I may be able to do summer classes - word has it University benefits include 6 free credits of tuition per semester. Not bad, even with all the additional fees and whatnot they tack on.)
I guess the first thing to do is see whether I get this job or not. After that, it's going to be mostly a question of how much I can take, and when...so I guess for now, I'm going to go with a revised estimate of three more years, give or take a semester depending on course load.
I'd grumble, but then I recall how many people end school in debt up to their eyebrows just so they don't have this exact problem...I've still got that, at least.
