Sorry for the hiatus. School has begun anew, and as such I have been kept rather busy of late. This year's schedule is Basic Stats, Aging (Social Work 450), Introduction to Computers, Social Work Practice II, and Social Policy and Research, plus work and volunteer time: I'm eyeballing a 60-hour training course at the county's domestic violence shelter which will certify me to work at any DV shelter in the state of PA. Am I crazy? Most likely. Will it be worth it? Oh yeah.
Since Monday, I've learned some important things about grad schools: state schools are worse than private schools for MSW scholarship funding, so if I want to go to grad school I should aim high. Penn has a stipend program that pays 75% of a student's tuition, if said student is willing to be an adjunct during his or her tenure there. I would DIE, DIE, DIE if I could go to Penn!!! With advanced standing the whole shebang would take me a year, licensing exam and all. My overall GPA is only 3.2, but if I keep the 3.9 in my major I might actually stand a chance. Me, at Penn! Can you imagine? There is also a program called CNET (I think I have that right,) that will pay a percentage of tuition if a student in their program promises a full year of post-graduate work to the Department of Children and Youth in the sponsoring county. I don't think I'd want to work in my county's department, (Today I learned their disturbing motto: "You hatch 'em, we snatch 'em,) but if I could get a neighboring county to sponsor me, that could actually work out quite well. All in all, I am very pleased about all the possibilities. (Ohmigod, Penn!!)
I also plan to keep busy doing college-kid things this semester: plays and concerts and Spring Fling, etc., etc. I think part of my problem in previous semesters was that I didn't get out and have enough fun. I stayed in the library with my studies or at home on the couch with my Compazine, and I wore myself down. In an effort to keep myself healthy this time around, I am monitoring what goes into my rebellious stomach very closely and taking my meds with religious zeal. I don't have time to be chronically ill; I have a life. I have also implemented a reward system: for every time I go to class even when I feel like shit (assuming I don't have something contagious), I can buy a new book that I want. I can get good used paperbacks on Amazon for $1.99. It's perfect. I should go buy some new wall shelves now just for the thrill of watching them fill up. (I am determined to re-acquire the Little House on The Prairie series I had when I was a child, one book at a time. And if you guys are wondering what I'd like for Christmas, that's it. Also look for the ones by Roger Lea McBride about Rose Wilder Lane, Laura Ingalls Wilder's daughter. I had them all. I want them again. They don't have to be new copies, and don't worry about duplicates.)
Anyway, I should probably quit jabbering and go do some reading. I have two blocks of text due for two different classes by Tuesday, and I like to read them more than once. Ta-ta, y'all. Wish me luck.
Look up the National Health Service Corp. They have a loan repayment program that will repay your student loans if you work in an impoverished area. That includes Bachelors loans. They have a scholarship type program too, but I don't know much about it, I did the loan repayment.
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