And finally..... Acceptance

I have been accepted to grad school.

No wait, no wait… It gets better…

I have been accepted at TWO of my top three choices.

I am so ecstatic I can hardly think straight. I can’t believe I found my direction, the path I think best suites me as a person and my strengths, and I get to go to school to learn more about it and obtain experience that will provide me with a job meant for me.

Here are the stats in ranks of preference –

TOP 3 (in no particular order)
Indiana University – Conditional Acceptance, Pending Faculty Interview and Assistantship Placement
University of Arkansas – ?
University of South Carolina – ACCEPTED! (Assistantship Interviews are in February, but the acceptance is official, regardless of Assistantship Placement)

IN ORDER OF REMAINING PREFERENCE
New York University – ?
University of Vermont - ?
Ohio State University – ?
Ball State University – Conditional Acceptance, Pending Faculty Interview and Assistantship Placement
Harvard University – ?
University of Denver – ?
Vanderbilt University - ?

It is still a waiting game, but I am not anxious anymore. Regardless of what other schools I am accepted at, and regardless of what assistantship I get (or if I get one, at certain schools), I know I get to go. I know I get to move forward in my career. It’s so cliché, but the future looks so bright right now, I need a pair of sunglasses

The Official Grad School Application List - 2010

Here it is! Hopefully, I will get a LOT of acceptances, and have a horribly difficult time trying to decide between such lovely programs. However, here is how they rank to me:

1. Indiana University - Bloomington, IN

2. New York University - New York, NY

3. University of South Carolina - Columbia, SC

4. University of Arkansas - Fayetteville, AR

5. Ohio State University - Columbus, OH

6. Vermont University - Burlington, VT

7. Ball State University - Muncie, IN

8. Harvard University - Cambridge, MA

9. University of Denver - Denver, CO

10. Vanderbilt University - Nashville, TN

I am so excited!

Rocking Chairs and Laffy Taffy

I stepped off the plane in Charleston and breathed in the sugary air. I could instantly feel my skin begin to moisten and my arms felt sluggish and sticky, like Laffy Taffy, as I tried to carry all of my bags to the Arrival Gate. The only time I had seen this many trees in one place was when I worked at Hume Lake in the Sequoia National Forest, and that was a forest. These trees were huge, green, leafies, and they were surrounding an airport of all places.

We walked through the terminal quickly, eager to meet our friend Tucker at the exit, but something caught my eye that made me stop for quick moment. Facing the windows that overlooked planes pulling to their gates was a row of rocking chairs. A small giggle escaped from my lips as I observed a couple rocking back and forth, waiting for their loved one to arrive.

I could immediately tell this was going to be not only an exciting vacation, but an interesting one, full of lessons about taking my time and possibly not honking my car horn as much.

We continued on through the rest of the terminal until we reached the Arrival Gate. Tucker pulled up in his car and after exchanging hugs and hellos, I plopped myself in the backseat with the flurry-tailed dogs, who were eager to get in their kisses, too. When Tucker finally pulled away from the airport I rolled down my window to cool myself off a bit, and was hit with sugar air again. I put my arm outside and let the air hit me, and it felt just like sticky, slow, sweet Laffy Taffy.