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  #1  
Old 03-19-2005, 03:39 AM
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going back to school

well, after a few years of complacency, lack of motivation, lack of direction, indecisions, and other excuses I will be going back to school to get my master’s degree in english with an emphasis in literature, after that, it’s off to get a ph.d in more intellectual bs. I majored in english as an undergrad, and I guess this is the next logical step to take. some might say it’s another “useless degree,” but I don’t care. I had considered an m.ed and msw--more practical degrees--before finally choosing english. I realize that it’s the only thing I really feel passionate about. For some reason, I don’t feel that excited, as I should at being admitted to grad school. maybe because it’s something I should have done a long time ago, and I waited this long to get to it. I dunno why I waited this long...excuses, excuses, maybe...but I’m just a big procrastinator. I haven’t even really bothered to tell anyone, maybe only a couple of friends. It’s a bit late for boasting and celebration, and I guess it’s not really a big deal. And besides, most wouldn’t understand why I’m even going back to school for another useless humanities degree--an mba, maybe they’d understand. english, no.

so, yeah, any advice or words of wisdom for a graduate student. wow, I sound officially smart already just to be called a grad student. pffffft

should I go with private (bank) loans or a government loan?

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  #2  
Old 03-19-2005, 06:14 AM
MedMech
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If you are willing to borrow the money to get a degree that will not increase you're earning potential I think your money would be better spent taking some accounting or something.

Some people shove degree's in your face and say look how I am. Don't be that guy.
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  #3  
Old 03-19-2005, 10:22 AM
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I come from a family with a former professor mom and college administrator dad...

...needless to say, NOT getting a graduate or post-graduate degree was sacreligious in our household!

In a house of PhDs and one MD, I'm the proverbial "black sheep" who settled with the BA and MBA.

In my line of work, the MBA has done nothing to increase my earning potential...but then again, I haven't steered my career in any fashion to accomodate either.

That said, getting an education or fulfilling a desire to pursue a graduate degree does not have to be an "earning potential" thing. Otherwise college exists simply to crank out job hunters, not scholars.

If your desire is to become a bit more book-enlightened, then by all means, do so. I would caution you to not bury yourself into financial ruin while on your quest.

Check out local colleges, which offer many graduate programs at affordable prices. These days, on-line courses are the ticket for many as well.

And in the real world, your career muscle doesn't hang on how many letters follow your name, so yeah, leave the degree flexing to cocktail parties...

Oh yeah, grad school (if I recall) isn't as daunting as undergrad. You will write a lot of papers, and document weight (akin to congressional reports) makes your grade!
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  #4  
Old 03-19-2005, 11:31 AM
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Congratulations on making a decision to go back to school. The worst day in school is better than the best day……….well anywhere, except skiing. So stay in school as long as you can……..or become a ski bum.

If you need to take out loans, go for whatever provides the longest deferral, the lowest interest rate, and the longest payback time span. You will be happy for less of a financial burden once you finish. While I didn’t take out loans for grad school, it did take me 10 years to pay back my school loans.

Can we talk a little about the study of English? One of my under grad degrees was in English and while I wouldn’t trade away the degree or experiences, over time I found that most studies in English were the height of subjectivism. Professors commonly refused to employ or acknowledge historical or scientific accuracy into their descriptions. Worse if you didn’t fathom and agree with the pet theories of the prof you were doomed to failure. As example, one of the profs I studied with was an expert on William Faulkner. The prof was talented. He brought in a lot of elements of Faulkner’s life and his education, and the greater times in which he lived. In fact he taught the classes to be as much as historical reflection on the time period as to tie into the genera of literature Faulkner created. He was everything one would want in a Professor.

In two other classes which touched upon Faulkner, my work was marked down for pointing out elements of historical relevance in Faulkner’s work. Both profs said historical information was “filler” and had no significance for Faulkner’s work. Instead, they wanted to focus on symbolism. But it was exclusively their own interpretation of and largely their own created symbolism. Because this kind of thing came up time and again in the English dept, I was happy to be done with the dept.

This said, is the study of literature you experienced in under grad school similar to what I described above? If so, and even if not, what is the appeal?
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  #5  
Old 03-19-2005, 01:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MedMech
If you are willing to borrow the money to get a degree that will not increase you're earning potential I think your money would be better spent taking some accounting or something.

Some people shove degree's in your face and say look how I am. Don't be that guy.
I don't want to sound like an idealist, but it's not about more money or a higher position; it's more a "personal enrichment" thing. the possibility of getting more money and a higher position are just an added bonus. sure, I'd like to make more money, but I don't want that to be a key factor--really, I'm not financially well off to say something like that because I sure could use some extra money!

I don't go around telling people I have a college degree, nor do I try to make conversation in which I'm hoping someone would give me an opportunity to tell him or her my credentials. as much as I value a formal education I do not belong to such groups that think those who have a college degree are any better than those who don't. I'm much against the so-called educational snobbery that our society seems to foster and even encourage. I don't think those who have a b.a./b.s. or any higher degrees are smarter or capable of doing more. shakespeare didn't have any formal education, yet he has written so many plays and poems that have been studied by scholars in renowned universities. of course, throughout history there have been those formal-education snobs who question the legitimacy of his works, citing his lack of formal education to have actually composed these great works, which history has ascribed to him. anyway, I'm going off on a tangent.

lebenz, I had some great professors in my undergrad studies. I'm sure there were profs who would mark you as a rogue student if you even dared to question them or differed in your mode of thinking. I don't remember any though. you brought up an interesting subject about history and the understanding of literature. I think history and the milieu of the author's upbringing plays a critical part in understanding works of literature, more so in some than others. this is an interesting area that is more literary theory than the actual appreciation of literature. symbolism is important as well, but I think it can be misleading when you are trying to understand an author's work and just focus on one aspect of it. but then I guess it all depends on what you are trying to get out of it. in any case, it's important to understand all aspects of the work to fully understand the holistic nature of the work itself.

what is the appeal? I guess it's the only thing that I can feel passionate about. also, I have some book-writing interests and having an m.a. seems to put more weight behind the legitimacy and authoriativeness of what I write--or so I am lead to believe! and if grad school doesn't wear me down and discourage me from pursuing an even higher degree, I'd like to earn a ph.d. in intellectual bs and become an illustrious professor!

thanks for the encouragement, guys! (I've always felt we english majors were a special breed.)
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  #6  
Old 03-19-2005, 02:21 PM
MedMech
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Originally Posted by frosty
I don't want to sound like an idealist, but it's not about more money or a higher position; it's more a "personal enrichment" thing.
Then go for it.
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  #7  
Old 03-19-2005, 02:27 PM
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Want intellectual challenge and expansion of your horizon but choose a low wage degree field. I have no idea why people do that. Hell, I did it, too. It is just so dumb. It took me nearly ten years to make as much money as I had made before I went to an advanced degree. The other work would definietly have made me more money, even now. Instead, I took a virtual vow of poverty and pursued botany.

One of my kids wants to major in English. I told her if she switched I wasn't paying for it. Harsh, huh? She can follow her dream on her own dime. As I did and as you apparently are choosing to do. What fools these mortals be....

The good thing about an English degree is that at a good school, you will learn excellent critical thinking and written communication skills. Developing those attributes will enrich your life even in poverty.
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  #8  
Old 03-19-2005, 03:25 PM
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AA < BA < MPA...wealth will never cross my path, but the expansion of critical thinking skills has certainly enriched my day to day existence. I'll probably be paying off those school loans for the next 30 years, but it was well worth the time, effort and expense.
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  #9  
Old 03-19-2005, 03:31 PM
MedMech
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Originally Posted by Botnst

The good thing about an English degree is that at a good school, you will learn excellent critical thinking and written communication skills. Developing those attributes will enrich your life even in poverty.
You can aquire critical thinking skills at home in the mean time buy Ferrari's and live a little.
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  #10  
Old 03-19-2005, 03:32 PM
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Ok, I'm new here, but I am going to offer some very blunt feedback. If possible please don't take this personally. It is a criticism.

I have many, many years in corporate management. For the last 8 years, I have earned my living as a self-employed consultant. I sell knowledge and advice in my industry. Over the course of my career I have read hundreds of resumes. I have gone through the hiring process as the one doing the hiring.

If you were submitting a resume to me, and wrote it with the grammatical, punctuation, and capitalization errors present in your posts, I would dismiss it out of hand. People really notice these things.

I understand that it is very common these days for college bound students to be required to take remedial English etc. just to be able to write at the college level. My advice would be to seek out career guidance. I'm not to sure teaching English is the right career goal for you.

Steve
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  #11  
Old 03-19-2005, 05:12 PM
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What do Ferraris have to do with anything?
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  #12  
Old 03-19-2005, 05:23 PM
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hello, steve

I'm not sure if yer post was directed at me, but I'm gonna respond to it anyway. I agree with you about grammar, mechanics, etc. believe me, I'm a grammar geek--who would have guessed!--but when I'm online I just don't give a **** how I write or how others write. I don't bother to try to impress an online readership that probably doesn't care about grammar much just because it's...well, just online commuication. now, academic writing and business communication? I put on my grammar police badge. but anyway, I think it's a bit condescending, tactless, and a bit rude to correct someone else's grammar when it only serves to make you look better or seem smarter. I only do it in jest and usually with friends. I'll occassionally do it to those who fault other's grammar when their grammar isn't so great either.

anyhoo, I leave my grammar police badge when I'm online, and people would be hardpressed to believe I can speak/write proper english in real life--ha!

Last edited by frosty; 03-19-2005 at 05:30 PM.
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  #13  
Old 03-19-2005, 05:25 PM
MedMech
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Originally Posted by H2O2
What do Ferraris have to do with anything?
hamsters
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  #14  
Old 03-19-2005, 05:32 PM
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...ah, I see...it's a wink wink, nudge nudge thing.

Wanna race?

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  #15  
Old 03-19-2005, 07:32 PM
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Quote:
you brought up an interesting subject about history and the understanding of literature. I think history and the milieu of the author's upbringing plays a critical part in understanding works of literature, more so in some than others. this is an interesting area that is more literary theory than the actual appreciation of literature. symbolism is important as well, but I think it can be misleading when you are trying to understand an author's work and just focus on one aspect of it. but then I guess it all depends on what you are trying to get out of it. in any case, it's important to understand all aspects of the work to fully understand the holistic nature of the work itself.
Have you thought about the areas you’re gonna study? Related to that and just to toss it out - if you like exploring relationships between an authors works and their time, look into intellectual history. It’s a remarkable field of study that draws together knowledge from a number of different schools of thought.

Quote:
what is the appeal? I guess it's the only thing that I can feel passionate about. also, I have some book-writing interests and having an m.a. seems to put more weight behind the legitimacy and authoriativeness of what I write--or so I am lead to believe! and if grad school doesn't wear me down and discourage me from pursuing an even higher degree, I'd like to earn a ph.d. in intellectual bs and become an illustrious professor!
A grad degree most definitely works as a credibility credit card. The degree training process enhances a number of skills. I still think about continuing to phd school, and would encourage anyone considering it to go for it and stay in school as long as possible. I couldn’t think of a more fun job (except maybe the one I have) than teaching and writing.

About the relationship of education to earnings, I’d suggest one’s commitment to things from which one draws passion is an admirable goal onto itself. If not for the opportunity of self-fulfillment what does a university degree offer beyond diversion? For income, virtually anything you can get good at can take care of you for a lifetime.

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