I'm sure it won't last, but...

[winterbadger]

Course Title Research Methods in Intelligence Studies
Course Number RC502
Session Summer 2004 Session K
Course Grade A
Credit Hours 3
Current GPA 4.00

Comments

[brithistorian.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Way to go!

[azbound.livejournal.com]

No self-defeating attitudes, por favor!

Congratulations!!!

[john-arundel.livejournal.com]

First of all, well done. 2nd of all - Glenda mentioned that you were taking courses on-line and that I might consider that route instead or or in addition to traditional classes. What do you think?

[winterbadger]

Well, I would say it depends on (a) your undergraduate GPA and (b) how much free time you have in your schedule (I think I know the answer to that).

I enrolled in the program at AMU (http://www.apus.edu/amu/) because, frankly, it's the only one that would take me. I tried Georgetown, GW, American, UMd, none of them would accept me as a graduate student. Despite the fact that I graduated with honours, despite the fact that both my GRE scores immediately post college *and* when I took them ten years later were in the top 2-5%ile, the fact that my undergraduate GPA was below 3.0 (2.85, in fact) disqualified me for any of their graduate programs.

Mind you, I went to a college that is usually ranked #1 and always among the top three for independent liberal arts colleges. I had two grades below the B/high C range, and they were both in subjects (calculus and computer science) irrelevant to any graduate degree I might pursue. But no one in the graduate admission programs cares about details like that.

I think I could have gotten into a history program at GMU, but my employer would be unlikely to pay for that and they didn't focus on anything I found terribly interesting. One friend with university experience suggested that I enroll in a program, any program, at some obscure minor university and then try to transfer, or try to talk an admissions office into taking me as aprobationary student (for the record, I tried a couple of place with the latter suggestion and was refused).

AMU was willing to take me without a 3.0 undegraduate GPA, so I went there. When I first heard about them, they were still getting accredited, so I waited a while until they had at least gotten their basic distance-learning creds, so I wouldn't feel like I was just going to a diploma mill (and, of course, because employers don't like to just hand out $ to the Acme Graduate School).

The other thing that's great about this program is that I can move at the pace I want to. If it keeps being not too demanding, I can try doubling up courses (take two at a time) and be done much faster, but at the moment it looks like I'm going to take about 4 years to complete the requirements for a master's, and that's fine with me. I can do the reading and the classwork at pretty much any time, as long as I communicate regularly with the professor and occasionally with the rest of the class. I don't have to get into the city or out to some suburban campus several nights a week. With the demands you have on your time, I think that would probably be better for you too.

Plus they have a range of different options, certificate programs as well as conventional degrees, etc. I can see going back even after I've finished the degree to take some of their specialized courses if I'm doing something new at work.