Incoherent Scribblings

Second Chances

If you have ever taken the time to read my 100 Useless Things About Me or browse through my 101 Things in 1001 Days list, you will know that it has always been a goal of mine to continue my education. For many years I have wavered between getting a second Master’s Degree in English or going full-steam ahead and tackling a Ph.D. in Information Science. I have different reasons for wanting each of these, but will not go into them here tonight.

West Texas Town University does not have a library/information science program, but they do offer a Master’s in English so as the fall semester drew to a close, I began browsing the offerings for the upcoming spring semester. As luck would have it, I came upon a class that sounded interesting and so I began pondering the idea of taking the course.

Though my eventual goal is to acquire another degree, it has been a long time since I have taken classes and I have never taken classes while working full-time. Therefore, I thought perhaps I would use the spring semester as sort of a trial run: I would take one class as a non-degree seeking student, see what sort of time and effort was needed to succeed in both the class and my job, and when I was finished determine whether or not I was interested in pursuing the matter further.

I contacted the right person and was told to fill out a form and submit copies of my degrees. Once that was completed I would be admitted as a non-degree seeking student and be able to register for the class.

I filled out the form, had my diplomas copied, and waited patiently to get the letter that would officially say that I could register. A couple of weeks later I got a letter in the mail. It said my form had been received but before I could register, copies of my transcripts were needed.

Confused, I contacted the registrar’s office and told them what the letter had said. Had I misunderstood and only thought they said copies of my diplomas when they needed my transcripts instead? I was told candidates for the program needed their transcripts, not their diplomas. I reminded them I was going to take the class as a non-degree seeking student. They told me the form I had filled out indicated that I wanted to enter the program, not merely take classes as a non-degree seeking student.

I went back and looked at the copy I had made of the form and, sure enough, I had checked the box for candidacy into the program, not that for a non-degree seeking student. I was informed I could still be a non-degree seeking student, but would have to resubmit the form.

At this point I thought a bit about the mistake that I had made and decided that perhaps fate was telling me something: Maybe I should just go ahead and start working on my dream sooner rather than later. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that it was a sign.

I verified that the copies of my transcripts that were already on file (I had to have them sent to the school when I accepted my job) could be submitted and gave permission for them, along with my application, to be sent to the department for review.

While it may not be guaranteed that the department will accept me into the program, the chances are high, so once my file is returned to the registrar I will not only be able to register for the class that started it all, but I will finally begin my journey towards that second master’s degree that I have always craved.