Grad School...well kind of
Even though I have my B.A. degree (yay!) this 'crazy' kid decided a second round of higher education was the way to go. Here's the catch, I am technically taking undergraduate courses required on top of/kind of before officially beginning the Master's degree. SO-what that means is this chica is taking undergrad AND grad classes. But wait, there's more! Part of my program involves practicums (Practicum: a course of study for teachers, doctors, nurses, etc., that involves actually working in the area of study and using the knowledge and skills that have been learned in a school -Myrriam-Webster Dictionary), community events, and a 6-month unpaid internship. Upon the completion of my internship, not only will I take the music therapy board certification test, MT-BC, which will allow me to practice, but I will then begin working on my thesis.
Let's recap: graduate-equivalency classes, practicums, 6-month internship, MT-BC test, thesis, DONE!
I had hoped to blog my way through this adventure, but silly me, I forgot!
As of this moment, I am one month and 5 days from completing my first year of grad school! WOW! And then I begin a few summer classes...then fall semester...then INTERNSHIP!!!
The biggest struggle for me throughout this whole moving down south, creating a new life for myself all over again (first Chicago, now Tallahassee...), has been fining a part-time job. I haven't not worked some sort of job while in school...well, since high school. It is frustrating to me, having a degree (that I can't use) and not being hired because undergrads are more desirable, until summer rolls around. I have not given up hope, and I am taking advantage of my "free-time" to do the productive and not-so-productive things I'd be otherwise unable to do if I were working. But I'd like a job, please.
Back to the positives: What I love about my program is how very hands on it is. [Since I didn't overtly mention it earlier: I am studying Music Therapy at FSU (my B.A. is in Music History).] I don't think there is any other way to successfully approach a field like this. From August to this point I have: learned guitar, learned ukulele, worked with an autistic adult, worked with pre-k through adolescents, currently am "working" in a BHC, went to a professional conference, totaled my car, have done very basic research (FSU is very research intensive!), made friends I otherwise would not have made, tried new things that are way out of my comfort zone...
I feel like I've gone from chrysalis to caterpillar, almost a butterfly...
Let's recap: graduate-equivalency classes, practicums, 6-month internship, MT-BC test, thesis, DONE!
I had hoped to blog my way through this adventure, but silly me, I forgot!
As of this moment, I am one month and 5 days from completing my first year of grad school! WOW! And then I begin a few summer classes...then fall semester...then INTERNSHIP!!!
The biggest struggle for me throughout this whole moving down south, creating a new life for myself all over again (first Chicago, now Tallahassee...), has been fining a part-time job. I haven't not worked some sort of job while in school...well, since high school. It is frustrating to me, having a degree (that I can't use) and not being hired because undergrads are more desirable, until summer rolls around. I have not given up hope, and I am taking advantage of my "free-time" to do the productive and not-so-productive things I'd be otherwise unable to do if I were working. But I'd like a job, please.
Back to the positives: What I love about my program is how very hands on it is. [Since I didn't overtly mention it earlier: I am studying Music Therapy at FSU (my B.A. is in Music History).] I don't think there is any other way to successfully approach a field like this. From August to this point I have: learned guitar, learned ukulele, worked with an autistic adult, worked with pre-k through adolescents, currently am "working" in a BHC, went to a professional conference, totaled my car, have done very basic research (FSU is very research intensive!), made friends I otherwise would not have made, tried new things that are way out of my comfort zone...
I feel like I've gone from chrysalis to caterpillar, almost a butterfly...
Things I miss most: my sistah's from undergrad (there's one in Turkey, one in Chicago, one in Nebraska, & one in Wisconsin), my bff's from high school (2 in Pennsylvania, one in D.C.), my pets (all recently deceased), and having some my famiglia within reasonable driving distance.
Mostly, at this point, I just want to practice music therapy on a professional level and have the freedom to travel! If I can discipline myself to stick with blogging, as I'd like it to become a habit by the time I'm interning, there will be more tales to come of all I'm learning, doing, seeing, experiencing. Until then, I think I've successfully brought "everyone" up to speed.
TTFN!
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