My Journey Towards Becoming a Doctor...of Philosophy!

 So, it's been some time since I've heard from USF. And as expected, the anticipation is causing a little anxiety. I've been staying busy with work and teaching, so that's good. As the old saying goes "good things come to those who wait" right! Praying this will be a good result. In the meantime, the wait continues in anticipation...

  And the wait continues. I received word that my application has been received by the Graduate Admissions at University of South Florida and accepted as is for review. They should make a decision by March 1, 2021. Fingers crossed and much prayer to God that I will be accepted to the school for Fall semester next year. 

 I finally clicked the "submit" button yesterday. All of my documents were uploaded and the application package was sent off to the University of South Florida. Now the wait begins. Will I be accepted into their doctorate program? Will I begin the next, and final chapter in my studies? Will I become Dr. Julie Ann Hayes. Only time will tell. I am both excited and nervous at once. With the state of the world and America right now, who knows what will happen. I have to remain optimistic though.  I have heard from a friend who works for one of the largest state university systems in the nation that they are facing huge budget cuts. This is where my nervousness comes from. I also learned that USF has cut their College of Education. While I am not going for a terminal degree in Education, it does make one wonder. History is a tough field no matter the state of the economy. The upcoming elections are making people uneasy. The CoVID pandemic doesn't help. The way our lives have b

 ...to hitting that submit button.  Well, I have almost everything in the application package ready to go. Almost everything. The only thing I need to do is the GRE exam. I am not looking forward to that. Not at all. The good thing is I might be able to take it at home. I can also check with the University to determine if I am eligible for a waiver. I might just do that.  Either way, I hope to have this package submitted before Halloween. Much sooner than originally planned.  Fingers crossed. 🙏

The most difficult thing to do is talk about yourself. I'm quite serious when I make this statement. Have you ever gone on a job interview and had to answer some variation of "Tell me about yourself."? The Statement of Purpose, in a way, is similar. I am finding this to be a challenge to write. I've never really enjoyed answering that question in a job interview, so I suppose this is a natural struggle on the writing front. I have researched what a statement of purpose is for academic pursuits. I have looked up examples. I have read and re-read what the University is looking for in submissions. I have even asked colleagues.  I am stuck. But, I will prevail!  Because I am determined to suceed. And one day, I will be the  Dr. Hayes in my family; unlike my great-grandfather who was simply "Doc" Hayes. 

So, I have decided to go back to school and finish my degree path in History. I began this journey back in 2001 at Lansing Community College as an undergraduate student in Humanities. In 2004, I transferred to Michigan State University and continued in Interdisciplinary Humanities focusing on Middle East Studies. I graduated in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and moved to Florida.  In 2007, I decided it was time for graduate school and began a Master's program with Union Institute and University out of Cincinnati. This was a completely online program. What sold me was the fact that it is accredited through the same institution as MSU. What a lucky break! I knew my degree would be good!! In 2010, I completed my program and graduated with a Master of Arts in History and Culture of the Middle East.  Here we are, 10 years later, and I am ready to put the application in to the local university and commit to full-time graduate study in History. Although I want to change my focus to R