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

 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...