So I kept delaying posting in hopes that I'd post all about my holiday trip to Heidelberg, Germany or about the 2000-2009 period or the best of 2009, but any of those topics would take lots of work so it never happened.
That being said, I'm still having a blast being married to the most sweet and beautiful woman in the world. I'm taking my final class for my M.A. in history at Middle Tennessee State University, and it covers the Third Reich. Should be better than my road culture class (of last semester) in interesting-ness, but much worse as far as awesome people and teacher coolness. Oh well! Also, the professor of my Colonial America readings class last semester offered me a job researching for the Albert Gore, Sr. Center at MTSU. So I finally have a part-time job, and it pays pretty well to boot! I'll be researching the Clinton High School desegregation controversy, and traveling to various archives for that, but I'm not gonna go into that at length for the moment.
I hope you all are doing well.
Showing posts with label graduation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label graduation. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, August 24, 2009
School Shmool
Every time I feel somewhat content in my educational situation, something messes up. Let me explain a bit..
After two and a half years of coursework, I began work on my thesis. Unfortunately, after passing comprehensive exams and drafting three chapters, the project met with unexpected problems with one of my advisers. It turned out that the best option would be to switch to a new departmental "work around" and attempt to graduate through the non-thesis option. In this new option, I would have to take two research seminars--one American history, one European--and additional coursework to be determined by the graduate director. This fall I was scheduled to take the American research seminar and a class on the history of American religion that was handpicked by the director. Unfortunately the latter class failed to make, so I've now shifted back to an unsure position. The director emailed me directly to inform me that it was canceled and that there was no way I could take the class independently, but he failed to mention what alternate course I should take. I emailed him asking him but have yet to hear anything back. Perhaps I'm due for a campus visit.
After two and a half years of coursework, I began work on my thesis. Unfortunately, after passing comprehensive exams and drafting three chapters, the project met with unexpected problems with one of my advisers. It turned out that the best option would be to switch to a new departmental "work around" and attempt to graduate through the non-thesis option. In this new option, I would have to take two research seminars--one American history, one European--and additional coursework to be determined by the graduate director. This fall I was scheduled to take the American research seminar and a class on the history of American religion that was handpicked by the director. Unfortunately the latter class failed to make, so I've now shifted back to an unsure position. The director emailed me directly to inform me that it was canceled and that there was no way I could take the class independently, but he failed to mention what alternate course I should take. I emailed him asking him but have yet to hear anything back. Perhaps I'm due for a campus visit.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Emails of a Professional Sort
Dr. [thesis advisor],
Thank you so much for your help and patience over the last few years. You have been a great help in guiding me towards certain research topics, resources, and people. Recently, though, I have decided to fully pursue the new non-thesis option as its demands meet my needs the best. I’ll be continuing coursework to fulfill the new program requirements, and will be setting aside the work I have done on my thesis for the time being. Thanks for letting me borrow the two books on popular religion, and I’ll be getting them back to you in the next couple of weeks. Again I’m sorry for any negative feelings that may have risen from our experience. I wish you the best of luck on all your pursuits and thank you for your help getting me here.
Sincerely,
-----------------
Dr. [second reader],
As you know, I’ve been a bit busy with life outside of school, but hopefully you aren’t offended by my lack of correspondence. Dr. [potential new reader] contacted me about my thesis, and perhaps his comments combined with the time I had spent thinking about everything BUT my thesis allowed me to sense that my work thus far has been subpar and unsatisfactory. That being said, he suggested that the earliest that I would be able to graduate with his involvement would be the fall semester of 2010. Taking into account my negative feelings toward the project and that new potential date of completion, I have decided to fully pursue the new non-thesis option. I will be enrolled in two more semesters of coursework, and Lord-willing, I will graduate in May 2010. I don’t see spending another full year or more working on the thesis to be as helpful as taking a few courses and getting my degree several months sooner.
Thank you so very much for your help and support. I know that you may view your assistance as merely your professional duties, but I feel a very personal level of friendship and thanks for your efforts. Thanks for all that you’ve done, and I’m sure that I will see you in the fall because one of the three classes I need to take is your seminar on American religion.
Sincerely your student,
Thank you so much for your help and patience over the last few years. You have been a great help in guiding me towards certain research topics, resources, and people. Recently, though, I have decided to fully pursue the new non-thesis option as its demands meet my needs the best. I’ll be continuing coursework to fulfill the new program requirements, and will be setting aside the work I have done on my thesis for the time being. Thanks for letting me borrow the two books on popular religion, and I’ll be getting them back to you in the next couple of weeks. Again I’m sorry for any negative feelings that may have risen from our experience. I wish you the best of luck on all your pursuits and thank you for your help getting me here.
Sincerely,
-----------------
Dr. [second reader],
As you know, I’ve been a bit busy with life outside of school, but hopefully you aren’t offended by my lack of correspondence. Dr. [potential new reader] contacted me about my thesis, and perhaps his comments combined with the time I had spent thinking about everything BUT my thesis allowed me to sense that my work thus far has been subpar and unsatisfactory. That being said, he suggested that the earliest that I would be able to graduate with his involvement would be the fall semester of 2010. Taking into account my negative feelings toward the project and that new potential date of completion, I have decided to fully pursue the new non-thesis option. I will be enrolled in two more semesters of coursework, and Lord-willing, I will graduate in May 2010. I don’t see spending another full year or more working on the thesis to be as helpful as taking a few courses and getting my degree several months sooner.
Thank you so very much for your help and support. I know that you may view your assistance as merely your professional duties, but I feel a very personal level of friendship and thanks for your efforts. Thanks for all that you’ve done, and I’m sure that I will see you in the fall because one of the three classes I need to take is your seminar on American religion.
Sincerely your student,
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