A decision to make
I've been wholly planning to cut back even further on credits and classes at UNC next semester in another attempt to achieve some sense of balance in my life. Last semester, it was 11 credits, 5 classes; this semester, it is 10 credits, 4 classes. Looking ahead, I had mapped out 9 credits, 3 classes. Just for fun, I decided to add these credits to my cumulative list and see how many more credits I would need after next semester in order to complete my master's degree. The answer was 2. Two little credits. And there's a worthwhile 2 credit course in Opera Literature and History that meets at a fairly convenient time. If I add that course, I'll have 11 credits, 4 classes, plus my comprehensive exam, and my life will once again been sorely out of balance for another fifteen weeks, BUT I would have a master's degree in hand before the end of the year. I'm not in a dreadful hurry - after all, I still have the teaching license to work toward - but there's always a chance God will bless us with a little Seligmann before the end of the next spring semester, in which case, it would be really nice to have completed something before I need to cut back or take a hiatus from school. First of all, I need to talk to the professors of the classes I plan to take and see what the workload looks like. If I've learned anything this semester, it's that credit hours and workload are not related.
For those interested, the three classes I have already decided to take next semester are Research in Music Education (reqd), Seminar: the Baroque Period (elective), and Seminar: the Romantic Period (elective).
For those interested, the three classes I have already decided to take next semester are Research in Music Education (reqd), Seminar: the Baroque Period (elective), and Seminar: the Romantic Period (elective).
posted by DenverSop @ 6:02 PM
1 Comments:
At 3/08/2007 1:06 PM,
Anonymous said…
From my perspective, my plan to zip through my masters degree allowed me to have only one semester left when a gift from God came along (my subbing in the fine orchestra in Brazil, a real gem on my resume). Had I not packed the degree into three semesters and a summer like I had, I still would have taken that opportunity. My marriage would surely have been delayed, too, as, at that point, I had not yet proposed. Oh, and the money for that engagement ring was a direct result of that work! I know my wife wouldn't have enjoyed the necessary delay, and I wouldn't have, either.
At the time, I questioned the sanity of the summer schedule I'd taken, but, with 20/20 hindsight, it was most definitely the right thing for me to have done. In making those decisions, I went through the same questions you surely are. Can my body do it? Can my mind take it? Is it worth it? The answer appeared before and turned out during to be "Barely!" Barely is enough, though.
Your plan about asking the professors about the time demands is an excellent one. Beyond that, I guess it becomes a matter of health and possibilities. Can it still be done if a child starts its 9 month countdown during the semester?
Post a Comment
<< Home