The director at my school planted a little seed in my brain. When I informed him about my future academic goals he stated "why that major? why not go into administration?" Hmm.
It has always been my goal to earn a Phd. I just wasn't sure which program to study. Should I go into Administration of Higher Education? Perhaps International and Multilingual Education? Or maybe Organization and Leadership? Then I realized just how tired I am of studying education theories, pedagogy, strategies that I've been focusing on the past 3 years. I love literature. I enjoy studying literature as much as teaching it. My area of expertise is Early to Mid 20th century American Literature. So I began researching doctoral programs specific to literature. I'm disappointed that my alma mater (Univ. of San Francisco) does not have advanced degrees in literature. UC Berkeley has a program as does Stanford University. Financially, Stanford would be the best option since they have a wealth of grants, fellowships and scholarships.
I spent the last two days studying the requirements for each program; not just in the program itself but just to apply! I need to have proficiency in two foreign languages; not just in speaking but in reading, writing and literature. Spanish? Check. Italian? I only have a speaking knowledge. I also need to apply with an idea for a dissertation. I don't have anything definitive but metaphors and symbolism is definitely one of the main topics. I learned a very good lesson here. You must work really hard during the application process. I need to brush up on my Italian and take courses in Italian literature. I need to read and re-read several novels and make preliminary research notes.
I'm in my final semester at SF State and earning my MA degree this December. This degree was more practical so that I could get a teaching position at the college level. Well, I've accomplished that goal. The Phd is to expand my knowledge with the goal of teaching university level courses. At this point, though, I'm not ready to immediately pursue a doctoral program. I have to work towards the application process.
I was a bit indecisive earlier today. Should I jump into an Italian program and possibly seek a 2nd BA degree? I seriously would need to do another academic program before applying for the doctorate. Instead of stressing over it, I went to my monthly hair appointment in Oakland to have my roots retouched. As I was driving across the Bay Bridge on my way home, I looked to my left and saw a large Italian flag waving from one of the piers. (America's Cup?) I guess that answers my question.
I was a bit indecisive earlier today. Should I jump into an Italian program and possibly seek a 2nd BA degree? I seriously would need to do another academic program before applying for the doctorate. Instead of stressing over it, I went to my monthly hair appointment in Oakland to have my roots retouched. As I was driving across the Bay Bridge on my way home, I looked to my left and saw a large Italian flag waving from one of the piers. (America's Cup?) I guess that answers my question.
I'm giving myself 2 years to do some reading as well as enroll in an Italian degree program. It looks like I'll be remaining at SF State for another 2 years (but at least I'll have earned my MA degree). I contacted the department and inquired about seeking a 2nd BA in Italian. I informed the coordinator of my current situation as well as my future academic plans. Barely 10 minutes ago (as I was writing this post), I received an email from the Italian department coordinator and she advised that I seek a second MA degree in Italian! I hadn't considered that. I thought I would need to have a BA in Italian before pursuing graduate work in it. Apparently not. So it looks like I will be pursuing a second graduate degree before moving on to the Phd.
Allora per necessitá a migliolare il mio italiano. Non ho paura. Va bene solo un po'. Ciao!
