(If you can tell me which literary character made their presence known with that word, I'll give you a cookie...)
Welcome, welcome, come inside. It's nice and cozy here (appropriate tempurature based on your desire...though I've found most people tend to like it a little cooler than I do. Strange for a girl from a place known for it's winters...)
I've recently been recruited by Senior Admissions Extraordinaire, Lee, to be one of the offical student bloggers for Rutgers, and I have to say I'm thrilled. I blog personally, but being able to do so in some sort of 'offical' capacity tickles me.
I suppose an introduction is in order.
I'm Peggy. I'm a transplant from the midwest (Wisconsin, to be exact...and no, we don't all have cows in our back yards (and yes, I've actually been asked that)). I'm a transfer student (I think I have enough credits to be considered a sophomore) and a commuter.
Oh, and one other thing...
I'm old.
Okay, not really, but I am what is considered in PC circles to be a 'non-traditional' student*. What exactly is a non-traditional student? Well, the definition varies depending on where you look, but it typically includes those who are 24 or older (check), work full-time (used to...but that's for later), have dependents (not yet...unless you count furbabies), considered financially independent (yup), etc. There are a lot of other things that can go into it, but those are some common ones.
So, here's my stats: I'm almost 32 (yeah, I know I didn't have to say that, but why not,) married (newlywed, really,) a commuter (1/2 hour drive one way, which is nothing as far as I'm concerned,) worked full-time until 2 weeks ago (school is now my full-time job, thanks to a very supportive husband and various school loans).
Arround this time last year, I remember sitting in my apartment in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on the phone with my then fiancé, lamenting over the fact that I hated what I was doing with my life, that I was burned out in my current career path. I'd been working in my (former-ha!) career path for about 12 years (ever since I received my associates degree) and was bored stupid. I felt as though I wasn't doing anything of any importance, and really, waking up to go to work just invoked the desire to stick sharp needles repeatedly into my eyeballs. It's wasn't a good situation.
The boy (which is how I refer to my husband in the blogosphere) suggested trying something new...and suggested going back to school full-time.
I love that man.
Fast forward a year, we're married (Hawaii FTW!), I moved to New Jersey (he already lived here), and I counted down the days to my last day on the job. (I have to tell you, I was never so happy to turn off a computer as I was on my last day.) I shopped for school supplies (do they have an addiction group for office supply stores? They really should...), got all my books (I think I actually bought one at the Rutgers bookstores...sorry, I'm cheap and living on one income in an expensive state), and impatiently waited for school to begin (yes, I was one of those pathetic kids who couldn't wait for summer to be over and school to start. Check with me again in about a month.)
So, the ever present question...what do I want to be when I grow up?
Right now, that answer is a pharmacist. However, due to that which I cannot change, I did not have the science courses (or math, for that matter) to transfer into the PharmD program (my previous degree is in Health Information Technology...heavy emphasis on IT. EHR, anyone?) Therefore, I'm trudging through, working on my prereqs, and already sweating applying to pharmacy school. To those of you in the 0-6 program, I will be completely honest and say I'm jealous. I do wonder if I would have done something like that if I'd had the resources when I graduated from high school, but life can't be lived in the shoulda-coulda-woulda's.
I'm also intending on declaring a major of Chemistry-Chemical Biology, just in case. Research is always interesting, and I will perserve, no matter what life throws at me. In the meantime, I'm going to be a part of this great place known as Rutgers (I made the Voorhees Choir!), and make my mark. What about you?
*For anyone reading this that might also fit into the non-traditional mold (oxymoron, anyone?) please know that Rutgers has the resources! I'm sure I will talk about them more in future posts, but two that I'll briefly mention are the University College Community and the Mary I. Bunting program. The former is for all non-traditionals, and my understanding is that they have great stuff for veterans. The latter is for women only (sorry, guys,) and is run by the Douglass Residential College. They provide mentors and our very own lounge! (Seriously...there was another woman in there with me one day, and someone came in to check her age, just to make sure she belonged there.)
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