last day of school... for a long time!

Wow. Today is my last day of school. I can't believe how fast it went, and yet I'm so intellectually exhausted, I can't imagine it feeling longer. I'm off to my last class that will include cheese and wine, and then my last University of Chicago duty will be graduation a week from now. I'm so glad I did it, and only sort of glad its done. I can easily say it was my most challenging experience, and I've grown so much intellectually. I can also easily say the a PhD is not in my future (so near future at least) and that real employment will be fantastically appreciated. I'm so happy to have my master's at my age; now lets make a dent in those loans!

school

So I have just finished my second week of my Masters program at the University of Chicago. I am loving the school. The caliber of faculty, beauty of the buildings, and the rigor of thought has really inspired me. But the debates have thus far been very theoretical, and at times I like this, but at other time I wish for a more applicable focus. I have a hard time choosing classes because that ones I wanted conflicted with each other, so I petitioned a faulty member to oversee a course that will allow be to begin research for my thesis. I was approved and am so happy to have the opportunity to have one-on-one instruction with a man who is an authority in the field, and to be able to get a head start on my thesis. It will put me months ahead of the others in my program.

I've met some really great people but have been struggling to make any real connections. I always have  a hard time making friends. But there are plenty of people to chat with in class so I can't complain. I'm happy to be there- and I just hope I work hard enough to make it all worth it.