Grad School, here I come...

This Friday, I was accepted to graduate school. It doesn't feel real yet. It probably won't feel real until my first day of classes. I've wanted to go to graduate school for so long, to actually be on the verge of it seems exciting, but also strange...a destination long imagined, but one I never expected to actually get to.

Of course, there are still a lot of things I need to do to make it really happen. I've met with financial aid several times, but now I need to get my award processed. The program is offering me an assistantship (which is wonderful!), but I'll also need to get a part time job. That doesn't have to happen right away, but it has to happen eventually.

I feel two battling emotions. Tremendous excitement to have this opportunity, and tremendous anxiety to be successful.

I had a lot of problems as an undergraduate student, and college was a constant struggle. I'm worlds away from where I was then, but my undergraduate experience is like a skeleton in my closet; stored away, hopefully just a relic of another time, but still there, rattling its bones and ready to pounce if I drop my guard.

Fundamentally, though, I'm tremendously excited. I never thought I'd have a chance to be a full time student again. Not only do I have that opportunity, the program promises to be a life changing experience, both academically and personally. It won't be easy, but it's the best kind of challenge; meaningful and substantial, promising the chance to push myself to new horizons.