Going back to college after 40 years--quite a challenge

                                                    Intro to Graduate Studies textbooks

          And that’s just getting approved for an online graduate course, which application called for three things: a 10-page, double-spaced selection of my poetry (which was the easiest thing to do); write an essay about why I thought I’d be a good MFA candidate; and the hardest part: a critical analysis of an aspect or element of a piece of literature. I WAS A MUSIC MAJOR! before turning to poetry and other types of writing! But I researched and cogitated several days before deciding how to frame the piece, which, luckily, was to be only three pages, double-spaced. I chose Robert Frost's "A Tuft of Flowers" as my subject. The effort paid off. I was accepted to the program.

                Then came the act of enrolling in the university, which meant sending transcripts. I’d kept a folder for transcripts, so I picked out one from Hendrix and the other from UAF and mailed them in.  When they hit the Admissions office, Stormy called or emailed saying, no, they had to be ordered from the institutions themselves. So I did, emailing after finding the sites, the particular department. Both places quickly and nicely told me how and where to get them. (Would they even HAVE transcripts back that far???) I ordered PDF copies and paid for them. Two days later, emails said they’d been sent and received. So now I was enrolled with an ID number, a UAM password and University email address.

                An email from the Cashier’s office saying I had till the ‘27^th of August at 3 p.m. to get my bill paid or to make arrangements. She told me where to go: Weevilnet. What to do: put in all my numbers and finish the process. Couldn’t get anything to work. The IT girls laughed at me, but one accessed the cashiers office and told me the amount of my bill. She shocked me by saying the $1200+ cost showed a “senior citizen waiver” and was . . . zero!!   The IT “boss” gave me directions and the email for the cashier’s office for a “finalization.” That figure was verified, though the MFA director told me earlier that graduate classes meant a payment. She emailed her dean, but to this day, I haven't received a notice of payment due.

                With the arrival of my second text for the beginning class, I emailed my professor (as it turned out, the director of the MFA program) telling her that after Labor Day, I'd be ready to "roll."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the term started last week," the professor emailed. EEK! No one told me! Admissions was "supposed to," she said. So already I was behind--a place I'd never been before.

 On Labor Day, I did host my high school class’s 65^th reunion at Couchwood, and the next day, I began catching up on my three assignments--already late. Thanks to Kathy Boone, I have one of them posted. The second one, a bibliography of  "20 Works Consulted" will go in Thursday, and I'll begin reading the second chapter in the Barry text for the third one.

          A church friend asked me "Why in the world are you doing this?" "Because I can," I answered, partly truthfully. We shall see. It's a 48 credit-hour course. My FB friends have been super encouraging, for which I am grateful.

c 2019, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA