A little history...

I started looking into doctoral programs last year and received an easy acceptance from a distance-learning university (which will remain unnamed).  The price tag attached, however, would have cost me a kidney, at least, but quite possibly an even more vital organ.  Husband and I were still pretty gung-ho on the whole thing until I started researching the university.  To be clear, I do realize that discussion boards found online can be more like venting sessions rather than useful information.  But when I saw a few comments on the degrees awarded from this particular university not being taken seriously, and when I read the words "diploma mill" more than 15 times, I was out.  The price-tag, plus the risk that six years of work would be taken as a joke led me to withdraw from the program. 

During that enlightening internet surfing session, I also found the university where I am now a doctoral student.  I'll also leave this one unnamed.  This university is another distance learning program, but this one is more rigorous, and liberal arts-y.  I don't have to post ideas to online discussion boards and respond to the opinions of others (when honestly, people are just posting whatever to get the job done).  I have to read, have phone discussions (lasting one to three hours) with professors, and write papers.  My mid-program comprehensive exams are three hour oral exams.  And I end the deal with a massive legal publication. This university may not be a brick and mortar university, but it sure works like one!  To get into this one, I had to write a real paper, submit recommendations, and have a phone interview.  I didn't feel like the acceptance was just given to me.  I feel like this university knows my writing, and how my former professors/current supervisors view me as a professional.

In the next week, my books should arrive, and I will be submitting my first assignment. I'll post some more then...

I want this blog to show what it really looks like to be a working mom/doctoral student.  I hope it encourages other women to go after what they want, too (which in my case, is the utmost nerd-dom one could achieve!).  But most of all, I hope you can read it, and laugh along with me... because without laughter, none of this is really worthwhile.