Maybe Surrender was Premature...

Hello again. Time for me to bore you with more degree puzzlings and angst. I was about to surrender and go back to a BGS degree. BUT - then I noticed something. All the classes I've liked in both sociology and government have been law-and-society type courses. Criminal Law (gov), Constitutional Law (gov), Criminology (soci), Global Inequality (soci), etc. Just about every class I've elected to take has had to do with these type of courses. So, guess what! They all are also required courses for a B.S. in Criminal Justice. If I switched to this major, I would graduate in Fall 2009. That's only one more semester than the BGS degree. I can handle that. I was just getting frustrated with the Soci major because not everything was offered online, which meant I would have to take the courses at another institution and transfer them in; there's also a residency requirement which meant I would have had to take two or three semesters of electives just to be able to graduate with the correct number of in-house hours. But the CJ degree is offered 100% online at my school! I wouldn't have to worry about the residency. Also, I was going for a Soci major and Gov minor. The CJ degree is a perfect blending of the two. Also, many of the jobs I would ultimately want require either a sociology degree, social work degree, or criminal justice. Am I crazy? Or should I go for it?

Hey, Indiana Jones Fans!

I have always loved the Indiana Jones movies. What's not to love? Anyway, with much delight and out-loud guffaws (that almost got me in serious trouble with the bossman) I found this post on another blog. I have a feeling I'll be visiting this site very often!

It's Official!

Yesterday, I submitted the request to change my program from BGS to a B.S. in Sociology. True, this may add up to an extra year to my college plans; however, I feel I get further with a B.S. than with the BGS. Like Becca said, I don't want people thinking I got my degree from Sally Struthers on the TeeVee. Besides, I think it will make it easier on me to have the B.S. before I start a Master's program. If I started a Master's program with only a BGS, there would be a lot of undergrad Sociology classes I would have to take before I could start on the actual graduate coursework. With the B.S., I already have those classes, so there wouldn't be any prerequisities I would have to fulfill.

In order to take all the required Sociology classes, however, I had to do a nationwide search of accredited undergrad programs which offered Sociology program required courses online. Surprisingly, I found squat in Texas. With boucoup colleges and universities in San Antonio, I still couldn't find one that had the classes I needed either online or in the evening. Luckily, I found New Mexico State Universities website, which - low and behold - has all the classes I need in an online format. Also, I'll be attending San Antonio College here to finish up my core requirements, as well as to take the two years of a foreign lanuage required for a B.S.

So, to recap, I've switched majors, and set myself up for an additional year beyond what I had planned for stress and juggling kid, work and school. I feel it will be worth it though when I get my degree!

UPDATE:

Just got an e-mail from TWU notifying me that I've been nominated to Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science and government honorary. Yay, me! Woot, woot!

Change of Major...Maybe

I know, it's the eleventh hour of my undergrad degree, but I'm contemplating changing my major. Not because I'm not interested in sociology and government anymore... I definitely am! It's just that I am not so sure about the perception perpetuated by my current degree plan. Right now, I'm working on my Bachelor's of General Studies (B.G.S.) degree with concentrations in sociology and government. However, some colleges don't recognize such degrees (which is important if you are planning - as I am - to go back to school for a Master's); some non-accredited colleges offer similar degrees; and some people misinterpret what exactly that IS. I'm facing the possibility of my degree not being taken as seriously as a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or a Bachelor's of Science (B.S.) would be. So, I e-mailed the sociology department chair on Monday to ask to see what I could do to fulfill the requirements of a B.S. in Sociology (if you know me, you KNOW how appropriate it would be for me to get a B.S. degree.... LOL!). I'm thinking with hard work (and a few granted variances on what sociology classes are required for the major), I should be able to have it wrapped up by Spring or Summer of 2009. If that's the case, I'll be switching my degree plan to go for it. I'll get a B.S. in Sociology with a minor in Government instead. Seeing as how I'm not sure exactly how long it will be before I go back for my Master's and then my Ph.D., I think in the mean time (if so compelled) I would be more able to secure a sociology-related position with a B.S. than with just a B.G.S.

So, what do you guys think? Am I prolonging things too much, or am I on the right track here? Comments and your thoughts on this would be much appreciated!

Post-Undergrad Contemplation

So, I get my undergrad degree at the end of the year (if all goes well, which it should). Now I'm pondering what to do after I graduate. At this point, I'm looking into graduate schools - University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Kentucky, and several others offer not only a Master's in Sociology (which is my goal), but also a Ph.D. of Sociology (which is my ultimate goal). One of the schools that offers this is.... Yale. I know it's really hard to get in, and I know it's really expensive... but I'm thinking about applying, anyway. As one of the other soccer moms I talk to said, "Yeah, it's hard to get in, and only maybe 5% of applicants make it, but you can't be in that 5% if you don't try." I won't be ready to start on my graduate plans until after October 2009 anyway, so I have time to contemplate it. I'll see how my grades are. Being a Yalie would be pretty cool, though, don't you think?