Thank you for that honest post. I think it really makes us all appreciate what we have a little more. However, I'm sure you're not alone. Take a year... 2, 3 even. Get your financial and family situation in order and make sure everything is taken care of at home; then, see if you want to try again. If the interest is there, it won't just disappear. And you're still in undergrad! It's no coincidence so many people wait to apply. Graduate school is a huge commitment, so no one can knock you for not being ready or expect you to dive head first into 6 yrs. of intensive education when you've got so many pressing issues. Don't even think about what you did wrong now... there's no point with what you have on your mind. Come back fresh in a couple years and see what you can do to present yourself as the best applicant possible. One of my hosts for interviews was a 45-yr old. It's never too late to go after what you want so don't make a decision about reapplying just yet.
Thank you for that response. I just read my post and your reply aloud to him at his request.
I know that this is for sure what I want to do. I've been working toward this since I was 13 years old. I couldn't take the psych courses in my HS until I was a junior, but on my first day of HS I inquired to the psych teacher about it and flipped through the text book and read portions... I knew when I was 13 that I wanted to work with kids and teens, and in my courses they've required us to get experience working with those populations and I LOVED it. My fiance thinks that the line of work would be really stressful, and that I might not be able to leave it at work and bring it home with me. (I want to work with abuse victims). He thinks I'd be fulfilled as long as I get to work with those ages. (He had 2 kids of his own, and we have no plans to have more children).
I really like the company that I'm working for right now, and they're actually expanding A LOT, especially in "this" economy.
🙂 (I work at a career college). Once my schedule's not hampered by school, I'll be able to advance.
Now, I say these things, because I have been working really hard from the beginning to put myself in a place where I won't be devastated if I don't get in. From the get-go, I've been the "downer" about the whole thing, reminding everyone around me that I need to be prepared for "if" I don't get in. I'm having a bit of a slump with worries that my dream won't come true, but I'm also thankful that I'm not going to be SOL like some of my friends who graduate job-less. I've got 2 jobs that will give me 40hrs a week, each, if I so desired.
I'm LUCKY. I have a GREAT family that loves me and our wedding plans are dependent on whether or not we're moving for school. We'll buy a house too. So, at least there will be happy outcomes either way... and part of me thinks that my fiance is doing these things on purpose for me, so that I can still be happy and not freak out if I don't get in anywhere. So I distract myself by browsing craislist for houses and theknot.com for wedding ideas. and I can configure a mean budget. haha. Plus all the homework that I've totally been neglecting as I prepared for interviews, ugh.
I've also been concerned with how stressed I'll be about money when I'm on a fixed income via stipend instead of being able to pick up hours at multiple jobs and through babysitting, etc. I like being in control of my own destiny, and it makes me uncomfortable to essentially relinquish my ability to work my ass off to bring food to the table, and to hope that he gets a good enough job to take care of all of us when we move.
Best wishes to all of you!