University - Here I Come!!

I'm down to the final stretch, the finish line is in sight, just have to grab that checkered flag and I'm on my way....no, I'm not a Nascar driver - I'm a student who is making the big leap from community college to University!

For 2 1/2 years I've been in Community College pursuing my Associates of Arts in teaching. When I enrolled in the college, I signed up for a transfer program that the community college offered which offered students wanting to get their Bachelor's in Elementary Education the chance to take the full program on the campus - but earn the degree from the University of Arkansas. Being that I've wanted to be a teacher for 20+ years, I was so excited to be a part of the program. Well, devastating news came at the beginning of this semester - which also happened to be the last semester before transferring to the University of Arkansas classes. I found out that the University of Arkansas was no longer offering the program at the community college, and current students in the program would have to transfer to the University - which was no big deal EXCEPT for the fact that they were only accepting 40 students!!

I, along with the other 70 or so students in the program who were planning to start the UofA classes next semester were completely devastated. We were all informed that we would have to go through an interview process for the University to determine who was going to be accepted. Well, the interviews were supposed to start this month - but I got a phone call on Friday that made my day, month, and year. The advisor from the UofA called and told me that the University had decided to accept all of the students that had completed the intro program - as that has what had been promised to us from the beginning. I'm so excited - I was really worried about not making it into the program next semester because my whole career depended on it. Thre was no way that I could take a year off from college to wait to see if I'd be accepted next year - so this has taken such a burden off my chest. I still have to go thru the interview process, but it's more an advisory meeting now rather than a formal interview.

April 30th is the last day of classes - so I literally am down to the finish line now. I'm doing really well in all of my classes - so that's a relief. On May 8th, I will walk across the stage and receive my diploma for my associates degree...it will be my first graduation ever and I couldn't be more excited!! All of my family are going to be there to help me celebrate this very important milestone in my life..and I'll make sure I post photos so I can share it with you too. :)

Till next time!