So Mr. Writer gets The Big Job and I just barely fail to get into the doc. program...

[Writer]

so I get this note from WriterDad:

"Writer, Perhaps this will allow you to go into another direction with your personal life; especially since Mr. Writer is settling down in a very positive way. Dad"

Insights? Insights, anyone? Oh what could my dad mean?

[Dora]

1. *cough*(babies)*cough*

:shrug:

[Writer]

2. Rrrrrreally?

You DON'T say? :eyes:

[Dora]

6. He's been listening to one of these...

[Writer]

8. I have two sisters, one 43 the other 40...

the oldest finally had a child when she turned 40. He should be listening to their clocks, instead. :D My clock will be ticking for a while.

[Dora]

10. Oh, that's his OWN clock he's listening to...

It's a grandfather clock.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

3. have babies.

:P

[Writer]

7. I wrote back WriterDad...

"Are you saying I should shirk academia and become a stay at home mom?" :P

[taterguy]

4. It means your dad lurks on DU

I'd get a bit freaked out if my parents used my DU screen name to address me :)

[Writer]

5. Actually Writer is my real name.

And my husband legally changed his name to Mr. Writer just to be cute. We're all quite campy over here in CO. :P

[taterguy]

9. Well I have no idea what personal direction your dad disapproves of

So it would be difficult to speculate about what he means.

And making a snarky comment is just more fun

[Writer]

12. *snort*

But I truly believe parents do this to their grown children to hurt them.

[LaraMN]

11. Sex change.

Duh.

:P

[Writer]

13. HA!

:rofl: I wonder what he'd say if I mentioned THAT one. :P

[petronius]

14. He probably just thinks you should chill out at home for a couple of years,

watching soaps and ordering stuff from QVC. :silly:

It's possible he doesn't really mean anything by it - perhaps he's assumed that you have decided not to keep applying for grad school, and therefore he's just trying to say something positive?

Sorry about the school; those things can be pretty arbitrary and they don't always make the right decision. Given the encouragment you got from your teacher a while back, I do think you should keep applying (if you want to)...

[Writer]

17. I am actually thrilled that I got so close...

and yes I will apply again for 2008. I am retaking the GRE in August because my score will expire at the end of this year. I hope that will help. I am going to ask my Asst. Dean, of course, but would you happen to know if any of my previous application would/can be recycled for next year's? They looked at not only my PhD rec's, for instance, but they also asked if I wanted to use the rec's submitted for my Master's application, since they were still on file. Also, I think it's wise to rewrite my Statement of Purpose, but I put that through eight drafts and I question whether I'd have anything different to say.

My dad... I told him that I do want children but will not rush nor will be rushed. He understood.

[petronius]

28. It depends on the program, but it usually should not be a problem

to hold over application material from a past year. Usually, the graduate secretary is responsible for putting together application folders, and I'm sure that person would rather grab a handful of papers out of an old file than print and collate a new batch. However, you should definitely update your CV to show major accomplishments of the past year, as well as letters if they can attest to what you've been up to recently. You can just call the office of the programs of interest to see if they'd be willing to recycle your stuff; you might also want to call again around the deadline and make sure they actually did pull out the old application material...

Good Luck!

[JVS]

15. Here's my advice

If you really want to go to grad school, apply again next year and don't limit yourself to one program. It is amazing how things can work within programs as far as their fortunes go. One school accepted me, but didn't guarantee funding (they only had enough for 2 new fully funded positions, and said that I could probably do some grading to get a tuition waiver and a small stipend), while another program of similar reputation gave me a fellowship and brought in 7 new grad-students. Sometimes there's room, sometimes there isn't.

[Writer]

19. Oh I understand that well.

I am geographically limited by marriage, though, and this is the only PhD program in my area of study in the state. I got close this time, so I am certainly going to try again.

[Hugin]

16. ...

:rofl:

[Writer]

20. ...

:P

[Hugin]

25. ...

Sorry about the Graduate school results, tho... KEEP TRYING! ;/

[Writer]

26. Thanks... I got VERY close, actually.

If one of the first tier picks sneezed, I would be in. :P

[Hugin]

27. If he's anything like my folks start looking for things like...

Picture frames around the house which still have the original demo photo in them...

:rofl:

Believe me, I can sympathize.

[QMPMom]

18. *Whispering* (WriterDad wants you to give him a grandbaby.)

I am sorry you didn't get into the Doctoral program. :hug:

Congrats to Mr. Writer, though. :thumbsup:

[Writer]

21. Yyyyup.

:P

And Mr. Writer is very happy in his new job... so far, at least. :) He and I are going to take the GRE together in August because he'd like to start his MS degree.

[ScreamingMeemie]

22. Dad could mean that he wants you to name that direction after him...

if it's a boy that is. ;)

[Writer]

23. LOL...

I'll name him "WriterBabe" and see what he says.

[ScreamingMeemie]

24. Stunningly perfect!! Great name!

:D

[SPKrazy]

29. Insight #1

he's happy about your husband

#2 you have at least one parent who is critical of your career choice.

My mother practically to the day she died, always would say (when I discussed my job or some training I'd been to) "now are you sure you are qualified for that?" Never mind that the state saw fit to license me in my field and that I have a job in my field, always throwing in the criticism.

It's the narcissistic way and I'm not slammin' my Mom, I'm just saying, she was the center of attention in my family her whole life, it revolved around her. Even unto death. I loved my mother. She had the family revolving around her. She could cut to the quick with little effort and I would feel like hmmmm, maybe I'm not qualified, or "competent".

I'm sorry writer, I feel for you a lot. That is hard. I know how much you wanted to do that PhD program too. That was a shitty dig at you and you have a right to feel whatever you feel about it.

:pals: ?

[Writer]

31. I don't think it was a dig as much as it was a push...

in a direction I do not want to go. I was clear and upfront with him. I told him that I will apply to the PhD program again next year because I came so close to getting accepted this year. And that, although I want children, I will not rush or be rushed.

[SPKrazy]

33. I see

will you were direct and up front and that is good!

You got time to have kids and do what you want to do educationally and career wise as well

[NNadir]

30. Well, whatever he's talking about, it's just advice.

If it's about his grandfathership, my advice is to have children only because you absolutely positively incredibly want to be a parent and not because your parent thinks it would be cool to be a grandparent.

Being a parent is the most awesome responsibility you will ever face. Personally I love it, but I know it's not for everyone.

[Writer]

32. Much agreed, much agreed.

:thumbsup: