I’m looking forward to this summer, I seem to have let the last couple pass by without really doing much with them so this year I’m going to make the most of it – barbecues, trips to the beach, long sunrise to sunset walks in the hills and, boring as it sounds, a spot of gardening. I’ve lived in this house nearly 13 years and shamefully enough I’ve yet to do anything with the garden(s) so my, well OUR mission this summer is to create an acceptable looking outdoor space, preferably one which produces something edible or nice smelling too.
'Considering how slow a start I seemed to have with my OU studies, these last two years have been a veritable whirlwind of activity. Long may it continue'
Another plan for the summer is to start researching doctoral programmes. It seems stupidly early but applications for doctoral programmes starting when my MA ends will be due in the new year and applications can’t just be done overnight. I’ll have to be thinking about WHERE I’d like to apply to, HOW to apply to each place (because they’re bound to have different procedures) and WHEN to submit applications to each place too and it will take a bit of planning and preparation to do it all smoothly. Plus, certain places I’m planning on applying to will require me to do certain standardised tests and submit scores so that’s another thing to think about.
I had a dream the other night that I got offered a PhD scholarship at an American university and I woke up thinking “hmm… that’s an idea…” It had never occurred to me before to even think about applying abroad but why not? An ex-boyfriend of mine said to me at the end of our relationship that if I was going to do one thing in the next 12 months it should be to move away from Newcastle. I get where he was coming from and it’s not that I don’t WANT to move away from my home town, I’ve just never had any concrete need to. The OU meant I could stay in the same job and house while I studied and now I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity of studying for an MA at a World Top 100 university within commuting distance from my home so thus far I’ve not had any need to move.
If I’m serious about applying for a PhD though I need to make my options as vast as possible because, let’s face it, I’m no genius so if I manage to have any choice at all I’ll be grateful. So I can’t pin my hopes on being able to stay local. Because of that I’ll have to consider the USA, Australia and New Zealand as well as the UK. Having spoken to Gordon all he had to say on the matter was “I’ve always fancied going to America” which I think is his way of saying he’ll support me whatever the outcome is.
For now, however, my focus is on getting these Durham essays in and getting off to a good start with these next OU modules. For this next degree I’m aiming high. I know I’m capable of far FAR better marks than I got for my first degree so these two modules will be a test of that and hopefully it will show me just how far I’ve come since I started eight years ago.
Considering how slow a start I seemed to have with my OU studies, these last two years have been a veritable whirlwind of activity! Long may it continue.
