To Become a Librarian

Warning: this post may be excessively boring to those of you not interested in library schools.

Today I bought myself a shiny new notebook so that I could get down to the business of really applying for grad school. Anything is better if you're using a shiny new notebook.

Exhibit A

In any case, I've started the process of researching which schools actually deserve my application fee, and it's scaring me. My grades in college were pretty decent - well within the range they keep throwing out. My GRE school was okay - above the basic requirement for some schools, but who knows on some of the others? I'm beginning to think I should take it again, and I really don't want to. I think that I'll make some phone calls to admissions offices and ask the schools I care about whether they really care about my ability to memorize words and remember 7th grade math. Maybe I'm worrying about nothing, but one school talked about their average acceptance and it was higher than my score (at least the raw one from test day - still waiting for the official score) which was a really weird feeling for me. My test taking abilities paid my way through college, for Pete's sake! How is this an issue? (Answer: I probably should have studied more instead of being cocky about it. Sigh.)

In any case, I'm starting to zero in on the things I like about schools. I like it when there is interaction with faculty. I'm looking at online programs almost exclusively, and I'm really drawn to the ones that emphasize their small class sizes and online chats with classmates. I also like it when the classes are fairly structured so that I don't end up doing my course work in December and April. There are a couple of places so far that I particularly like. I've looked into Rutgers more than any of the others, so the other explanations aren't very comprehensive yet. (Rutgers has a killer website - very easy to use and therefore very effective at convincing.)

• Rutgers University - class sizes are limited to 20 people, there's only one visit to campus (but it's in New Jersey, so maybe I could go before the orientation and visit Treb in NY . . .), the online classes are taught by the regular faculty, and though the classes don't have set times, they are very scheduled. 
• Drexler University - supposed to be one of the best programs in the country, seems to have a nice setup
• University of Alabama - live classes, least expensive program out there by a long shot. But it is Alabama.
• University of Illinois at Champagne-Urbana - this program is supposed to be the best in the country and it's in Chicago, which would be cool. However, it has the most ridiculous application process and has visits to campus almost every semester. Although I'd love to visit Chicago, that seems excessive.
• University of Washington - looks like a good program, and I'd love to visit Washington frequently. Also very expensive.
• University of North Texas - some residencies, but there's a center in Vegas, so I could always go there instead of Texas. Lots of BYU students go this route. 

Anyway, that's the list so far. I've looked into some others - Emporia State in Kansas, University of Texas in Austin (which is where Janssen is getting her degree, and which had the website that scared me about my GRE score) and a few others, but these are the schools I've been coming back to. 

It's scary applying to grad school. I wasn't scared when I applied to BYU - I had ridiculous, I-have-no-life grades, good test scores, lots of extracurriculars - no sweat. This seems different somehow. I did well in college, but I wasn't nearly as much of a perfectionist as I was in high school. I wish I had more idea of what these programs accept, but I just don't, and it kills that uber-confidence I had before. (Especially because I don't have the money to pay $800 per credit and I really want a fellowship or something like unto it so that I don't bury myself in student loans and then have them forever because I'm a librarian. Seriously.) I'm not excited about writing my personal statement or asking people to write nice letters for me (Dr. Benfell already agreed to do one of them, but I need two more, and I have people who will write them, but some of them are my English teaching professors and I'm not excited about telling them I'm not teaching for an indefinite period of time.) Add to all of this the fact that I read Makayla's blog and she is crazy on top of things (and is studying for the GRE about 10 times more than I did) and still nervous about everything . . . well, ick. 

Anyway, my great hope is that I get a job in the library and they help me out, but especially it's that I get accepted to a good program so that I can learn how to shush people and wear my hair in a bun and all of the other library essentials. I think the notebook/list method is a good start. :)