13 Things About Going Back to School

Yesterday I started back to graudate school, starting my 2nd and final year of a two year master's degree program in Applied Behavioral Science. I will be interning at a child and family community mental health center where I'll learn to become a marriage and family therapist. I can't say that I've always thought I'd become a therapist; my original academic goal was medical school. I made it into naturopathic medical school only to find it wasn't what I thought it would be.

I am coming back to school after a year-long medical leave of absence. During my year off from academics I did very little reading from the extensive book list that every student of the program looks at and remarks, "You've got to be kidding!" However, soon I will have to crack open a few of those books so that I may become informed about narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy, and other fascinating topics such as dealing with behavior problems in toddlers or teens, and how to make your marriage succeed.

1. Because of my one hour commute one-way, I got a new car!
2. I get to spend time living in a hotel room and eating average buffet food.
3. I'll terribly miss Pooky. I'll terribly miss Smee. I'll miss the other cats, too, but not quite as much.
4. I won't be able to check my e-mail or wastespend time on the computer.
5. I'll probably still be able to crochet as I can do that while lectures are happening.
6. The fact that I have had major "crunches" with two faculty and they are key people during second year, I guess I'm going to have to confront the conflicts with them and have a "difficult conversation".
7. I am looking forward to getting to know my new classmates. We briefly met in June when I attended their last module of the year. There's also the new first year students to hazewelcome.
8. My mind swims when I try to think how I'll manage orchestra on Monday nights, internship Tuesday through Thursday, and then Modules and Pro-Sems going on, too, plus writing assignments, etc. This past year I've had 100% unscheduled personal time and suddenly losing that upsets me. I'll get over it.
9. I'm just happy that my internship won't require me to be there early in the morning. I should be able to do my hours 12-8 pm, which means my commutes won't be plagued with gridlock and slow traffic.
10. Technically, I could already start seeing clients on my own since I had to get my registered counselor's credential from the state's department of licensing. I even have student malpractice insurance.
11. I've realized that the only way to make good money in the marriage and family field is to write a best-selling self-help book or come up with a very expensive weekend workshop/seminar for couples to attend.
12. By this time next year I'llbe very close to graduating. That means my student loans will then become payable. I wonder if I could just give them one of my kidneys in exchange? Actually, I think my loans total more than the current black market price for a kidney.
13. Once I finish with the program I plan on denying I am a therapist, otherwise people will want free counseling. Therefore, I'm going to claim I'm a telemarketer. I'm that annoying person who knows when you've just sat down to dinner and I'd like to tell you about timeshares in the Poconos.