Tuesday, 18 November 2008

Grad Schools... Time to Hunt

I had almost forgotten. But then a Facebook wall rant/exchange or whatever word you'd like to call it reminded me I'd like to look at graduate schools. Because, as much as it warmed my heart to teach children about music... and to see middle school and high schoolers learn to sing well (or at least improve), I'm still thinking about something else.

Dr. Randel planted an idea in my brain that I haven't shaken. "My life isn't THAT much different from when I was in graduate school. I focus more on teaching now, obviously, but I still do my research and go to musicology conferences. And I like it!"

That sounds kind of fun.

The question is... where would I want to go? And the short answer is, I don't know. But the following list is where's I'm thinking, at least at the present.

• Bowling Green State University
• University of Wisconsin - Madison
• University of Kentucky
• University of Georgia
  

If you know anything about these places, I'd love to hear any feedback. And I don't mean that you hate or love their sports team(s). I want real, honest-to-goodness feedback on if you've had a good experience or know someone who did. Or if you or someone you know DIDN'T. And oh yeah... why is a good thing. Because an unsubstantiated claim isn't cool.

This prospect excites me. And scares me. It's not Hope College anymore. And it means going away from Michigan. Cool stuff. And just a little scary.

Update: my brother's looking at graduate school now, too. Ph.D. time for him, just as I'm thinking about my M.M. I've thought University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (where he's considering) and it's a place I've kept in the back of my mind, too. And after talking to my uncle while he visited here, I'm officially considering it now, too. Wouldn't it be weird to go to school with my brother? We haven't really had that since I was in 7th grade... weird.