I must admit that I'm a bit envious as I watch those around me. A few days ago I went with a friend as she got her text books from her school's bookstore. She wasn't too thrilled about it, but I was excited for her.
Last year I didn't mind too much, because I was planning on taking online classes, so I ordered books and got school supplies too. But this year there are no books to order, no excuses to buy new notebooks, and no lists of assignments to freak out about.
Not having academic books to read isn't the only thing I miss. If that was the case, I'd just read the academic books I already own (which I probably should do anyways). I've come to realize that I genuinely enjoy the atmosphere of schools, places where there's structure, routine and lots of people eager to discuss the new things they are learning.
So, I'm applying to some jobs at local schools and at the same time I'm applying to grad school. I found a school in IL that is only an hour and a half away from where my parents are planning on relocating. The program seems decent and it won't require me to choose an extremely specific area of history. I have the option of US History or European History, which is exactly the kind of program I'm looking for. The school is sending me an official application in the mail and I'm hoping to start this fall, if money and everything works out of course. But the tuition seems pretty reasonable, especially for grad school, so I'm not too worried about that.
Life is still a bit scary since there are still a lot of unknowns, but it's pretty exciting now that I have a plan.
