SOCAL

Today I visited two college campuses; CSULB, and CSULA. CSULA was nice, LA was not. Its more of a backup than anything else, but its a backup that I'd be ok with. CSULB on the other hand. AMAZING campus! Its beautiful. Unfortunately I wasn't really able to get a feel for whether or not there is too many students cause people are probably moving in tomorrow. But its super spread out so I have no concerns about that anymore.

The even better part is that Stephen encouraged me to actually talk to someone in the Social Work department. The lady I talked to is actually in charge of admissions into the department. At first she's telling me how a 2.5 GPA is the first requirement but they are probably changing it to 3.1 next year. The second I told her I have about a 3.7 she warmed up to me and started telling me about the competitive stipends and how if I get my BA with a certain GPA then basically I can do another program which would cost me a summer versus a full year towards my Master's. She gave me a flier on the various fields I could go into with Social Work and a pamphlet on their program. I know the exact classes I need for prerequisites and I've already fulfilled or am currently fulfilling 3 out of 5 of those.

So basically I think I'm going to Long Beach. I really like the campus. I like the Social work department and I think I kind of got my foot in the door today by talking to this lady. She also gave me her email and fax number in case I have other questions. Super happy.

Now the plan is to check out CSU San Bernardino tomorrow as another backup, but I think I'm shooting for CSULB. :)

The Right School?

I may know where I am heading for school in about a year. I'm very seriously considering CSU Long Beach. I like the area. I like the price. I like their social work program. Their MSW (Masters of Social Work) program has a pretty decent rating. Out of the top 80 schools in their whole nation they are rated 59. Not bad. That's basically their input and their output looked at together, how many people graduate and get a high paying successful job.

My only concern with the school is the size. I was absolutely positive I wanted to go to San Diego State University but the second I stepped onto that campus I felt like I was going to be trampled. I always thought I could handle a big school, but apparently 30,000 students is just too many for me. Which is where my problem with CSULB comes in. Its also 30,000 students.

I'm trying not to get hopeful about this. I just feel like I've been researching school after school after school and its all just kind of bleh. When I researched SDSU I immediately loved it. Until CSULB I hadn't found another school like that. I'll be visiting it soon and then I'll know whether I can handle such a big size. Although there comes in another issue. The only real time I can visit it is the Friday before school starts. I'm hoping with school starting the following week that it'll be up to its typical buzz so I can really get a feel for it.

If this doesn't end up working out I have no idea where I'll go. I'll probably end up in Fresno, which is NOT something I want to do. I'm just trying to be realistic. I want to be semi-close to home and I need something cheap. Fresno is both of those things. I figure if I do head there and get my bachelor's I can leave quickly and find an amazing school for my Master's. I just feel like my life keeps getting put on hold. I know that's not true. But I want to be out there getting my degree and using it. I'm jealous of all the kids heading off to college right now. I want to be there. I want to be shopping for my dorm room supplies. I love this area, but I don't want to be here anymore. I want my life to be moving forward. I feel like I'm just sitting on my butt.

Please pray that CSULB works out and if not that I immediately do find the right school for me. Time is running out to find it. If I want to be at a new school next fall then I need to be applying soon. Most schools want applications by November. That may seem like plenty of time, but its not. I'm going to be busy with Cuesta again soon and I don't know how motivated I will be to research. Just pray pray pray for me! Thank you!

Rules to be inspired by

I'm kind of a copycat, but I feel inspired so I'm going with it. I've been checking out the website rulesformyunbornson.tumbler.com I think I may start my own life rules blog based off of my experiences. Let's count this as a trial period to see if it takes off. If you have title suggestions let me know. For now I will try and think of one that's original so I don't just have one super similar to the website which inspired me.

So rule #1?

#1: Let inspiration versus fear take the lead.