Back to School. Joy.

It's no secret that I never wanted to do my master's degree. Four years of school was fine. So when my dad suggested it in the middle of my junior year (WORST YEAR OF. MY. LIFE.) I completely rejected the idea. No Dad, it's cool, I think I'm pretty much done after my bachelor's, k? K good. Well my dad isn't the lie-down-and-take-no-for-an-answer kind of guy, and he kept bugging me about it. All I wanted was for him to just leave me alone about it! Gosh! And then. God laughed at my plans and changed them once again. The good states to teach in (AKA the ones I want to teach in) all require a master's degree. LAME. So I ate a humble sandwich, told my dad I was going to grad school, and started looking. It came down to two schools that I loved - UTexas at Austin, and Bob Jones University. I know. SO opposite. UTA is huge, one of the biggest schools in America, and BJU is tiny, with just over 4,000 students. BJU is a Christian school, UTA isn't. UTA is in Texas, BJU is in South Carolina. Could they be more different? But I really liked both of them. This was the deciding factor for me: I wanted a Christian perspective. Now I am NOT talking about the hyper-spiritual nonsense you get in most Christian colleges, where they act like being a Christian is license to do things poorly and under-par. No. BJU is quality education, accredited (a big deal for me), and just happens to want to honor God with everything they do. Their philosophy is that the best way to do that would be to do things well. I agree. Jerry Falwell used to say that if it's Christian, it should be better. How true. So I decided that BJU was my first choice, went through auditions and grad interviews, applied for grad assistantships, and waited. And waited. Hooray for getting accepted! And then I was kind of choking because where the HECK am I going to get $34,000? That's what grad school at BJU is going to cost. AND on top of that I had just decided to go on a very expensive missions trip this summer, because I really felt that God wanted me to. But it was over $4,000! Wouldn't it be better to save money and stay home? I struggled for a while. But God doesn't lead where he doesn't provide, so I stuck with it and determined that I'd go. Like he always does, God provided. I have an assistantship at school that will more than pay for tuition, room, and board. I'll be working while I'm in school, which is kind of a new thing for me, but I think I can do it:) So now I'm here at BJ, working full-time till school starts, and trying to keep my tendinitis under control so I can actually DO this degree. That'd be nice.

So auditions are next weekend, and I'm practicing for the choir one. Here's hoping choirs here are less political then my undergrad, and I can actually get into a choir where I'll be challenged:) I'll let you know next week:)


Leah