It's been forever since I've posted anything. Now I find myself with time on my hands. After working towards a psychology degree for two years since graduating with my Associate of Arts, I am finally graduating with my Bachelor's degree. Tomorrow is the big day. To be honest, I'm a little freaked out, but I'm actually more excited than I thought I would be.
When I first went to college after high school, I went to George Mason University. I loved everything about it: the people, the campus, even the school colors. The first week of my second semester, I got a call from my mom to come home. They found out my dad had cancer. That was Thursday. On Saturday morning, the hospital called to tell us he was dead. I withdrew and continued working my full-time job, just like I had for the past two months. Somehow it seemed like the best idea. I figured I should be with my mom and my GPA could suffer from how much class time I had missed. Besides, my peers at work had bachelor's degrees. Why should I spend money and four years of my life to end up in the same place, making the same amount of money?
Fast forward three years later. I was married and divorced with a young child, had worked retail for seven years, and even managed my own store for two of those. I was unfulfilled and fed up. The money was decent, but I felt like I was selling my soul. I decided to go back to school.
I went back to George Mason to earn enough credits to transfer to the University of Virginia, which was close to my home. I got remarried and my husband's coworker suggested I attend the community college to complete my general education requirements and earn an associate's degree before taking advantage of a guaranteed admission program with UVA, which was all cheaper than going to UVA for everything. I set out to do that. I got all A's to be as competitive as possible (the required GPA was 3.4, I started with a 2.69) and there was a chance I wouldn't be eligible for some reason or another. My second to last semester I got a B and I was super pissed. Then I found out my grades at GMU my first semester disqualified me. I got accepted to UVA anyway. I decided not to go. I'd have to attend classes during the day during the most common working hours, which was pretty much impossible for me since I needed to work to help support my family of now five. I needed another option. Mary Baldwin College offered classes at the community college and had advisors onsite. They also didn't require calculus to obtain a BA in psychology. Apparently, MBC stopped offering classes at the community college and the psych program was entirely online or at their campus in Staunton, but that was fine with me. I started classes that summer after graduating with my AA.
Now I have completed all my requirements. I've taken 129 credits, earned a 3.69 GPA, thanked my professors for everything they've done, hung up my gown, and even decorated my mortarboard. The school has changed its name and celebrated its 175th year. Tomorrow I celebrate having an extended break from homework and the ability to select bachelor's on the drop down menu of job applications. My children get to see their mother achieve something her parents never did, all while loving them and taking care of them, not knowing that every night mommy was too tired to take them to bed instead of dad because she wanted to make herself and their lives better. Tomorrow is exciting. Am I sad I'm not graduating from the school I fell in love with? Yes. Am I disappointed I'm nearly 30 and only getting my BA now? Yes. BUT, I'm not 30 yet and my goal (once starting) was to complete my degree by then. Mission ACCOMPLISHED. Besides, it's a degree that I earned through hard work and persistence. It's time I give myself a win without criticizing it.
Tomorrow is graduation day.
