G-Rad Skool

Well, I'm doing it.

I'm applying to graduate school.

I was initially resisting the idea... and this is why: Truth be told, my undergraduate GPA is less than stellar. Hell, if it was decent, I would have probably continued on straight to graduate school (my parents offered to pay for it).

But, had I done that, I would not have had the experiences I've had to date.

However, my perception of myself has changed. I always felt I was a fairly competent person, and even though I didn't get A's in classes, I think I understood the material fairly well. My performance reviews at work are always very positive, and I actually just got an offer from a woman in my group who I not only deeply respect, but is industry recognized, to try out her line of work (which is known as Engine Operability... the way I [minimally] understand it, it's like transient Engine Performance). Provided our manager approves, of course. :) (This came out of a conversation we had when we met for lunch to discuss knitting and spinning!)

Anyway... so I have embarked on the application process for graduate school.

I am initially applying to the University of Washington's master's program for Mechanical Engineering. Not only do I like that UW is a decent school, and relatively close to my house, but they have an accredited online MSME program. I figure that I can take classes online, and if shit really goes pear-shaped, I can visit the professors on campus.

The other bonus to all this is that Boeing fully funds any educational endeavors... aka my degree is fully paid for (provided I pass the classes :) )!

So far, I have my GRE scores in, I ordered my official transcripts (gulp) from UC Davis, and I have my letters of recommendation in line from work (from my chief engineer, my first-line manager, and my lead.) I asked for a character reference from my friend Ron, who is CEO of WRF Capital, a company here in Seattle, but he said he could only go as far as writing a letter about my, well, character, and he couldn't speak to my technical proficiency. Which I completely understand... so I let him off the hook. UW only accepts three slots for letters of rec, anyway.

So... all I really have left to do is fill in some slots on the application and write my Personal Statement... *EEEEEEEE*!