Something in the Academic Air

After all these months, several of my fellow students are still mulling over what they want to do with their lives. While one is heading for pharmacy school, another is headed off to naturopathy training, and the best writing partner ever is signed up for physical therapy school, a lot of folks still are gathering brochures, wandering through Web sites, and talking to people in various industries.

It must be catching. As I may have said in previous posts, I began school thinking I had it all figured out: get the BA in English, get the MA in teaching English as a foreign language, get the PhD in something useful, and look for a job at a small university. Teach a lot, publish academic research articles as neccessary, repeat. It was a lovely plan. It's just not the right one -- or not totally the right one.

Here we are, in the summer before my senior year (does my age make me a double senior?), at the moment I should be planning when to take the GRE and gathering grad school applications, and I'm still not sure what I want to be when I finally, finally grow up.

Despite the legendary blankness of my memory when it comes to remembering names of philosophers and details of philosophical theories and arguments, I am most totally absorbed by bioethics. But, most grad schools offering advanced degrees in the field require that one be concurrently enrolled in an MD or MNS program. One program might take me, but it's on the other side of the country.

I could just take the BA and go back to writing science and research news releases for a university somewhere -- Kansas State is hiring -- but do I want to settle for what I used to do? The same argument militates against going back to broadcast journalism. And so does my gut.

A good friend has advised that I spend the weekend reflecting and praying about this. Since I choke up every time I think about taking a final step in one direction or another, that seems like a good idea.

If you'd like to comment or advise, please send me a note. I had no idea that indecisiveness was catching.