In late April of 2001 my mom sent the following email to the graduate coordinator of the sociology department at the University of Florida. I have no idea if she ever received a response.

I know it’s really late to apply for the fall program, but I am interested in a Masters degree in Sociology with a Social Psychology emphasis. I graduated from UCF 12/98 with a BS in Social Sciences (concentrations in Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, and Public Administration/Criminal Justice). My final GPA was 3.55, with 59 credits at UCF at 3.95. The courses I completed are very closely aligned with the areas described on the socpsych page. My SAT scores, back when all we had were #2 pencils, were 655 verbal, 671 math, 753 English.

One of the reasons I want to go on to a master’s degree is the immense joy in learning that I rediscovered when I attended UCF. As a single parent, I raised two terrific Gators, managing with no college degree, very little child support, and lots of love. When my youngest took off for Gainesville, I thought about going back for my degree (in spite of the occasional nightmares about showing up for Sister Margaret Mary’s Shakespeare class totally unprepared that had plagued me for years!).

I was a little surprised and thoroughly delighted by the intensity of my experience. I was like an insatiable sponge. I think I missed about 5 classes in three years. I loved every minute, even to that indescribable perfume permeating new textbooks (only when there were no used books available!).

I graduated the same year that my daughter graduated from UF, and I immediately began to think about graduate school. By that time, I was hooked on UF. My two children lived in town at the time, so I sold my house, got a new job, and headed to Gainesville. Getting settled in, given a serious family illness, a new job, and a search for a home, was a little more than I bargained for, and this spring is the first time I have been able to take a breath and remember why I moved here. So, I finally cranked up my computer (it really does have a crank.) and here I am.

I have been supervising/managing customer service for about 20 years, and I would like to apply an advanced degree in business, teaching, or research (or some combination thereof). I believe I have a lot to offer. I spend a lot of time teaching and motivating adults to be better and go farther than they thought they could, and I’m good at it. I am, by nature, I think, a teacher. I am also a communicator, a process improvement guru, a facilitator, a thinker, and a doer.

I may not fit into the traditional student mold, but I would like to get my master’s at UF.

Where do we go from here?