Sep 26 2002
stake in the ground
Yipes!
For the last 2+ years I’ve been thinking and talking about going back to school to get a Master’s degree in Library & Information Science. The idea is that the classes will be heavy on the Info Sci bit so I can apply the knowledge to my current work and interests, but also be broad enough to give me the foundation I’ll need to become a “Media Specialist” (or whatever they’re calling school librarians these days) sometime in the future. What with moving back to MA and the wedding planning and etc. over the last year, all this school stuff has remained just talk and thought. Until today.
Since I graduated from college nearly 10 (!!) years ago, the GRE scores I acquired back then are no longer valid (and no longer available, apparently.. I can’t even find copies with all my college stuff that’s taking up too much room in my parents’ garage). This requires me to retake the exams, something I’ve been loathe to do. Today I finally called and scheduled the appointment. This means that between now and November 30 I’ll be adding “cram for exam” to my long list of things I should be doing. Wish me luck.
I’ve looked at a few programs for the MLS. The only local program that I’ve found is at Simmons, but I get the sense that the courses aren’t quite as technical as I want at this point in my career. The upside, though, is that I’d be able to go to classes locally and meet face-to-face with professors and other students.
However, I’m leaning more toward the program at Drexel, in particular their Online Program for the MLS with a concentration in the Management of Digital Information (their other online degree program for MS Information Systems also looks good). The coursework looks interesting and fairly technical, and I’m drawn to the flexibility of a completely distance-learning program. I’m currently thinking that these points outweigh face-to-face interaction.
Another alternative is what looks to be a best-of-both-worlds program: Syracuse’s Information Studies Distance Learning program. This one would require some campus visits nearly every quarter, with a 9+ day initial visit. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to convince my employers that 9 days of on-site coursework shouldn’t be considered different from two one-week training classes (instead of giving time off for “training,” I’d be required to take the time as vacation days or time without pay - even though one of the current requirements for job advancement is advanced schooling) - this is a fairly significant problem, especially considering I’m already in the hole for vacation days. Drexel’s sounding better.
So, once the GREs are out of the way, I’ll be spending the winter preparing grad school applications and the like. I find this somewhat odd (as I did a couple years ago when I first realized I wanted to go back to school), because I really wanted nothing to do with more schooling when I finished college. Funny how several years of growth and experience can change one’s perspective (I suspect a high level of interest in the subject matter also helps).
Any words of advice from folks who’ve been-there, done-that are most welcome!
