Educational Psychology

After posting that quick note yesterday, I realized that I never posted an update about my status as a grad student, so here it is...

I officially found out this week that I was accepted into the Educational Psychology PhD program here at U of I. I am focusing on Educational Measurement, testing, so it's kind of like an applied statistics degree. Officially I will enter the program in the Spring, but they won't have funding for me until next year so the Stats department said I could teach one more semester for them (probably my usual Stat 100 but I don't know for sure). I've already started taking Ed Pscyh classes this semester and I'm absolutely in love with them!! I feel like I've returned to my original passion for education and testing and measurement and I'm very excited!

The good news is I will still get to work with my adviser, Jeff Douglas! (Sidenote : One of my advisers at Teachers College had Jeff as an adviser so one of the reasons I came to U of I was to work with Jeff.) Jeff will probably be my main adviser but I will also get to work with some other amazing people in the Ed Psych program!! The other good news is I should still be able to finish in the next two or three years so despite transferring programs, I don't think I will have lost any time.

Sadly, after this year, I most likely will not get to teach Stat 100 again. I have absolutely loved teaching this class and I will miss it! My Ed Psych professor thinks that next year I will get to teach a 400 level class called Educational Statistics, which sounds very, very similar to my Stat 100, so that should be a fun new learning experience!!

Yes, I will still have to take a qualifying exam for Ed Psych, however, their exam is a take home exam that you have one week to complete and you can take it whenever you want and it is more application based than the (theoretical) stats qualifying exam! The one prerequisite is that I have to write a paper before taking the qual (I will probably write a literature review), but my adviser thinks that I can get the paper and the test done before next summer!

Although I'm sad and disappointed in myself (I don't like failing at things!), I really think this program will be a much better fit for me, for my interests, and for my future career goals so I'm very, very, very excited!! Educational Psychology, here I come!!! :)


Smile: One week with my wonderful husband! And I get to celebrate his birthday with him tomorrow (Sunday)! What could be better!!!!

Frown: My apologies for the lack of updates, but I feel guilty posting from school and I still haven't set up my wireless internet at my apartment (I don't know how to make it private - anyone know???).