A Message from (the) Queen('s)

I just got this email this morning from Prof. Peter Gray at Queen's University, Belfast, North Ireland:

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Peter Gray [p.h.gray@queens-belfast.ac.uk]
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 10:40 AM
To: Daniel Ostendorff

Dear Daniel
Just to let you know that your application for a place on MA Modern history
has been approved and that you will be getting formal confirmation of this
from the University's Admissions Office in due course (hopefully quite
quickly).

Looking forward to meeting you in September.
Best wishes
Peter Gray
Professor of Modern Irish History
Chair of Postgraduate Research Committee
School of History and Anthropology
Queen\'s University Belfast
Belfast BT7 1NN
N. Ireland

Web: www.qub.ac.uk/history

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Needless to say I'm on cloud nine. :-) I'm so excited!!

Hope to Hear This Next Week

(Image courtesy of BankNotes.com)

I took this last Thursday off to work on applications. Nottingham's is sent. It was an online app, so easy to get done adn sent off. Edinburg's is finished, I'm just waiting on one more recommendation, then I can send it off. Cambridge is the last one and there's still a good bit to do. It's the only school that requires three pictures (or any picture for that matter), a writing sample, and a 500 word essay for potential funding. Needless to say, it's the most involved, so it's going to take a while. Hopefully I can get it out before the 4th.

That's the update on school...

Other than that, I'm starting to dig into Kenyan history some more, particularly the colonial period. It's interesting to look at JBU's collection of resources, they are all dated within 5 or 10 years of Kenya's independence in 1963. Needless to say, I need to keep looking for recent scholarship. I'm hoping that this means that it's a field that still has room for input and scholarship. We'll see. I feel like, in some ways, academia is a gamble - you pick a focus that you feel will be marketable and one you enjoy enough to spend your life focusing on; then hope that there actually is a market out there when you're finished with your university course.

I've started on a book now written in 1968 that focuses primarily on the development of Kenya, or the East African protectorate, from the time the British decided to administer it (1895) until the 1910s. It's focusing mostly on the establishment of British government and the journey of working with the local population to establish an administration. It's really interesting and makes me excited to pursue it in more depth.

I guess that's a good thing...

Following Close Behind...Edinburgh & Cambridge

With Queen's first out of the shoot last week, Edinburgh and Cambridge are hot on his heels.

Queen's continues to be the program I'm the most excited about and the one I'm the most encouraged about my possibility of acceptance. Cambridge is my "shoot for the moon" move (yes, in following up to my last post, I did change my mind and am going to go for it). Edinburgh is a possibility and a school with a fantastic reputation - it'll be a hard choice if I'm accepted there and Queen's.

The University of Nottingham also got back to me and they have space available still as well. For those of you that know Prof. Neil Ward at JBU, this was the school he did his MFA at a year ago. He speaks well of it - besides the fact that it's quite the party school - the education was really good.

So, we'll see. I hope to hear back from Queen's within the next week and a half or so. For Cambridge and Edinburgh, I'm waiting on recommendations from Dr. Ericson. Once I get those and Prof. Jason Hough fills out my personal reference for funding through Cambridge, I can get all of those sent off. Oh yeah, and I need to finish my writing sample for Cambridge (I'm editing my senior thesis on the Rwandan genocide) and a picture of myself to send. So, I'm hoping that I can get them all in the mail as soon as Wed. We'll see!

I've started the application for Nottingham but ran into a slight hickup - they won't let me apply for 2008 online anymore, only 2009. So, waiting to hear back from them on how to handle that. Hopefully I can have this application completed by the end of the week.

Don't know if I'll be in the UK three months from now, but I'm sure going to give it my best shot. :-P

Queen's, First One Out of the Shoot

I sent in my completed application to Queen's University in Belfast this afternoon. By far, Prof. Peter Gray has been the most helpful of all the Universities I've been in contact with this week. The more I think about it, the more I'm excited for the possibility! By far, Queen's seems to have the best grad program for what I want to study. Prof. Gray did both is undergraduate and graduate work at Cambridge, where I'd love to study some day. The school's located in Belfast - which is great! The JBU study abroad team will be near by in the fall - which gives me a way to continue to invest in JBU, which I'm really excited about. Hadden & Betty Wilson are around, which brings bubbling happiness and excitment to my heart. The more and more I think about it, the more and more I get so excited!

I'm hoping this is where God wants me, but we'll have to see. Thankfully, I was able to get a hold of both Prof. Preston Jones and Dr. Rick Ostrander for recommendations. I was able to get a copy of my transcript within a day (thanks Melanie!) and had the entire application completed and sent two days after I started it. Up to this point, it seems like God has been opening doors and making connections easier then they should be, but we'll have to see. It may be that his plan involves me staying here in Siloam Springs or down in Little Rock next year, we'll just have to see...but N. Ireland sure would be grand. :-)

Also got my FAFSA taken care of today. I now know why that stupid (sorry, it's not really) form causes so much stress and frustration for our undergraduate student's and parents. It's so particular and detailed - to the point where it's frustrating to continually find yourself flipping back and forth through your tax return. Arg! At least it's done though.

I also found out that tuition at Queen's will be approx. $17,700 this next year. (Crazy how that's the same cost as JBU per year...hmmm). I've been told to atleast plan on $17-20,000 for living expenses. That brings it to roughly $35,000 to $40,000 that I need for next year and all the scholarship deadlines are passed, so it's likely resting on my laurels to pay for it. Through FAFSA and the Federal Gov't, I can get up to $20,000 in Stafford loans - woohoo!! Then from there I can use the PLUS loan to cover all the extra. So, the good news is that I know I can finance the year at a decent interest rate (6.5% and 8% respectively), but it's still a huge chunk of money. Granted, I'll be making $10-15,000 a year after it then I'm making now, but it's still a chunk of change. We'll see what God does - it'd be great if there was some financial help from a late scholarship or left over funds somewhere, but I'm not counting on it.

Anyways, this is ridiculously long. From here, I'll work on the application to the University of Edinburgh and University of Nottingham, but to be honest, I'm not super excited about either one. I think I've decided to not apply to Cambridge now. I might apply later for a research masters (after my taught masters at Queen's - the UK has two different masters, taught and research) or maybe for a doctorate down the road somewhere. Cambridge would still be a dream come true - but I don't feel like I'm at a point to make the most of it right now.

And the adventure goes on... :-)

Things Are Always Changing

So, in following, with the story of my life, it continues to change. No longer am I going to be working for JBU this coming Fall. In fact, my last day will likely be the middle to end of July (probably following the AVC camp from July 13-18, right before I leave for a week vacation on the beach with the family.

Where to from here? Well, there's a few options:

United Kingdom - I heard from Queen's University (in Belfast, N. Ireland), University of Edinburgh, and Cambridge this morning that they still have spots left in their master's in history programs. Woohoo! I'm still waiting to hear back from a few others. But it's really exciting, so I'm now going to work like a mad man to get the applications filled out this week. I can't wait to see if something works out!

Little Rock - my parents would love for me to move back to Little Rock, and I would as well. I have a great group of friends there, a fantastic church, and a twin brother that I want to encourage. Also, because I lived there through high school and my parents have lived there for 8 years, there's plenty of connections to look for a job. Or, maybe work with my brother in his lawn mowing business...who knows.

Siloam Springs - or another option is to look for things here in Siloam. There are positions open at the school that I could apply for, as well as a large area throughout the Northwest corridor that would have jobs. As well, I have an incredible group of friends here that I love and that would love for me to stick around. Another option in this area is to pursue a master's at the U of A, possibly in communication.

So, I'm not sure what this Fall holds for me. I do know that I have little to no commitments (other than school loans). I know that I serve an incredible God who's taken care of me up to this point and promises to be faithful. I know that there's a huge world out there with all kinds of opportunities - so whatever works out, I'm excited for the change. I think, more than anything, I'm the most excited about grad school and pursuing a master's at this point.