So, this semester is quickly drawing to a close. I think that there's about a week and a half of class left, and then I have to take three or four finals. Mostly, the semester's been fairly mundane. I haven't done a whole lot worth talking about lately, but there is something I just found out that is worth consideration.
I am a fourth semester student at Mansfield University, currently majoring in Mathematics Education. Over the past year, I've had to radically rethink my planned schedule for my time here at Mansfield for a few good reasons. The first thing that happened was I decided it was more in my interest to leave the honors program so that I could take the classes that I wanted to take and not worry about staying later or possibly negatively affecting my grade point average just so that I can graduate "with honors." All in all, it was a good decision that I cannot regret.
This past semester, because of Analog Electronics, I have been forced to drop my minor in Physics. The reason is simple, not only would I have had to complete Analog, but I would have been forced to take at least one more course with Dr. Ambrosio, and I simply cannot fathom sitting through two semesters with him. His class was absolutely awful, and though I probably could have gotten an A, it would have been a pointless waste of my time. (If you're wondering, getting an A would have been easy because at the end of the semester Dr. Ambrosio curves all of the grades based on who did the most work, and no one was doing any work, so everyone would have had A's and B's.)
What that basically leaves me with is a degree in Mathematics Education (BSE.Mathematics), which is still pretty awesome. However, with a little tweaking, I found that I can "dual" major with Applied Mathematics as well (BS.Mathematics: Applied). Well, after talking to a friend of mine, who happens to be a professor here at Mansfield, it was brought to my attention that it might be more beneficial for me to drop the Education degree and devote my studies to a degree in Applied Math alone. At first, this seemed like a terrible idea, even though she suggested that I could get a master's degree in Education if I still wanted to teach. However, since I couldn't ignore her suggestion, I looked into it, and it turns out that if I can get a loan for a single summer course (roughly a grand), I can graduate next spring with a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics.
After talking with my adviser and a few other professors, I've learned that if I graduate next spring, I could literally complete my Master's in Education from Mansfield by the end of 2012, not long after I would graduate with a Bachelor's in Mathematics Education if I stay on my current path. This, at first, seems like an amazing idea. Of course, there's always a catch. The catch is quite simple, if I take this path, I will have more trouble achieving my long term goal of getting my doctorate because I will then have to get a second master's degree in mathematics later, probably without funding.
Of course, there is a final path I can choose. I would never have considered this path if not for my Topology professor, Dr. Haner. He suggested that I apply to grad schools, not for education, but for Applied Mathematics. That way, if I can find a school that will fund me, I can work straight through my master's degree and begin work on my doctorate immediately. Haner told me that I could (more than likely) get accepted and funded for a doctoral program if I keep my grades up and get some killer letters of recommendation. If I take that path, in six to eight years (unless I seriously screw up) I can have a Ph.D.
Finally, a path that seems perfect, right? Wrong. The problem with this last path is simple: I won't really start working at the capacity necessary to support a family until I have my Ph.D. and find a job. In other words, I will be a student until I am at least twenty six (more like twenty seven or twenty eight). The idea of attempting to start a family while I am still a full time student, especially a full time student working towards a doctorate, is just something that I can't conceive. Now, if I could finish the program by 2016, the problem would be minimal (except that I still have to think about Megan and the fact that I can't keep uprooting her), but very few people finish a doctoral program in five years, and I am having difficulty making that decision.
This is my current dillema. The fact that I have a deadline makes it even worse. Oh, I didn't mention that if I want to graduate next year I need to fill out a change of major form and apply for graduation before the end of this semester. (At least I think there will be issues if I don't. I was sent an email saying I need to apply for graduation a year in advance.) Either way, I am having a lot of trouble deciding, and I really don't know what to do here. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Joshua
