Is there a Doctor in the House?

Life is full of twists and turns. It has a way of taking us places we never expected to go. This semester my #1 goal was to finish my Masters. In order to achieve this goal, I am taking 17 credits of graduate coursework, and I am working 30 hours a week on my thesis. On top of this, PE and I are Resident Assistants, so we have those duties to fulfill as well.

So far, I have had a very productive semester. I am doing well in all my classes, and making progress on my thesis. But it is so busy that days feel like weeks and weeks feel like months. I am very grateful for the Sabbath, because I truly need a day of rest from my labors.

Well, even with all this hard work, it doesn't look like my thesis will be finished by May. I will have all the credits I need, but my project won't be finished which means no graduation. :( But I have been expecting this to happen since no one in my department has EVER finished their Masters in one year.

So a couple of weeks ago, I was meeting with my professors about my thesis, and they told me that I was really close to getting a PhD. My thesis is really PhD material, and so the only thing that stands in my way is 60 more credits. Going into the Master program, I knew that my professors would try to get me to stay for a PhD (I had been warned by students that had gone before me), and I was convinced that nothing they could say would make me even consider a PhD. Boy was I wrong!

Now, I'm not saying that I will get a PhD, but I am saying that it is a possibility. And no one is surprised more than I am that I am actually considering this route. Now a lot of things will depend on if/when/where PE gets a job. But knowing that my project will probably take another year, then why not take extra credits and make a PhD out of it? Most students spread the 30 credits out over 2 years, but I did the 30 credits in 2 semesters. And the nice thing about the PhD credits, is that most of them can be research credits (so I get credits for working on my project). Also, my tuition would be completely covered, and I would still get paid a monthly stipend. And I get good health insurance for a really low price!

By my calculations, I could graduate with a PhD by Dec. 2012. I would be 24 years old with a PhD in Biological Engineering. I would also be the only one on my side and my husband's side of the family with a PhD (that I am aware of).