Tuesday, December 12, 2006

In

We've been checking the mailbox with a religious regularity to see if there's any news from The Program. Especially after I had the interview and was told that decisions were being made by that Friday (which was 1 December). While gratifying to receive Christmas cards and not so gratifying to get bills, the mailbox was a black hole of disappointment. What in world could be taking them so long to get the letters of rejection or acceptance out?

So, Monday I headed into the Pharmacology (class from hell), and another woman who applied for the same program asked if I had heard anything. Nope. Nothing. "Why, have you?" I asked, paranoia seeping in. "Yup," she told me, "I got an email."

"An email?"

"Yes, an email. I've been waitlisted. I'm 13 on the list."

I didn't get an email. I asked the other woman who applied and she too got an email-- 20th on the waitlist. I didn't get a damn email. Or maybe I did? Because it suddenly dawned on me that I gave my alternate "permanent" email address to this school. And I check that email sporadically at best. I held out until the end of class and then hightailed it over to the computer lab, found Partner, told her the story, and we signed into my other email. Nothing was there, but there was one message in my junk mail box, telling me to reactivate my old email monniker (since this was school I had attended as an undergrad.) The email looked suspiciously like I had been accepted, but perhaps I was also on the waitlist? If I did get an email, then it seems it went into the junkmail, and since that is automatically deleted every five days, I had no way of knowing.

We decided to drive home and see if there was anything in the regular mail--- and there wasn't. So I called the admissions department, told the (very young sounding) girl who took my call my whole tale of woe.

"I'm on tenterhooks," I told her.

"I can't help you," she replied.

She transferred me to the school I had applied to, and no one there could help either. Apparently the woman who would be able help was out of the office. "She should be back tomorrow," I was told.

Thwarted. I don't like being thwarted.

I called again this morning to get no love at all. As soon as the I heard the purr of the mail truck, I was out the door to the mailboxes like a flash. Or okay, not so much like a flash these days, but if it's possible to waddle like a flash down the driveway in the drizzle, still in my pajamas, then that's what I did. And there was a little with a little gold M in the upper corner, and "admissions" somewhere on the envelope. It was a small envelope. I wasn't feeling so good about it. A small letter. Don't you remember the conventional wisdom that if you were accepted to a program, it was a big letter chock full o' important information about the school and the upcoming year? Well, I remember that, so the small envelope...

We tore it open standing in the road. It congratulated me. On my admission.

I'm floored. I never really ever thought I'd get into this program, but I did. And I start next September. And then one year from that time, I'll have a second bachelors degree. In nursing. And then, imagine, a degree that one can actually use to get a job. That pays.

I was pretty excited for about five minutes, but now I think I'm mostly scared shitless.

They let me in. Our lives are changing in huge ways.

23 Comments:

Blogger DD said...

Of course you're "In". You're just so cool that way.

Congrats!

4:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations!!! That's wonderful news.

5:01 PM  
Blogger Trista said...

Oh wonderful! You're in! That's great!

And I SO hear you about the joy of getting a degree that you could use to get a real job...

5:19 PM  
Blogger Wendy and Karen said...

Congratulations! That's fabulous!

6:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congrats! From what I hear it's really tough to get into nursing programs now because the nursing shortage has led to a shortage of teachers and programs. It was a lot easier to get in when I went. So kudos!

8:11 PM  
Blogger Mermaidgrrrl said...

Yay for you Katie! I'm so proud of you achieving all of this while struggling through pregnancy. I barely made it through my nursing degree and I was footloose and fancy-free at the time!

9:23 PM  
Blogger art-sweet said...

AWEEEESSOME!

11:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Katie! 2007 is going to be a very big year for you...

9:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow, congratulations! I'm so happy for you--you should be very, very proud of accomplishing so much!

10:18 AM  
Blogger Michko said...

That's great news! Congrats!

10:40 AM  
Blogger Jen said...

Way to go! I am so happy for you!

12:50 PM  
Blogger Clementine said...

Congratulations! That's wonderful news!

1:42 PM  
Blogger LilySea said...

Congratulations!

9:18 PM  
Blogger Robyn said...

big congrats! i had been wondering what you were up to with the really hard classes and such. i'm so excited for you...so many changes coming in your life!

10:13 AM  
Blogger Laura said...

Congratulations!

10:23 AM  
Blogger *G* said...

That's awesome news! Congratulations on having all the hard work pay off :)

11:08 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations, and welcome to the wonderful world of nursing!

:)

4:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations! What great news!
Talk about keeping you hanging!!!

8:38 PM  
Blogger Gandksmom said...

WTG! I am so happy and excited for you!

5:05 PM  
Blogger agoodlistener said...

Congratulations! What with words like "tenterhooks" and "thwarted" being tossed about, I would have thought you'd just go straight for the Masters in creative writing. Oh. Wait. You want a paying job. Stay with nursing, then. I myself married one and it's been great. They're never out of work.

9:55 PM  
Blogger chris said...

You're a smart cookie. Congrats. You can do a lot with a nursing degree. Including get paid. Which, as I recall, is a good thing.

3:26 PM  
Blogger Robin said...

Hooray for you. I was wondering why you were taking a chemistry class!

1:39 PM  
Blogger Amyesq said...

Humongous congratulations! That is fantastic! A nurse - so great!

7:52 PM  

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