The title of this post is what I might find myself saying this fall. Sporting events, school events, etc, etc, etc.
Why you might ask? That's because I found out today that....(drum roll)....
I GOT ACCEPTED TO UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY!!!!!
Now, several people have asked why I'm making the switch or leaving BYU-Idaho. Besides me just being excited and telling people this in more detail, that is the point of this blog post. So read on!
Right now, I am currently an Elementary Education major at Brigham Young University-Idaho. I am currently a fourth semester student, finishing my sophomore year here. It was only this year that I really started taking the majority of my education classes. I loved being an education major, but something felt like it was missing. Like I was on the right path, but not on the right path, if that makes sense. I knew I was where I needed to be, but I didn't know why.
BYU-Idaho has been an awesome place, don't get me wrong. But education classes are not...challenging or difficult. They're extremely time-consuming classes, but at the end of the day I don't feel educationally stretched or intellectually challenged.
I didn't think this semester was going to bring about any changes or anything important, but boy was I wrong!
I am currently taking a Literacy class for my major, where we are learning how to break down the English language, sounds, and know how to put all of that together to be able to correctly assess children's reading levels and capabilities. There are lots of little rules, little sounds you have to be able to differentiate between and hear, as well as several other things. We have several department tests in that class, to make sure we are doing well in the class and the major. I thought the tests were rather easy--I found myself getting 97%-100% on each of the tests, and I flew through them. (Was that even a test?!)
One day I stayed after class to ask my teacher a question about an assignment. After we talked about the question, she asked if I could stay for a few minutes after she had finished talking to the other students who were waiting with a few questions. I agreed, and sat down in a desk near the front of the room, just waiting for her to finish answering questions. About 10 minutes later, she sat down next to me and told me that I was performing extremely well on these department tests consistently. She then asked me if I had ever considered a career in Speech-Language Pathology. I told her that I had never really heard of that, except for Speech Therapists, and that the idea of being one had truthfully never crossed my mind.
She then told me that I was exhibiting all the traits/qualities that Speech Pathologists need to have to be great at their job, and that I was at the perfect time in my schooling to transfer to a school that had a major to help me become a Speech Pathologist. She also happened to be an Education Advisor, so she helped me see if my classes would transfer, and how all of this would go down, if I decided to do it.
I slept on it, talked to my parents about it, and things just worked out incredibly smoothly and extremely quicker than expected. A week ago I applied to school, today I got accepted, we found an apartment for me to live in this fall, I'm talking with academic advisers about classes, and I don't remember the last time I've felt this excited or sure that I'm doing what I need to do.
So, the plan as of right now is to get my Associate's Degree from BYU-Idaho next week (April 11, 2014). Then I will be transferring to USU this fall semester to study Communicative Disorders/Deaf Education, which is the prerequisite to the Master's Degree of Speech Pathology. I hope to get a Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology immediately following getting my Bachelor's degree, especially seeing as how I can't really do anything with that degree, but move on to getting a Master's degree.
Here's to the next 4 years of schooling! 2 more in undergraduate, 2 more in graduate!
And.....
GO AGGIES!!!!
Live. Love. Laugh. Grow.
