Ok this grad school search thing has really got me in a spin. There isn't a good program in Canada for me, for what i can see, not one that combines the right education with the right reputation for furthering my academic career. Which sucks. It sucks that I have to worry about the reputation of where i do my Masters. shouldn;t a Masters degree be the same, no matter which school it comes from?
There are couple of great programs in the states, but in order to be approaved for them, I have to show that I am financially fit enough to live in the US for a year, which means coming up with 12 K to have in the bank, and that will probably never happen in my lifetime. If I take a break and start working, then I only have six months grace before I have to start paying off my student loans, so there is no way to save there, unless someone comes along and gives me a 50K a year job, which ain't likely with only my BA.
So what do I do? I could change my focus i guess, and study something else for the MA and maybe come back to the Daoism and Confucianism for the PHD. That opens up more schools in Canada, even if I just expand to take in Buddhism. or I could look at Religion in Modern Culture, which I find disturbing and fascinating all at the same time. I could go teh Contemporary Alternative Spirituality route I suppose, as well. again opens up quite a few good Canadian schools. But it leaves my BA honors studies a little in the lurch, and I may have some major learning to take on to get up to speed in that area.
I don't know, it sucks that, even though I could obtain funding for half of the tuition and living expenses for the first year of my degree, and quite probably, the second as well, formt he American schools, that I won;t be allowed in because of Immigration regulations abtu how much money I have in my bank account. Free trade for anything going towards Canada, not the other way around *sigh*
There are couple of great programs in the states, but in order to be approaved for them, I have to show that I am financially fit enough to live in the US for a year, which means coming up with 12 K to have in the bank, and that will probably never happen in my lifetime. If I take a break and start working, then I only have six months grace before I have to start paying off my student loans, so there is no way to save there, unless someone comes along and gives me a 50K a year job, which ain't likely with only my BA.
So what do I do? I could change my focus i guess, and study something else for the MA and maybe come back to the Daoism and Confucianism for the PHD. That opens up more schools in Canada, even if I just expand to take in Buddhism. or I could look at Religion in Modern Culture, which I find disturbing and fascinating all at the same time. I could go teh Contemporary Alternative Spirituality route I suppose, as well. again opens up quite a few good Canadian schools. But it leaves my BA honors studies a little in the lurch, and I may have some major learning to take on to get up to speed in that area.
I don't know, it sucks that, even though I could obtain funding for half of the tuition and living expenses for the first year of my degree, and quite probably, the second as well, formt he American schools, that I won;t be allowed in because of Immigration regulations abtu how much money I have in my bank account. Free trade for anything going towards Canada, not the other way around *sigh*