MFA / PhD Applications...DONE! Also, Three Lists

*giant exhale, not a sigh*

Woke up super early to mail packets before the holiday cut off for overnight shipping, glad I asked about it on Saturday. Mailed rec letter sent to me for me to send to program. Called around to places to make sure they had everything assembled. Checked up on rec letter submissions, everything is as expected. Called clearinghouse about transcripts. Checked bank account to see if the GRE folks (ETS) had taken out their money yet, samesies for transcript folk. Crossed off last items on last lists.

Everything made it in on time! The statements of purposes; the transcripts unofficial, the transcripts official; the single goals statement; the rec letters; the GRE scores; the poetry work samples; the nonfiction work samples; the combined-but-not-interspersed poetry-and-nonfiction work samples; the writing samples critical, expository, and analytical; the teaching assistant applications; the teaching philosophies; the teaching statements; the statements of interest; the CVs; the cover sheets and cover letters; the pdfs; the pdfs that couldn't be filled out electronically and thus were printed, filled out by hand, scanned, and emailed; the documents uploaded, the documents mailed; the documents literally cut and pasted on top of one another  and scanned (thanks Ben!);  the online graduate college applications; the paper department applications; the payments!

Speaking of the payments...

A list for those who may want to do this sometime: Total Expenses

Application Fees: 56 50 75 50 40 60 55 60 65 = $511

GRE Fees: OSU + URI + UIC + CSU + WMU + UU + UCol 7 Places require scores= $175 + Original $200 something to take the test... = $375

Official Transcript Fees: WMU, OSU, CSU = $91, PLUS initial order to myself for unofficial copies $50 = $141, not counting the 4 or 5 places that WILL want official transcripts if they admit me

Postage: $2 UCol Packet, $20 CSU Packet Overnight, + $10 Jamie Letter CSU Priority + $2 WMU Packet+ $1 OSU MACC Transcript = $35 

Le gran totale: $1062, spread out over three paychecks (six weeks), spent on potentially going to school next year to study and get accredited to teach creative writing at the college level.

A third list: Things to be excited about

1) none of that money went on credit cards or was paid for with debt
             a. corollary: I am finally getting good at being student-poor

2) studying at my mentors' alma maters

3) living in Madison, living in Corvallis, living in Kalamazoo, living in Tuscon, living in Salt Lake, living in Chicago, living in Boulder, living in Fort Collins, living in Rhode Island
             a. corollary: I get to move again no matter what happens
             b. corollary: possibly into a place with better trans resources and community than Flag offers

4) having money, a job, free school, and health insurance next year
             a. corollary: economic stability for at least two more years

5) more teaching experience, potentially with a creative writing class of my own
             a. corollary: professionalization

6) possessing terminal degree 
             a. corollary: qualified to do a decent-paying job that I enjoy

             b. corollary: employable in my chosen field by the time I'm 30

7) cranking out a gender-heavy, trans-heavy, book-length creative text by 2015.
             a. gettin it
             b. doin it
             c. arting at where the art wants to go
             d. righteous-forward directed creative energy

Okay. I feel better about stuff now :)

What I don't feel better about: got paid Friday, $40 in bank account to get me to and from and all around San Diego next week to assemble our literary magazine :(

Putting on my editor skirt this week. Ready to sashay all over those rejection letters and acceptance contracts. Decision: pumps or flats? Serious sashay: pumps. Les-clunky finesse: flats. Flats. Maybe a hair flower as zazz-supplement.

Also starting a 30-in-30 for January. I wish me luck. 

-Ilya