Dropping out of grad school to focus on health...

Dearest Friends,

Happy holidays! I know it may be a bit early, but I already started my holiday shopping!

It's been so long since I have written to you. The last time we chatted, I was pursuing my doctorate in English at Old Dominion University. Something happened that caused me to drop the program.

Back in early October, I went to the hospital for a terrible illness that was caused by stress and bad medication. It almost caused me to quit my job too. Luckily, I went on medical leave for 2 weeks and was able to get back on track. Sadly, I had to drop ODU's program, but I truly feel in my heart that I did the right thing.

Looking back, I'm not sure if ODU had the best program for me. I had somewhat of an epiphany when I went to the hospital. I want to teach literature.

Forgive me, I know you helped me so much with library science and my PhD in English program. I don't mean to waffle back and forth. I guess I'm at a stage in my life where I want to settle down into a career that makes me happy. I realized that I do love being a teacher. I guess I was just overstressed and overworked. Sometimes, it's okay to step away from that mountain of merciless ungraded papers.

I guess I'm thinking out loud here, but maybe when I'm healthy again, I can start looking into going back to school again. My boss said I would make a lovely supervisor of an English department. She recommended Seton Hall University's supervisor program, which is entirely online! I like this idea, but I want more.

I like the idea of going for a PhD in English Education because it allows me focus on my love for literature and applying it to my pedagogy. Maybe I can teach future educators at the college level. I would love that very much. But I guess I want to know if I should do an Ed.D instead. I guess I'm conflicted about how the Ed.D would be perceived as opposed to a PhD. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Thank you so much for everything, my dear friends. I owe you big time!

 

Sorry to hear about your health issue. It is good that you choose health over studying for your Ph.D. credential. I would not recommend you withdraw it but request a leave of absence. Some schools allow you to return to the program if you finish up within ten years from the original admission date. In this case, it will enable you to return to continue the program where you left off. I did this with Nova Southeastern University, but I realized that my GI Bill was exhausted and NSU was expensive. So, I decided to start again with the University of the Cumberlands.

 

Thank you so much for your reply! I didn't really want to go back to ODU since I realized that I don't necessarily need a PhD in English. It would be an honor to be a college professor someday, but perhaps my PhD could be in education instead. What do you think?

 

Health > Education.

I do not speak about it often but I took a Leave of Absence from Duke when my son had issues with his epilepsy. It was far more important than my attention be on him versus an assignment, exam, etc.

Find the program that fits you but only do so after you get your health in order. Good luck!

 

It is an excellent choice that you want to pursue Ph.D. in Education, but ensure to earn from the most prestigious school you could because you want to enter higher academia. I choose the University of the Cumberlands because I have yet to desire to seek full-time in academia. Mainly my Ph.D. is just for personal satisfaction, maybe later for SME consultancy, and adjunct professional for fun.

 

I am so sorry to hear about the health problems. At first, I thought you wanted to switch to the swimlane of healthcare education. Apologies and I blame it on my bad English. Although I think LOA is an option, no matter what is your final decision health is the first thing for us all. Take care.

 

Praying for your continued healing. Please take your time in establishing and knocking down your targets.