Sara Meets the Physical Therapist

So I got to talk to him... FINALLY! YAY! You have no idea how happy I was when he told me he could meet with me on Tuesday! I was EXTREMELY happy! I know this P.T. through a friend, it's her husband. He went to Baylor, which is the Army school for P.T., and he has an intern with him now that had just graduated from Baylor; needless to say, I picked their brains.

When I first realized I wanted to go on to get my Ph. D. in P.T. Baylor was one of the schools that popped up. I'm not sure why, but it did. I just did a quick Google, this was about a year ago now. Baylor is actually ranked in the top 5 schools for P.T., but again it's an Army school which means you HAVE to serve 4 years active duty once you graduate and then you put in two years of active duty reserves. How that works, I don't know. haha! So it turns out that Baylor actually has a REALLY good pass rate. Only 1% of their students fail. And even less than that fails out of the program.

Why this may be is because you are getting paid as a 2nd Lt. as soon as you get accepted and start the school. Uncle Sam is putting all this money into you, don't you think that Uncle Sam wants you to pass? Yeah. So what the instructors and other faculty does is they actually care about you and want you to pass, amazing huh?

So ask me, "Sara, why are you looking so deeply into a school that would make you go active duty into the Army?" I answer, "Well silly, because." *Side note, in German you know it's interesting, if someone said 'because I feel like it' or 'because I don't want to', you know that's an acceptable answer and it would cause for the conversation to stop.*

So here's the real reasons why: I already have so many student loans, and it SUCKS! I want to be out of them so quickly. I want to be a PT where I can help people that can't really help themselves. (I know it sounds corney, but when I was going through PT for my knee last year I saw a bunch of soldiers who had come up from downrange in the rehab and I want to help them.) So, here's the glorious side of it, I know I keep getting off track, buuuut...

As soon as I get in, they pay for my school: 2 years of working towards my Ph. D. TOTALLY PAID FOR by UNCLE SAM himself

I get paid to go to school: As soon as I sign them papers and start OBT (Officer Basic Training), they start paying me as a 2nd Lt. I am not too sure what the pay will be at the time I get in, but right now it's 2,469.30 a month. Not bad eh? That's about 25,000 + a year.

I make rank fast: While in school I will make 1st; by the time I graduate from the program and am out in the job field I will make Capt within a year. I'm not one to say, Oh look at me, I'm a Capt. But honestly, that's a great achievement.

I get good training: Let's face it, the gov't wants to take care of their soldiers. Why then would they give a bad education that they are paying for, basically twice. I talked to the intern and she said by the time you get done with the mandatory internship and your 2 year project you will have a great knowledge of the information and feel confident enough to work wherever they send you.

I really just want to be a PT: Honestly, it's what I want to do. It was either this or work with sports medicine. Going this way school gets paid for, I get paid and have a guaranteed job for as long as I want it.

Downfalls:

I don't think I can find a guy willing to marry me while I'm in the program, or just before I enter it and then follow me around the world for 4 years. I know it's tough.

4 years is a while to give

I have to really work hard for my Ph. D. and especially with them. I have to start now. Don't get me wrong, I think I can do it, I am not a slacker, but seriously, it will probably be one of the harder things I've done in my life.

So there you have it. What I'm thinking with my PT dream... Want to know the best thing about doing it this way? My father AND my brothers, if Spud joins too, would have to salute me! Haha, so that's not a BIG deciding factor, but it's fun to say!

German class: A great place to think

So I like to think in German class. I sit there with my notebook for German and my notebook for my thoughts. It's good...

So here's my once again, TENTATIVE decisions, ready? *The good news is they are getting more and more concrete*

January 2008: Move back to AZ, start school again at ASU for Spring term of 2007-2008.

Yes, the mission is being put on hold, not so much hold, but it's not being given a time that it has to be done by...

I would hopefully graduate by May 2009. Maybe I'll go on my mission then. Come home, around December 2010. Who knows then, Baylor is a good option.

If something happens and you all end up seeing me in white instead, cool. Things will change, but I HAVE to get my BS. I've decided it's a MUST NEED for this day and age. I mean honestly, what if something happens and I need to work. It's hard finding a job carrying that BS as it is. Can you imagine doing it without one? I can't. Gee.

I like writing. Can you tell? I dont' think anyone reads these, but it's theraputic for me. And I like it!