Masters

I'm not sure where the motivation bug bit me, but out of nowhere I finally got organized to apply for graduate school.

I always loved being a student. The smell of books, the shirking of responsibilities, the crush you feel as you wait for the last minute to complete a paper. Since the day I graduated from the UW, I've been wanting to get my masters. Then I moved and while that certainly put it on hold, it also will work out for the better.

One of the benefits of attending graduate school in Turkey is the cost. As a resident of Washington State, I could attend my alma mater for $28,000. The cost of a university education in Istanbul and if you pay more to not have to write a thesis is $7,000. If you chose to write a thesis, the cost is even lower. I have yet to decide. 

I chose Istanbul Bilgi University as it has a very good reputation and the campuses are not too far from here. I also researched Istanbul University (O's alma mater), Boğazici University and Kadir Has University. Bilgi was really the only one who had an International Relations faculty that works for me. 

Now I am assembling all I need to apply. Filling out applications, getting photos printed and gathering two references from old professors in Seattle. Ironically enough, one of the professors I contacted is my Modern Greek history professor. A man who once ran for President of the now ailing nation, gave me extra credit on my midterm penmanship and vocally dislikes Turks, but comes from the same city as Atatürk. In fact, while in his class I wrote one of my weekly papers about the Greek expulsion from Smryna (Izmir) as depicted in art work, which portrayed 'bloody thirsty' Turks slaughtering 'poor innocent' Greeks as they tried to evacuate their homes leaving everything they owned behind. Scored me an A+. Its a secret I will take to the grave while living here. 

Its a bit nerve wracking, but exciting. I bounced around for a good 5 minutes when I realized I could finally score a muze kart (a discount card for Turks, students and teachers for free museum and site entrance all over the country) and a discount akbill! That alone is worth it for me to get my masters.