Thanks you guys! After some more consideration I’ve decided to go for it! When I went to accept the offer it turns out I was able to select a later start semester all along. I’m going to start in the Spring semester of next year so I will get a nice little year break!

Now that I know I’ll have a little breather Im actually really excited to go back! I never dreamed I’d ever be in a position to get a Masters degree, so this is all very surreal. I do enjoy school as long as I can take it at my own pace, so I'm excited to see what this next batch of classes will bring!

Hey all! Hope this sort of topic is allowed here! So I finally finished my Bachelor’s program a couple months ago after poking away at it for like 5 years. I was super excited to finally be done with school and move on with my life, but I’ve been offered a spot in the Masters program now due to my grades. No application or fees required, if I accept I can start classes in the fall.

I’m really, really torn on what to do. My company will pay for my tuition, so finances aren’t a consideration for me, the only thing holding my back is my own will to work and time. I do work full time so I think my greatest fear is burning myself out from overwork. I’ve created a list of pros and cons for attending. So far I have:

Pros:
-With how competitive the job market has become, having a Masters would help make me more competitive
-My undergrad was in Sociology which may not have as much hiring power behind it as some other undergrad degrees. This Masters would be in Communication which is broad and can be applied to a huge variety of fields.
-I’m automatically accepted to the program and don’t have to worry about paying for it, a lot of the hard work is behind me because of this
-The program is designed to be finished in about 18 months. Since I don’t go full time let’s say it’ll take me a little over two years. That’s not a horrible time commitment
-The program is entirely online. I don’t have to worry about attending classes in person and I can review the material on my own time. I don’t know if it will be the same for higher level classes, but during my undergrad classes I was able to work ahead.
-I seem to get huge tax benefits by being a student. I enjoy my higher tax returns at the end of the year.

Cons:
-I imagine higher level courses require more time and critical thought than undergrad classes. I’m not sure I am a good enough student to keep up with a higher level of education
-You must maintain a 3.0 GPA to remain in the program. Even a B- grade is considered a fail. I got almost straight As in my undergrad classes, but the idea that I can’t slip below like an 80% or so in my grades is stressful.
-The capstone project. I’m not a very ambitious person, so the idea of having to do a capstone project to complete the program is intimidating. This also sounds like a big time investment.
-Reading through the course program my advisor sent me it looks like you MUST enroll in one class every spring and fall semester. If you skip a semester you are dropped. When I was doing my undergrad classes I took spring and summer classes and skipped fall. This schedule worked much better for me and made the program bearable. I also dislike that I can’t take a break for a semester or so if I start feeling burned out.
-Accepting this offer tethers me to my company for at least 2 more years. I realistically probably wouldn’t go anywhere else, but since they are paying for my tuition looking for jobs elsewhere becomes out of the question.

Have any of you gone through Masters programs in college? If so, how much does it differ from an undergraduate program? Is it something that someone working a full time job can even keep up with? I know this is a HUGE opportunity and I’m leaning towards at least enrolling in a couple classes to try it, but idk. There is a lazy part of me that just wants to be done with school for a while, but at the same time I know myself and if I don’t do this now I probably will never consider going back to school in the future ever. This is my best shot…

I replaced my garbage disposal entirely by myself! I know that’s a fairly easy job, but I’m not a very handy person, so this feels like a huge accomplishment! I still need to test the dishwasher attachment, but the sink is working good!

I also was able to take apart and re- grease a Kitchenaid mixer one of my neighbors threw out last week. It seems to be working perfectly now so I gave it to my sister since I already have one!

I think I really enjoy fixing stuff. I want to work on more little handy projects!

I found a light up diamond painting kit at a Half Price Books this weekend! It will likely be a while before I can start working on it, but I’ve never seen a light up canvas before! I’m really excited to see how it looks.

I think rehairing her could be a fun project! I’ve always been bothered that Rainbow Dash doesn’t actually have rainbow hair lol so you could make it right! Getting stuff out of the hair is tricky, I don’t blame you for just chopping it off. You have it a fair try!

I finally hit my goal weight! It has taken a LONG time to shed the last few pounds, but I’ve been weighing in at or under my goal weight for about two weeks straight now, so I feel confident it’s off for good!

It’s taken me over 3 years, but I’ve now lost about 50 pounds from my heaviest weight. Even though it was a really slow process I feel like I’ve learned so much along the way and have shifted to an overall healthier lifestyle. I still indulge in junk sometimes, don’t get me wrong! But I think that’s why I was able to stick to my “diet “. I didn’t restrict anything, I just was more mindful of how much I was eating. I think it’s important to still enjoy the foods you love sometimes, even if they aren’t healthy.

You all are doing amazing! No matter how long you’ve been at it, don’t be discouraged! I’ve had a lot of ups and downs along the way, but if you stick to it and get back on the horse when you fall off, you’ll get to where you want to be eventually! It’s not a race, so be kind to yourself and don’t worry if it’s taking you longer than you’d hoped!

A couple weeks ago I applied for a supervisor position in a department I have zero experience in on a whim. I have some supervisory experience, but figured there was zero shot of actually being considered.

A day after the job posting closed I got an interview! I’m trying not to get my hopes up too much since I do think it’s a long shot they will choose me, but they fact that they are even considering me is so exciting! If I do manage to land the position it would be a huge pay increase for me.

The interview is on Thursday. I am cautiously optimistic about it even though the odds seem slim. I know I’ve been rejected without even an interview for positions before, so they must have seen something in my resume that interested them!

I have to agree it seems like a lack of interest from consumers is probably driving retailers to be hesitant on ordering G5 products. To be honest even distribution here in the US has been pretty abysmal. There have been a few recent sets I would have liked to buy, but I’ve just never seen them! The ponies that do make it to stores don’t sell and will sit on the shelf for a really long time as others have said.

I really liked G5 as well and I’m sad they didn’t get more of a chance! I think if I had to pinpoint the biggest flaw with the line it was that there was not enough of a break between it and G4, and also the fact they tried to still hang onto G4 with lore and such. It never made it feel like a fresh new start for MLP and it by not fully committing to it being a new gen, it isolated pony fans who were ready for something new and G4 fans who weren’t ready for G4 to end. This weird halfway thing just wasn’t the right move. I hope that if there ever is a G6, Hasbro gives the line some time to be missed before trying to reboot anything.