I have a lot to think about right now. For the last 2 years, I’ve been planning to do a summer study-abroad program in Rome. I was all set to submit my deposit last fall when I was unexpectedly nominated for a Harry S. Truman Scholarship. Unfortunately, the scholarship and my international studies would conflict. To accept the Truman award, I would be required to attend the Scholars week – no getting out of it – which occurs the first week I would have started class in Rome.
After much discussion, I decided I would rather try to win the $30,000 award. That would be the prudent thing to do. Rome could wait.
Since I would have the summer off now, Hyphenated Husband and I discussed, instead, signing me up for the Childbirth Educator Certification course that I’ve been wanting do take for the last year. That was my consolation prize for not getting to take the Rome trip that I’ve been desperately wanting to take.
However, on Tuesday I learned that I was not selected for the Truman award. Well – at least not yet. The nominating professor at my school believed 100% in my application, and when I wasn’t selected as a finalist, he wrote me to tell me that he was appealing the decision. Apparently the Truman foundation allows schools to make appeals on behalf of their candidates, and he said I was the strongest applicant he had ever seen in all the time he had been the nominating professor, so he wanted to go to bat for me. There is still a slim shot I could be selected for an interview in the next week, but I’m just cutting my losses on that one and mentally moving on.
Of course, it sucked, hard core, not to get picked for that award. I’ve won almost every scholarship I’ve ever applied for, and I worked for months on the Truman application. I truly felt that my application was top-notch, and obviously, so did my school. But even though the rejection hurt, it did make me feel a million times better that my professor thought enough of me to appeal the decision. At least I know I wasn’t crazy for applying, even if Truman didn’t like me. The amount of work I put into that application taught me a lot about myself anyway. It gave me a clear vision of exactly what I want to do with my life, and what I have to do to get there.
But now that I know I didn’t win a Truman award, which means I don’t have to attend the Scholar’s week, there’s nothing stopping me from going to Rome. Well – except that last weekend we decided to spend money on getting my Childbirth Educator Certification courses this summer.
So now I don’t know what to do. Each decision will (in the short term) cost me the same amount of money.
- If I put down the deposit for Rome, I can’t pay to get my CCE.
- If I pay for my CCE courses, I won’t have the time or money to go to Rome.
- I’ve wanted both for years.
- Rome is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (I’ll be graduating next year.)
- But my CCE could help me bring in some income – right?
- But Rome is going to be really, reallllllly expensive.
- But getting my CCE will be a lot of work.
Can you see where I’m going with this? I don’t know what to do. I’ve got about 5 more days to decide because the deadline for Rome is next week. I believe a lot in signs, and I think I really need a sign to tell me what the right choice is. Yesterday my friend, who lives in Italy, who I only talk to once every few years, posted something on Facebook asking me if I was coming to Rome this summer. Then, this morning, I got a call from the International Studies office asking me the same question.
Part of me feels like those are signs that I should quickly get my deposit over to the office and go ahead with my Rome plans as intended.
But I don’t know. It would be so much easier just to stay home and get my CCE, and I could potentially make money with that. Rome wouldn’t make me any money.
But maybe getting my CCE won’t make me any money either. It seems like most of the childbirth educators I know say they can’t get enough students to make any decent cash.
Okay, internet peoples – it’s your turn to grapple with this. What would you do if you were me? Will Rome be better? Will getting my CCE be better? If you have experience taking either path, please let me know what you think.
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UPDATE: Well, the overwhelmingly Pro-Rome response here made it clear to me how I really feel about this. I want badly to do both, but that’s just not possible. I think I actually want to get my CCE (or CBE, which ever you call it) worse than going to Rome right at this moment, but I also know that I have all the time in the world to do that, but I don’t have all the time in the world to take advantage of an undergrad program in Rome. Although, one rockin’ lawyer birth junkie did point out to me that I can study abroad when I’m in law school, so this certainly isn’t my last chance to do this. But I’ve been planning for two years to do this program, and it fulfills some core requirements that I need anyway. If I don’t take these classes in Rome, I’ll just need to take them here – in boring ol’ Chicago.
So here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to the International Studies office on Monday and putting down my deposit. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going – I have to make sure I can get the financial aid first (which, in all honesty, seems like a long shot.) If I don’t get that, then my decision is made for me (which would be a relief.) If I do get it, then the universe wants me in Rome this June. Then, I’m going to apply for the ICEA scholarship that the lovely Dou-la-la mentioned below, and if that works out, then that was meant to be. If it doesn’t, I’ll just have to save up for my CBE (or CCE) some other way.
Thank you to everyone for your honest opinions and your guidance. I really truly appreciate it. I know we don’t “know” each other, but I respect other people’s perspectives. It helps me gauge how I really feel about something.
I'm brand-spanking-new to your blog, as I just saw you on Discovery Health. I'm really glad that you put down a deposit on going abroad. I graduated from college last year, and I played varsity squash. I almost decided not to go abroad because of my sport, but my adviser literally told me that I would be "stupid" not to go. He was right. It changed everything about my educational experience and myself as a person (for the better!!) Going abroad is a big risk, but you just have to take it. You will never regret it, and a vacation later in life can never equal studying abroad. Best of luck!
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