Patrick Lane is going to Harvard

Master's in Early American History, I start this fall so I can catch a breather and move on. I start working at Harvard soon so my ALM will only run me 40 a class (hopefully the $1,750 thesis fee is subsidized!!!). I'm really excited to begin this program and add The Credential to my resume. 2 or 3 years from now I go from an overly raw early entry to a polished, mature candidate. It's all or nothing again next time, and I just might shock and drop a few JD/PhD applications if I'm feeling I can make a G.  Right now, I'm just enjoying the final days of Boston College. If my kids don't end up going there, I could be the last of either family to attend BC, which makes me all the more glad that I followed my heart and came back home for school.  It was hard having to fall back on the Master's and not even leave 128, but the Greater Boston area really is my home, and I just move from place to place without really losing my identity.

For some perspective: 10 years ago I was a malcontent at Xaverian High. 7 years ago I was down and out at Trinity High. 6 years ago I drop out of UMass with a hazy plan and a 2.0. 5 years ago I'm in Boot Camp. 

 In 6 weeks I become a college graduate, and about 4 months later I become an Ivy League grad student. Wow.

0 for grad school applications forced me to think outside the box and return to that ancient idea of a safety program at a world class university, so Harvard it is.

BTW, as much as I fretted that the ALM wouldn't be accepted as a "real" Harvard degree by the snobs, it IS a Harvard degree and it HAS gotten people into Ivy League PhD and professional programs, so I'd say I'm making a smart choice while moving 1 step closer to my ultimate goal.

In 2010 I will send out my applications again, early list includes Georgetown, Harvard, Yale, and a few Chesapeake regional programs.