Applying to grad school
Oh, hi friends!
While this newsletter was dark, I did something unexpected: I applied for grad school? Twist!
This isn’t something I thought I would do five or 10 years ago, but I was feeling this undeniable and invisible pull.
We all imagine new possibilities for ourselves — maybe I’ll do this, or I could move here — but you know when one idea pulls you harder than others? This was that.
I put the deadline on my calendar but also thought, There’s no way I can a) finish and revise my new play b) ask for two letters of recommendation and c) write a new artistic statement.
But you know what? I couldn’t drop the idea! Spending two years analyzing, writing, and staging plays sounds…incredible? Learning, improving, expanding. Being in the BMI Workshop the last few years gave me a glimpse into what that could be like.
As for what I thought I wanted to do five or 10 years ago, I’m different, and what I want is different, and we are always allowed to change our minds.
So I applied in January (to Hunter College!) and asked two editors-slash-friends, Steve and Eben, to write letters of rec. That made me nervous, too, but they said yes, and their words gave me renewed momentum and faith in my writing.
Now I’m waiting to hear if I got an interview (they admit 3-5 students a year lol), but even if this is as far as I go, at least I don’t have to wonder, or tell myself, “Maybe I should have applied.”
I tried. And trying beats maybe every time.
I've always loved the way Tim Urban of Wait But Why illuminates major concepts with illustrations and clear writing.
His NYT op-ed about how to get back the time that was taken from us is just one example.
Hi.
Earlier this week, we met Hank the Tank, the 500-pound black bear who broke into 38 homes.
Some news: DNA evidence (!) says he’s not the sole culprit. There are multiple rotund brown bears breaking into homes. Hank the Tank has an army.
Unrelated sidenote — Sarah, the friend who was searching for an internship, found one! Thank you to this group! Remember it never hurts to ask!
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You can also support my work by checking out my motivational journal, Do It For Yourself, designed to guide you through your creative and work projects, and my upcoming journal Do It Today, which encourages you to find time for the things that matter most to you.
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara