[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Good evening all

Had a fine lazy day, and topping it off by watching football. Just finished eating a nice Italian dinner and thinking about going for a piece of cheesecake for dessert, mmmm...

Say, Jen, do you mind if I ask, why do you want to go to grad school anyway?

[JenB]

Why? Well, I've been asking myself that. I absolutely love learning, and discovering things for myself. More than that I enjoy - I am passionate about - computer science. Remember what Rush Limbaugh says, to find what you love and be the best you can at it? It's not because my dad is a computer science whiz and I love him and want to prove he doesn't have to wait for a grandson to be the next Knuth; it's not because I want to show everyone who thought I'd be like Mom; three kids by 23; and it's not even because I don't want to work. I want to learn something new every day, I want to be the best in my field, I want to be able to put "Ph.D" after my name and have any job I want open to me. And I want to prove that a homeschool girl who started out in community college can do as well as anyone else.

There. I think I'll save that and use it as my statement of purpose next year when I apply.