I admit..I'm an ABD

As an ABD, "All But Dissertation," I admit, I felt like a failure. Who wouldn't? Especially when I spent 8 eight years, off and on, as a doctoral student, spent tons of money and didn't get the gold. Now note, I used the term "felt" because I have grown since this emotional sense of devalue. And I've come to my senses that all is not lost, I just had to regroup, gain more experience, meet the right influences, define my purpose, and then find the energy to start over again. But the mere thought of starting over is KILLING me! Inhaling and exhaling deeply came to my rescue as I planned my next move. I met with Dr. Laurence Parker at the University of Utah in October 2017, thinking that I should just find out the possibilities of returning to grad school. He was incredibly kind and personal! Comprehending that he remembered me and my circumstances was very heart warming was an understatement. But this is what I gathered! I can return to school but I would have to go through the process of admissions again. Because I changed my status from a PhD to an EdD, I could continue with the EdD program under the new program parameters. But I learned during my journey of enlightenment that I had to pursue a Ph.D. again. So here I am at an important roadblock. I have to take the dreaded GRE exam and start the admissions process all over again. But Dr. Parker did say that I could work with my chair to customize my entire program, since I complete all of my coursework. That was extremely appealing to me. So, here I go! What did I just agree to..? Excited and nervous at the same time, because, as you know I'm not a spring chicken anymore I decided to take the dive at the end of the pool. Gotta love living on the edge, eh?!