Thank you very much for the site which you provide on searching for graduate schools. As you stated it can be frustrating and different to anyone who attempts it. Then there is no particular way or path which to follow. (Maybe I have already sent you this mesaage I am not sure, but I did want to add that on my personal computer I have made a form with the schools in which I am interested and the programs which they offer. Now I would just like to know what should my next step be?)

Now in my searching I know what I want but have come to somewhat of a 'dead end', I guess it would be better to say 'a wilderness', because I just do not know what my next step should be. I did read another site which gave some advice in this area, but did not print it out like I did yours, and have not been able to find it again. Also that site was geared more to those who are still in school, and I have been out of school for a number of years. Also you provided encouragement to me, when you said that one's GPA is not so important because mine was not very high, and you say it is more important to be creative, which I can.

Well now this is my situation; my Bachelor's of Arts is in Elementary Education, after spending time in the U. S. Navy when I could not find a job I did take some more schooling and received an Associate of Applied Science in Travel & Hospitality. However this second degree probably will not mean much because of the nature of the school, I did have a much better GPA there however. Now I am in my fifth year teaching EFL in Korea, I plan to stay here for one more contract, another year, then return to the USA for school. The summer of 1999 I did take the CELTA course through Cambridge/RSA at Yonsei University in Seoul. EFL/ESL is a very popular field now, I also know several people here, including my officemate, who are working on Masters through distance programs in ESL. However I prefer to do mine in residency and also to me ESL study is rather borrowing, but I do not mind teaching it but would like to be able to do some other things. Then I could still Teach ESL even if my Master is in a different field.

Originally I had planned to teach ESL at the same campus where I was doing my graduate work but have found out that most schools in the USA want you to have a Masters for this, then of course there are work study programs. Also I am thinking of studying some discipline such as Humanities, Journalism, or maybe even Social Work. Another thing which I am trying to work in for this is that before coming to Korea after my separation from the USN I lived in Virginia for over ten years, and there are some things which I would like to do there in the Commonwealth, so I think that it will look better if I have some accreditation from a Virginia school. (My Bachelor's is from LaGrange College in Georgia.) Also this is another advantage of doing your study in residency is getting to know more people.

The main thing is that I do not want to give up my job in Korea until I have a guaranteed program for schooling. I would even consider taking a certificate program and then moving on to a Masters. What should my next step be?