Spring is in the air, even if it is 10 degrees below the historic average. I can even envision my summer plans. A vastly majority of PAIA students stay for one year. MAIR students begin in August and spend their summer and third semester off campus. MPA students begin in July and graduate the following June. Spending an extra year in Syracuse is an outlier, the lonely 2.5% at far end of a normal distribution. Yet, there are some students who think that more pain is virtuous and another year at Maxwell equals another year of fun! Or become excited at the thought of two masters degrees on our resumes. I added my name to the pile late last year. The MAIR/MPA programs are to my knowledge unique among its peers in allowing a matriculated student to add another degree program after one semester in another.

It hit home yesterday when I viewed an apartment for the fall and spring. After a refreshing summer of the real world, I will return to all those months of biking through the snow, rain and bitter cold would repeat themselves just to rub it in. While enjoying some long reading by a cold winter’s fire, many of my classmates will undoubtedly have jobs or interviewing for jobs. I can see the Facebook and LinkedIn statuses now, just hired at a private consulting firm, the federal government or even into a dream career of mine. Jealous? Of course not because I will enter that party a little late, posting in all caps HIRED at ….