Jobsamtalen

You're not crazy, there has, in fact, been a marked decrease in post frequency.

So, here's the latest:

I sent out a job application last weekend on a whim, expecting that, like generally happens, I would either not hear back, or would get an email saying that hundreds of people had applied for the position, and that I was not one of the ones chosen for an interview.

To my extreme surprise, I got an email back the following work day asking to set up a time for a phone interview.  The phone interview went fantastically well.  I'm not generally a cocky person, but when the call ended, I was 99% sure that I'd be asked to come in for an in-person interview.

And I was.

The interview took place two days ago, and I'm not quite as optimistic as I was after the phone interview.  I wish I could say that I nailed it, but I was nervous.  I think I'm better at sounding confident on the phone than in person.  Must be all those years in radio, never seeing the faces of the people I was talking to.  It's so difficult to know for sure with these things, and they did mention that they would be continuing to do interviews with other candidates throughout the rest of the week, before calling a few people in for a final interview.  

At the moment, school is the backup plan.  If I'm not offered this job, I'll go ahead and sign up for that supplementary Spanish course that I'd need to take to bump my foreign language from B-level to A-level, and hope that that helps me to land a spot in one of the 3 programs that I'm still waiting to hear back from.

And finally, yesterday was my birthday.  The Big 3-3, if that's a thing.  As is traditional here in Denmark, I brought cake to class with me.  Then last night, my husband and I went out for a nice meal at Madklubben, followed by cocktails at a new-ish place called Strøm, which quickly became my favorite local bar.  It's a cocktail bar with a pub feel.  It's unpretentious, laid back, plays good music.  It's 100% my kind of place.

So, that's the latest.  The Studieprøve is coming up quickly, so look out for updates.

The Ansøgning Shuffle

The last few weeks have been stuffed to the gills with university application stresses.

The process of getting to the point where I can apply for university programs in both English and Danish has been a long one, culminating with this last module of Danish classes and a rush of trying to get paperwork together over the last month or so.

The application process here in Denmark is, on its surface, simpler than it is in America.  But its open-ended nature makes it infinitely more stressful.  Let me explain:

In the US, you get an application form to fill out, you write an essay about yourself, and you send the school your grades and your application fee.  At least 10-15 years ago when I was last applying for colleges, that was how it went.  All fairly low-tech, but what was expected of you was very clear.

Here in Denmark, the applications for almost all of the universities are done online through one central website, which then sends your information to your chosen schools.  You fill out your personal information, choose up to 8 programs to apply to, upload your transcripts, proof of relevant experience, and (for most programs) what is called a "motiveret ansøgning," or motivation letter.  It sounds pretty straight forward, but they leave it up to you to decide what documentation to upload, and aren't especially clear as to what constitutes proof of experience.

So, here's what I've managed to upload so far: My high school diploma and transcripts, the certificate and transcripts for the theater conservatory I went to back when I thought I wanted to be a Broadway star, and the transcript for the one semester at Emerson college that I managed before switching to said conservatory.  I'm still impatiently waiting for transcripts from the university where I studied broadcasting, but they seem to be stuck in the 20th century, claiming that they need a signed request form mailed to them with a check, and claiming that they "don't have the capability" to scan and email the transcripts.  This makes things infinitely more complicated and time-consuming when trying to accomplish it from overseas.

Not to mention, said university sent my first request form and check back, claiming that there was a hold on my account.  After a lot of confusion/anger/stress, we finally determined that the hold was because of a $30 parking ticked that I apparently got 8 years ago.  So, now that the bill is finally paid, we had to figure out a fast way to send the request and check back to them, and request that they send the transcript to my parents (who are, it would seem, far more technologically up to date than the university...), so that they can scan and email them to me.

There has to be a simpler way.

Actuallt, tthere is a simpler way.  Emerson College has an online request form, through which you can request to have a secure PDF of your transcripts sent to you.  I ordered mine last night, and had it uploaded to my application within an hour.  How hard was that?  Not hard, that's how hard.

But anyway, back to the applications...

So, as I mentioned, the whole thing is fairly open-ended.  Especially when it comes to these motivation letters.  I should also mention that 3 out of 4 of the programs I'm applying to require them, and 2 of those 3 need to be written in perfect Danish (the 3rd is for a course taught in English).  So, I've written the two Danish letters and have forwarded them to my current Danish teacher, as well as my previous module's teacher, so that they can correct what I can only imagine are horrifying mistakes.  But more troublesome than that, I have no idea if what I've said in the letters will be what the schools are looking for.  Have I shown my knowledge of the programs well enough?  Have I explained why my experience is relevant well enough?

Last things last, I've had a Danish friend helping me to translate my resume (or CV as they call it here in Europe), so that I can upload one in each language.

Will it all be enough?  I honestly have no idea.  I'm sure that I have more relevant experience than any kid straight out of high school, but have I documented it well enough?

All I can do is wait...

Who's stressed?  Not me...

Nope...

Not stressed at all.

2014 Preview

A friend of mine once told me that odd numbered years tend to be the toughest.  Not all odd numbered years, but when a year is tough, it always seems to be odd numbered.

Now, I don't really believe in that kind of thing, but I will admit that 2013 has been a tough one, with almost everyone I know going through very difficult times.  And I'll also admit that the last year that I had that came anywhere near to being as tough was 2009.

The good news is that 2014 is just hours away, and while much of how the year will go is up in the air, I'm doing my best to think of it as a year of possibilities.

So, what can you expect to read about?  A few things:

- On the 6th of January, I'll make my way back to the halls of Studieskolen to begin module 6.  That's right, they actually let me in.  My oral exam didn't shake out as I'd hoped, as I was unexpectedly and excessively nervous.  Having walked out of my little presentation with only a 7, I had to call the student counselor to see if they would still allow me to proceed.  Luckily, the writing portion of the PD3 is the most important for module 6, and I'd gotten a 10 on that, so they signed me up without any issue.  So that means even more Studieskolen updates.

- In February, the university application website opens, and I'll be able to start applying for programs at several of the schools in the Copenhagen area.  Once all of that's done, I'll try to give updates on that process and the process of applying for SU (the student stipend that Danish and other EU citizens receive when they attend university).  I've heard horror stories about how much bureaucracy and misinformation there is when it comes to my particular SU loophole, so… that should be interesting.

- We may have a chance to make a trip back to America this year.  It's strange that it's been a year and a half since we've been there.  The time here has really flown.

- Hopefully, if everything goes as I hope it will, I'll be heading back to school in the Fall.  Which program?  I don't know yet.  Which school?  Also a mystery.  But I'm sure I'll post as soon as decisions are made.

So, I hope you all have a lovely New Years, and I hope your 2014 is full of just as many possibilities.

Studieskolen - Module 5.1, The Remix

Oh, hi there!  Thought I forgot about you, eh?

Nope, it's just been a busy Summer, with doctor visits galore, classes, traveling to see a sick relative, and having family in town.  Not to mention a puppy who's managed to end up with giardia, which has been... smelly and time-consuming.

But, as planned, I have returned for another go-around with module 5.1, rejoining my class from before the Summer "break."  And boy am I glad to be back.  It's nice to see familiar faces and to hear familiar Danish.  Plus, I really do like the way our teacher teaches.

In other news, last week I embarked on what I'm calling Project Let's-Find-Out-if-Ruby-is-a Piano-Prodigy.

In preparation for auditions to try to get into a music program at a university here in Copenhagen, I've started to take piano lessons.  I've never taken lessons on an instrument, and have only really learned to read music as a singer, so... I'm leaning towards me not being a prodigy.

That being said, I do have the advantage of already knowing quite a bit about music, so the teacher has been able to skip a lot of the basic music theory stuff and jump right into trying to train my hands to listen to my brain.

I'm convinced my left hand is controlled by someone other than me.

Be Cool - Go Back to School

I apologize for slacking on posts this month.  So much on my mind right now, but it's been tough to gather all of those thoughts and put them together into a coherent post.

Not that this one will be any more coherent than the rest.  But it's always a goal.

So, apart from the wedding and the move and everything that goes along with those endeavors, the most daunting thing on my mind right now is the prospect of trying to go back to school, once we move and I've learned Danish well enough to be admitted into a program.

It's complicated, both logistically and psychologically, for me to take this plunge.

Logistically, it's a matter of finding out what I qualify for financially.  This has brought up the somewhat controversial question of SU.  SU is a government agency/program that provides a stipend for Danish students attending university in Denmark.  That bit isn't all that controversial in Denmark.  The Danes pay high taxes, and this (on top of free tuition) is a benefit that they see from those taxes.  It becomes controversial when you're a foreigner who is potentially also eligible.  According to the SU website, I may be able to receive this stipend as well, since my fiance is an EU citizen.  If I am given "equal status" to that of a Dane because of my marriage to him, then I would be eligible to receive all (or most) of the benefits that a tax-paying Dane would receive, without having grown up there and paid taxes there my whole life.  That being said, we will be living and paying taxes there starting this summer, and have no specific plans to leave, so this issue is far less controversial in my mind than it is for many Danes and expats.

The psychological complications with this school thing are far more complex and irritating.  It's all about insecurity.

Worrying about whether or not I would even get into a music program makes me scared to try.  Truth is, I realized recently that I'm the musical version of the jock whose career peaked in high school.  All of my major musical accomplishments happened when I was a junior and senior, with some minor overflow into my first 2 years of college.  Most of the friends that I've met in the last 10 years have never even heard me sing (bad karaoke doesn't count).

The logistical issues are issues that I can deal with through research and patience.

The insecurities will take a bit more to get past.