BIG NEWS......

This post may not be coherent because this morning I received some FANTASTIC news! No, I'm not pregnant. Everytime I have big news people seem to think that it's a pregnancy. Alas, it is not. :)

I was told that I wouldn't hear anything regarding my acceptance into the PhD program for at least six weeks after submitting my application (March 1). Sigh. I was also told that there should be no problem with my application so with that in mind I started meeting with my advisor, Bart, to discuss potential project ideas and attending lab meetings to get to know the other students and faculty in the 'Animal Lab' group. I've found them to be a great group, excited about their research and brimming with ideas for future projects. This is exactly the group I was hoping to find. :)

So six weeks have flown by and all the while I've been nervous. Everyone has acted as though there was no question that I would be accepted. I've also had many people asking me if I had applied for a Victoria Doctoral Scholarship. I did apply for it and these questions made me increasingly uncomfortable. I mean, what if I didn't get it? Honestly, I didn't think I had much of a chance. My academic record is far from perfect. Could it really stand up to the other applicants??

Tim and I talked about it and wondered if I would hear some news after Easter break. And this morning when I opened my email, there it was. Something I've thought about everyday for the past seven months. There sat my acceptance offer!!! I felt confident that I would be accepted but you never really know until it actually happens!!

And this is where, with great delight, I get to tell you that there is more good news! Before I opened the email my eyes skipped ahead because, of course, I just had to know what it said. The first line read, "Dear Bridget, We are delighted to offer you a funded place as a PhD  student....". My eyes retraced their steps and read it over and over. Could it be? Really? Yes! Not only had I been accepted into the PhD pogram but I'd also been awarded the Victoria Doctoral Scholarship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I began to cry immediately because I didn't really think it was possible. I haven't received a scholarship since I was first an undergraduate (and those were rather small compared to this one). This scholarship gives me full funding for three years to complete my PhD! It is the same scholarship that Timmy won when he applied and was accepted this past trimester!!! What are the odds that we would both win this coveted doctoral scholarship?! I don't really know but I'm so proud!!