What, Three Posts In One Day?

Ah, but you see, when I got home this evening I had a letter. It was a worrying letter, being rather thin and sent from an academic institution. Anyone who's ever applied for grad school will know that most universities can't resist shoving something extra in the envelope when they make you an offer, but a single sheet of paper is usually a rejection.

But not this time. It was my provisional offer letter (to be confirmed by official letter from the Registrary) for my PhD! By the looks of things I'll be starting my PhD on 23 April this year, but I'm sure that will be confirmed later.

And you know what? When I go to SVP this year, underneath my maiden name (for palaeontology purposes) I will have "Birkbeck College, University of London". It took three years, but by golly I've done it. I am now in no worse a state than I was before I went to St Louis, academically, and probably better for it.

It really takes the edge off all the crap I went through at Wash U. And it'll be nice to go to the cinema and hand over a nice bright shiny Birkbeck ID card, rather than the Wash U card that foolishly has no expiry date on it.

My family are delighted! It hasn't totally sunk in yet, but I'm off to put on my "Palaeontology students make better lovers" t-shirt, and that might bring it home.