The decision to apply

First, the decision to spend a lot of money on furthering my own education when I have a daughter who will be an undergraduate in a few years was not taken lightly.  Further, once I committed to moving forward, I had to find the right program.  I work full-time as a high school math teacher, and I coach three varsity sports.  I also teach two evenings per week as an adjunct professor.  I did all of these things while completing my master's degrees, so I was not concerned with added workload.  The first concern was flexibility and timing of the program.

I researched all local universities, including a visit with one.  I wanted to apply to two, but one told me they were experiencing faculty turnover and were not taking on new PhD students in the department this year.  I also researched the online program at Concordia University, Chicago (CUC), where I completed my MS in Exercise Science.  I enjoyed my experience there, and I value the degree and knowledge gained.  I also researched one other online program.  In the end, I applied to three programs, and decided that the program at CUC was the best fit.  

The application process was straight-forward, but writing the personal statement was a valuable experience.  The personal statement made me clarify what I wanted to learn, why I wanted to learn it, and what I want to research.  The clarity helped me to align my goals with the program I chose, as well as confirm my desire to move forward with the process.  

Once I applied to three programs, I continued to research reputations and prospective post-doctoral work.  All three had pros and cons, but in the end my desire is to learn more in the field and contribute to research.  This can happen anywhere if one invests the time and work.  All told, I considered seven different universities and programs, applied to three, was accepted to all three, but chose the program that fit my needs the best.