4-18 years? holy cow

so i found out today that the range is between 4 and 18 years for the grad program. no typo - that's eighteen, as in the age that you're allowed to vote. 18 freaking, flipping, forever long years. i'm aiming for 6 years. i think it's doable if i stay focused. my idea is to stay on top of things and get my coursework done. i'd like to be "abd" within 4 years. we'll see how that goes.

classes start tomorrow. it's the end of life as i know it ;-).