This degree is currently in progress. I'm currently in the second year of the program, with the full intention of finishing in three. More information can be found in the Bio and Research sections of the site.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that there is an academic department that thinks the way I always have – that the world is interconnected and non-linear dynamics are important. I've been exposed to a number of fields I would not have otherwise been (ecology and natural resources, particle physics, engineering, chemistry) and incorporate those principles into my thought processes. At this point, I'm not convinced that my joining the department was more because I'm interested in complex systems (definitely complex social systems, but that doesn't seem to be the main focus of the department here) or because I'm interested in the role departments like complex systems play in the transforming infrastructure of higher education. In either case, it's a fascinating little academic world that is gaining more traction as time marches on.
This is currently in progress. The statistics department offers a masters degree that is intended to complement a PhD program in another field. To be honest, I don't have a passion for statistical theory. So why do it? Simple. I look around and see a shocking number of good social science research questions that are poorly executed due to a fundamental lack of mastery in statistical techniques. I have no desire for my own research to contribute to an already large corpus of less-than-rigorous scholarship. Thus, I am going through the process of earning a master's level of knowledge in statistics. The jury is still out on whether I will finish this degree. I'm quite proficient in the techniques I need (plus some I don't actively use), and as a mentor recently told me, "Once you've gotten what you came for, it's time to stop."
The School of Information (SI) has been called by more than a few people "The Island of Misfit Academics." It is a truly interdisciplinary place that combines concepts from every imaginable field to think about some of the "big problems" with respect to the intersections between people and technology. People who end up here generally have followed a non-linear path in their work and academic lives, and find SI after they have figured out that their interests don't fit nicely within the boundaries of traditional academic departments. For my master's degree, I concentrated on information science research methods and theory, known here as the "tailored option"...sort of a "roll-your-own masters degree" (off-the-cuff phrasing thanks to Dr. Tom Finholt), with a slant toward information economics and policy.
While not specifically an accredited educational institution, Up With People (UWP) provided one of my most formative educational experiences in adult life. UWP is a non-profit cultural education and leadership training program, based on the idea that intercultural communication can spark people in meeting the needs of their communities, countries, and the world. I spent a year traveling in a group of 150 young people from 24 countries – performing, doing community service and volunteer work, living with host families all over the world, and taking part in cultural education projects centering on experiential learning models. As a result, my teaching style is a strong hybrid of "book learning" as well as experience-based knowledge acquisition.
While I was pre-med, I decided that becoming an EMT would give me some good practical experience. A friend from the residence halls and I signed up for the certification class and I spent the year taking the basic course. Afterward, I worked shifts in a local hospital emergency room as well as doing ambulance work for a few years. It was a rewarding experience, and something I would like to return to someday on a volunteer basis.
Madison was an exceptional place for an undergraduate education, despite its notorious reputation as a party school. I received a Knapp Scholarship and a full ride courtesy of the School of Music, so it was an easy choice. I floated through a number of majors and departments (including mathematics, vocal performance, psychology, neuroscience, engineering, pre-med, physics, classics, linguistics, and a few others I have forgotten by now). I settled on Slavic Languages and Literature because of an affinity for the Russian language and its fantastic corpus of literature (as well as pressure from my parents to graduate sometime before I was eligible for Social Security.) I finished my degree and quickly found out that there is no market for someone who wrote an honors thesis on Mikhail Bulgakov's literary neuroses.
Beloit College, located in lovely yet industrial Beloit, Wisconsin, has a fellowship program (Porter Scholars) to allow advanced high school students to attend university courses at no cost. I spent my senior year taking courses and getting a jump on college.