Wednesday, August 29, 2012

School Overview

The other night Vince and I decided to take the financial plunge and bought a new iMac. Our MacBook was VERY loaded down with pictures and it was to the point that we couldn't watch videos or read blogs, among other unimportant things like doing homework. I've tried to transfer everything to an external hard drive but it would only allow me to open the images on another Mac, not a PC, which annoyed me because they were all jpgs! So instead, we just bought a new computer, forgoing asking for assistance. We've been talking about getting a desktop Mac for quite a few months now anyways and we decided the beginning of the semester was a good time anyways because of my online classes.

When we got home I started the Migration Assistance to transfer everything from the MacBook to the iMac not knowing how long it would take. Well, it said it'd take 49 hours! Ha. so I let it do it's thing over night, and then yesterday, and then last night, and it was still saying 13 hours. I had enough homework to do online today and really didn't want to go to the computer lab at school for that long before and after my other class, so I just stopped the migration. because of that, all the pictures are still on my other computer. So, as much as I want to look through pictures from my trip and post about them on my new huge computer, I can't! In the meantime, I will tell you above my first days at school.

My first class of the week is Pre-Calculus and I'm somewhat excited about it. After having a horrible experience with statistics, I realize that I actually do 'like' the type of math involved in algebra and calculus, at least compared to statistics. Because this is a more upper-level math class, everyone in there are pretty serious students. Before class even started, me and the two people I sit next to had exchanged numbers and planned to get together as a group to do homework! One of the guys I had Chemistry with last year and while he was a total ass at first (he essentially said I couldn't be a doctor because I had tattoos) I've realized he's just super nervous around me. Overall: I think this will be a good class with a good group.

My second class is Anatomy & Physiology at 8:30 am. Super early for me, which is the downside. The upside is that I have a really great teacher and there are a few guys I've had classes with before and they are now my lab partners! One of the guys is very serious about school like I am and I feel like we really compliment each other well. We were in chemistry together last semester and were always going over our homework/labs together, so that's great. He also works in the ER so we've talked there before. The other guy I had Bio 1 with last semester is also pretty dedicated and was my lab partner so I know how he works. Most of the students in that class seem pretty serious, seeing as how this is a slightly upper level bio class and most people are going into a medical profession of some sorts. Overall: I think this will be a good class with a good group.

My third class of the week is Bio II. I surprisingly don't know anyone in this class and I'm truly hoping that my first day experience is not a predictor of how the rest of the semester will be; it was so awful! I sit in the front row of almost all my classes because that's typically where the more dedicated students sit, which leads me to group up with them and have other dedicated students in my groups. Well, this time I feel like no one in the entire class is dedicated! The girl that sits right next to me might be a little serious about class, but not as much as I am. The other two girls that ended up being in our group of four are not good students at all. The teacher told us to take notes on something she was telling the group and one girl said, 'I'm too lazy to write anything down. Can someone else do it for me?' AND SHE WAS TOTALLY SERIOUS. I couldn't believe it. We were assigned to go to the computer lab to find 10 organisms that are in a particular ecosystem and all two of the girls had to do was find five pictures and save it to a thumb drive while I found info on all ten things and typed it up, and they barely finished in time. I was so frustrated. Then we presented it and after seeing the other groups and how they acted, it seems like there aren't many people who were interested in it or were taking it seriously. Two of the girls in my group were talking the whole time the other groups were presenting and I had to keep telling them to be quiet. I'm hoping that tomorrow will be a better class because I'm ready to freak out on those two girls. Overall: I think this class will test my patience.

Finally, my last class is an online class, Intro to Philosophy. I find all the topics we'll be learning about interesting, but I think it's going to be a lot of work for me. There are a lot of essays to write and discussions to participate in and I really like to think about things before I write about them, especially when it's a controversial thing. That's why I stay away from topics like religion and politics: I don't want to say something and then disagree with it later! So I feel like I'm going to spend a lot of time being sure I'm 100% confident with my answer even though it's not something completely important and it's just an online class. Maybe I'll learn to just suck it up and post something that's not completely great! Overall: A class I can learn from.

So to sum it all up, I enjoy most of my classes and I hope I continue to despite all the amount of homework I have! How are classes going for those of you that are taking them?



6 comments:

  1. Some instructers I know will let them "judge" students by how they act on the first day with a mundane assignment. There is truly nothing worse than trying to learn with a total bozo sitting next to you making snide comments. I had one like that in EMT class who just thought that she could absorb all the learning from me. Sure was glad when they 'encouraged' her to quit after the second week! So glad that you are a dedicated student. Must be why I always sat in the front--I thought it was so I didn't have to look around someones head to see the 'board or the instructors presentation!

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    1. I started sitting in the front simply because I could never see anything even with my glasses on, but now I know it's much better! Hopefully some people weed themselves out!

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  2. What a bummer about the migration, but at least you know it'll probably get done over the weekend or something.
    I'm glad you're liking most of your classes! I always got so frustrated in situations like that too. ESPECIALLY in college. I once had to tell a teacher, "Look, I'm NOT doing a project with this group. I'd rather take a C for not working with a group than an F because they're idiots. If I have to pay for my education, I'm going to pay for an EDUCATION, not a SOCIAL EXPERIMENT!"

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    1. I agree that since I'm paying for it, I should be able to choose some things like wether we need to work in a group or not! I'm pretty sure most of the research we do I can do on my own with better results and a whole lot faster! So annoying.

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    2. Yes, exactly! I did have a teacher once who told me that in the real world, you can't do that. He said if your boss wants you to work with someone who won't do the work you just have to do it. I said "No, not true. I've been working since I was 14 and that's absolutely never the case. If your boss wants you to work with someone who won't do the work, you tell your boss... and then they go into the boss's office and they either come out ready to do the work or looking for a new job."

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  3. I wonder if you can ask your teacher if you can do it on your own instead of working with people. I have that problem where I will just take on the extra work because I don't have the patience or trust in other people to do their share, and it sounds like you are in exactly that situation. It's really hard, but the hard work can be better than dealing with idiots.

    About your online philosophy class, I hear what you are saying about thinking about it and really wanting an answer for yourself that you don't have to turn back on. However, I have found that the older I've gotten, the more I learn by saying how I feel, and then listening to other people and revising that statement. Revision aloud somehow feels better than just sitting and listening to other people, because you are actually getting other opinions on what you are thinking. Sometimes it takes that person criticizing you to realize that you didn't think about it a certain way, or that you really seriously believe something despite other opinions. Also, when you have an idea that another person criticizes and you begin to understand their point and like it, there is no problem with saying, "wow, that was really well spoken and makes a lot of sense. I'd love to think on that awhile and discuss it more." (or something) People love their ego's stroked, and you get to really open your mind, rather than be right.

    That is all really difficult to do, but an interesting experiment nonetheless. It might be especially easy to do if you don't have to see these people face to face ;)

    I think it's really amazing that you are trying so hard and so determined to do a really good job, being someone to get's to interview a lot of people, and work with all sorts, I can tell you that the drive to do a job well is often enough to get you further than almost anything else can.

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