Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Good Grief
I haven't been this stressed out about school in quite a long, long time. Actually, the last time may very well have been second semester of 12th grade. Or, probably not.
But I don't think it's coincidental that, as of 2011, I'm finally starting to fall into place as a rightful adult. I'm being more diligent with my readings (actually keeping up!), getting homework done more or less on time, and giving a shit in general. Actually, it might be coincidental? Or correlation and causation.
Something like that. School is kicking my butt, at any rate. You'll be proud to know that despite that, we have been keeping the house relatively cleaner -I'm starting to get to the point that I like to!!! Although, not when I'm tired. And I'm often tired. *(by the way, I kicked a hole in my wall when sleeping the other night...)
So, the consensus is that being busy severely inhibits my ability/will/capacity/etc to blog. Which kinda sucks, considering this is a blog about being a student. Comes with the territory I guess.
But I don't think it's coincidental that, as of 2011, I'm finally starting to fall into place as a rightful adult. I'm being more diligent with my readings (actually keeping up!), getting homework done more or less on time, and giving a shit in general. Actually, it might be coincidental? Or correlation and causation.
Something like that. School is kicking my butt, at any rate. You'll be proud to know that despite that, we have been keeping the house relatively cleaner -I'm starting to get to the point that I like to!!! Although, not when I'm tired. And I'm often tired. *(by the way, I kicked a hole in my wall when sleeping the other night...)
So, the consensus is that being busy severely inhibits my ability/will/capacity/etc to blog. Which kinda sucks, considering this is a blog about being a student. Comes with the territory I guess.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Welcome to College: Selecting the Right School for You
So, I realize this is a little late for anyone hoping to apply to college for 2011-2012. Most schools want applications in by January. Of course I don't know every college in America, or even most of them, because, you know, there's approximately 100 million, billion colleges in the United States (I exaggerate).
With so many colleges across the country, it can be hard to decipher where you should go. There are many things to consider. Let's start with Community College, Private Colleges, and Public Universities.
Community colleges generally offer Associate's (2-year) degrees, and are a great place to get some undergrad credits in. The education at a community college is just as good, sometimes better, than a more traditional university. It can be just as rigorous and challenging or laid-back and easy as the potential of any public university.
I really recommend anyone take some of their classes at their local community college. Community college is cheaper than a university, so you save some money. The nice thing is that you also do not need to be accepted to the university -enrollment is open as long as you make sure to register with the college. This can be quite helpful to those who missed application deadlines, want to start sooner, or whatever your circumstance might be.
However, a word of caution on your community college - make sure that your credits will transfer if you plan to attend a public (or private) university. For example, I took classes at my local community college back home before I moved to this state for college. At that school, it was on the semester system (2 terms a year plus summer), and each class was 5 credits (I think, it's been a while) at that institution. My current school is on the quarter system (4 terms a year including summer), and so the credits were calculated down to 4.5.
Actually, though, this is good advice in general -whatever college you first attend, if you transfer elsewhere, not all your classes will "count" at your new school. In some cases, the new school does not require certain classes that the old one did, so if you transfer, you may have to repeat classes, or take more classes than your Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, or Senior ranking should suggest. Do NOT let that deter you from transferring institutions if you feel the need to -just use it to make an informed decision.
I'm not mentioning technical schools here because I don't know very much about them -but if that's what's right for you, look into it! I know many people who benefited from getting a 2 year degree at a technical school, and there are many around.
Private Colleges/Universities are often the most elite of American schools. Some of them are affiliated with religion, but you don't have to be religious/of that religion to attend them (it might help though). If you were asked to name a college off the top of your head, you would probably mention a private school -Harvard, Yale, Reed. Many private universities are very prestigious, but not all.
The biggest problem with private schools is the cost. Because they do not receive government money, they must fund themselves through tuition, what you pay. These schools, especially the prestigious ones, can be extremely expensive -we're taking $40k a year. On the other hand, because these schools have many wealthy contributors, they are also more able to give better scholarships.
In my experience, back when I was applying to colleges, I applied to two (I think?) private schools, both of which were going to be about $37,000 a year. There is no way I could have paid that, even with student loans. Nice thing was, I applied for scholarships/financial aid to those schools, and they were willing to give me about $16,000 a year. Wow! Sounds like a lot! Actually, though, the price between going out of state (where I really wanted to go and eventually wound up) was about equal once you do the math.
Private schools are also generally smaller and much more selective in who they accept. This means that private schools are generally harder to get into, so you'd better start writing some amazing application essays, get some great references, and look your smartest for an interview. Still, lots of people get accepted into private schools just fine, so if it's up your alley, I would highly recommend giving it a shot.
Public Universities are the last general type of school I'm going to talk about here. Public universities are the higher education equivalent of public school for K-12, but not the same. I'll talk more about in-state vs. out-of-state next post, so for now just assume I mean in-state. Public universities receive government funding, so tuition is cheaper. It's really varied on the amount of prestige awarded to the public university -some can be very highly regarded, while others (ahem, mine) tend to get overlooked. The education is usually all good, though.
Public universities usually have more students, some can be as big as about 30,000, and some institutions offer degrees in dozens of areas. Some programs, like music, art, engineering, or architecture, might be more selective, and not all public universities are easy to get into, but it's generally easier to get into public university than private. Most people with sufficient academic background can get into the less-prestigious public universities.
If you're worried about not being as challenged, most schools have honors programs (private and public, I think) that you could apply to for extra work and stress and possibly education. I was accepted into my school's honors program and lasted 1 month. I was highly displeased with it, but I love the university studies system that most people here take. By the way, useful hint: schools with "state" in the name are state schools => public schools :)
OK so those are the types of universities. Where you go from there depends on what you want, or what you think you want. Some private colleges have unusual grading systems, and some have unusual schedules (for example, the 3-week intensive program at Colorado College). If you want a challenging school, you can look up the top-college rankings in various magazines -just check your local library or bookstore if you need one, I'm lazy.
What you might want to look for are: social life (sororities/frats, sports, campus events), student retention (how many students go all 4 years to that university, closer to 100% is better but rare), cost, location, and of course if they have what you want to study. There isn't much point to attending a school that doesn't have the program you want! If you don't know what you want, consider taking some general/interesting courses at your local community college to get a feel for what you're interested in.
Once you know the gist of what you're looking for, start looking into colleges that fit those criteria. You might find some that have fun clubs, 75% student retention, offer great scholarships to you, where you want to be, and what you want to study, but have some weird schedule, like the 3 week classes, you might not want to go there. Or, you might love to go there!
It's also worth it to look into study abroad, internship, workstudy, and career counseling services offered at each college.
Remember that college is what you make it. If you want to go, you should go somewhere that you really want to, that fits you, and that makes you happy. This is your life, your money, and your future. Make the best of it! :)
image source: http://www.zazzle.com/kaplan_newsweek-248680707201413629 but my advice is mine (and free)
With so many colleges across the country, it can be hard to decipher where you should go. There are many things to consider. Let's start with Community College, Private Colleges, and Public Universities.
Community colleges generally offer Associate's (2-year) degrees, and are a great place to get some undergrad credits in. The education at a community college is just as good, sometimes better, than a more traditional university. It can be just as rigorous and challenging or laid-back and easy as the potential of any public university.
image source: http://www.city-data.com/picfilesc/picc45538.php
I really recommend anyone take some of their classes at their local community college. Community college is cheaper than a university, so you save some money. The nice thing is that you also do not need to be accepted to the university -enrollment is open as long as you make sure to register with the college. This can be quite helpful to those who missed application deadlines, want to start sooner, or whatever your circumstance might be.
However, a word of caution on your community college - make sure that your credits will transfer if you plan to attend a public (or private) university. For example, I took classes at my local community college back home before I moved to this state for college. At that school, it was on the semester system (2 terms a year plus summer), and each class was 5 credits (I think, it's been a while) at that institution. My current school is on the quarter system (4 terms a year including summer), and so the credits were calculated down to 4.5.
Actually, though, this is good advice in general -whatever college you first attend, if you transfer elsewhere, not all your classes will "count" at your new school. In some cases, the new school does not require certain classes that the old one did, so if you transfer, you may have to repeat classes, or take more classes than your Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, or Senior ranking should suggest. Do NOT let that deter you from transferring institutions if you feel the need to -just use it to make an informed decision.
I'm not mentioning technical schools here because I don't know very much about them -but if that's what's right for you, look into it! I know many people who benefited from getting a 2 year degree at a technical school, and there are many around.
Private Colleges/Universities are often the most elite of American schools. Some of them are affiliated with religion, but you don't have to be religious/of that religion to attend them (it might help though). If you were asked to name a college off the top of your head, you would probably mention a private school -Harvard, Yale, Reed. Many private universities are very prestigious, but not all.
The biggest problem with private schools is the cost. Because they do not receive government money, they must fund themselves through tuition, what you pay. These schools, especially the prestigious ones, can be extremely expensive -we're taking $40k a year. On the other hand, because these schools have many wealthy contributors, they are also more able to give better scholarships.
In my experience, back when I was applying to colleges, I applied to two (I think?) private schools, both of which were going to be about $37,000 a year. There is no way I could have paid that, even with student loans. Nice thing was, I applied for scholarships/financial aid to those schools, and they were willing to give me about $16,000 a year. Wow! Sounds like a lot! Actually, though, the price between going out of state (where I really wanted to go and eventually wound up) was about equal once you do the math.
Private schools are also generally smaller and much more selective in who they accept. This means that private schools are generally harder to get into, so you'd better start writing some amazing application essays, get some great references, and look your smartest for an interview. Still, lots of people get accepted into private schools just fine, so if it's up your alley, I would highly recommend giving it a shot.
Public Universities are the last general type of school I'm going to talk about here. Public universities are the higher education equivalent of public school for K-12, but not the same. I'll talk more about in-state vs. out-of-state next post, so for now just assume I mean in-state. Public universities receive government funding, so tuition is cheaper. It's really varied on the amount of prestige awarded to the public university -some can be very highly regarded, while others (ahem, mine) tend to get overlooked. The education is usually all good, though.
image source: http://photos-university.blogspot.com/
Public universities usually have more students, some can be as big as about 30,000, and some institutions offer degrees in dozens of areas. Some programs, like music, art, engineering, or architecture, might be more selective, and not all public universities are easy to get into, but it's generally easier to get into public university than private. Most people with sufficient academic background can get into the less-prestigious public universities.
If you're worried about not being as challenged, most schools have honors programs (private and public, I think) that you could apply to for extra work and stress and possibly education. I was accepted into my school's honors program and lasted 1 month. I was highly displeased with it, but I love the university studies system that most people here take. By the way, useful hint: schools with "state" in the name are state schools => public schools :)
OK so those are the types of universities. Where you go from there depends on what you want, or what you think you want. Some private colleges have unusual grading systems, and some have unusual schedules (for example, the 3-week intensive program at Colorado College). If you want a challenging school, you can look up the top-college rankings in various magazines -just check your local library or bookstore if you need one, I'm lazy.
What you might want to look for are: social life (sororities/frats, sports, campus events), student retention (how many students go all 4 years to that university, closer to 100% is better but rare), cost, location, and of course if they have what you want to study. There isn't much point to attending a school that doesn't have the program you want! If you don't know what you want, consider taking some general/interesting courses at your local community college to get a feel for what you're interested in.
Once you know the gist of what you're looking for, start looking into colleges that fit those criteria. You might find some that have fun clubs, 75% student retention, offer great scholarships to you, where you want to be, and what you want to study, but have some weird schedule, like the 3 week classes, you might not want to go there. Or, you might love to go there!
It's also worth it to look into study abroad, internship, workstudy, and career counseling services offered at each college.
Remember that college is what you make it. If you want to go, you should go somewhere that you really want to, that fits you, and that makes you happy. This is your life, your money, and your future. Make the best of it! :)
image source: me! and not my school. it's an inside joke but funny
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Hello 2011!
So! What a long time it has been! Actually, I was away visiting my family out of state; it was awesome. I saw baby tigers that were bigger than me! Going home is always such a hard thing, though. Living so far away from my mom and sister and dear friends and, for now, fiancee (I guess) is hard. But, we're moving on...
It's 2011, you know. I'm sure you're mega-surprised to hear that. Total shock! No, not really, but in a way, I am. After all, it really hit me that, 8 months from now, I'll be graduating. College. Graduating college, THIS AUGUST! Sorry for yelling. It's unbelievable, inconceivable, ridiculous.
And kind of nostalgic. I'm sitting here in the computer lab, looking out at the park blocks and the birds and gloomy skies thinking "this is the last winter I'll be here to see this view." My school isn't anything amazing, but I've gotten used to it, and more or less like it. I guess I've been taking my lovely, everyday, ordinary existence for granted. Who knows what will happen post-graduation.
This term, I'm taking a lot of interconnected classes. I have Calculus II, which kinda sucks because the teacher is different. I'm also taking Resource Management, Marine Conservation and Management, and Fish Ecology and Conservation. Can you see how those guys might tie in really well? I'm hoping that I can convince my group in resource mgmt to do the "make a plan for PNW salmon!" project, because that will tie in even better.
This term, I think, is going to be especially challenging, but nothing I can't handle. Well, we'll hope. I'm trying to be more diligent these last three terms at this school. And sometimes, in my classes, I feel a bit inferior to the grad students or more outspoken students. I'm generally pretty quiet and reserved, so speaking up in class really isn't my thing.
Although...in marine yesterday, I had a horrible coughing fit and almost died. Died, I tell you! For some reason, I'm a chronic cougher, and my body freaks out. So I had to go into the hall and drink water, and cough and cough and cough. It always does this at the beginning of the term, so that my classmates can spend the rest of it thinking I'm a total weirdo.
Which I am. I don't know anyone in any of my classes this term, and it's awkward. They all seem to know each other, and there's slow me who took her classes differently. Maybe even stupidly. Anyway, that's how it is. I guess my options are to continue to be awkward, anti-social, and shy, or meet new people and make friends. Keh. Like I'd do that.
I have also started my job hunt in earnest. I graduate in August, and found a naturalist fellowship. It starts 9 days after my commencement ceremony. I'm iffy on it -I'd like it, but I'll also be alone again for 9 months. I don't think my chances are very good, either, of getting it, but I figure it's a good opportunity to practice applying for jobs.
I make it a habit to not make New Year's resolutions, because I know I probably won't succeed and then I'll just feel bad about it. But if it's something trivial, I might make an exception. So this year, before I graduate, I hope to write several "focused" blogs -blog entries focusing specifically on aspects of college.
I guess it could be a continuation of the "Welcome to College" series I never got around to really doing. Or not, whatevs. Anyway, topics I intend to include:
at the lovely airport
Penguins are Southern Hemisphere only...(except in zoos)
zoolights!
It's 2011, you know. I'm sure you're mega-surprised to hear that. Total shock! No, not really, but in a way, I am. After all, it really hit me that, 8 months from now, I'll be graduating. College. Graduating college, THIS AUGUST! Sorry for yelling. It's unbelievable, inconceivable, ridiculous.
my dog and her giant sons
And kind of nostalgic. I'm sitting here in the computer lab, looking out at the park blocks and the birds and gloomy skies thinking "this is the last winter I'll be here to see this view." My school isn't anything amazing, but I've gotten used to it, and more or less like it. I guess I've been taking my lovely, everyday, ordinary existence for granted. Who knows what will happen post-graduation.
gooooooose
This term, I'm taking a lot of interconnected classes. I have Calculus II, which kinda sucks because the teacher is different. I'm also taking Resource Management, Marine Conservation and Management, and Fish Ecology and Conservation. Can you see how those guys might tie in really well? I'm hoping that I can convince my group in resource mgmt to do the "make a plan for PNW salmon!" project, because that will tie in even better.
My "fish teacher" didn't know what a clownfish is...it's NEMO!
This term, I think, is going to be especially challenging, but nothing I can't handle. Well, we'll hope. I'm trying to be more diligent these last three terms at this school. And sometimes, in my classes, I feel a bit inferior to the grad students or more outspoken students. I'm generally pretty quiet and reserved, so speaking up in class really isn't my thing.
my cat and her damn heater
Although...in marine yesterday, I had a horrible coughing fit and almost died. Died, I tell you! For some reason, I'm a chronic cougher, and my body freaks out. So I had to go into the hall and drink water, and cough and cough and cough. It always does this at the beginning of the term, so that my classmates can spend the rest of it thinking I'm a total weirdo.
my mom's cat
Which I am. I don't know anyone in any of my classes this term, and it's awkward. They all seem to know each other, and there's slow me who took her classes differently. Maybe even stupidly. Anyway, that's how it is. I guess my options are to continue to be awkward, anti-social, and shy, or meet new people and make friends. Keh. Like I'd do that.
me playing pool
I have also started my job hunt in earnest. I graduate in August, and found a naturalist fellowship. It starts 9 days after my commencement ceremony. I'm iffy on it -I'd like it, but I'll also be alone again for 9 months. I don't think my chances are very good, either, of getting it, but I figure it's a good opportunity to practice applying for jobs.
my mom's dogs...formerly mine :'(
I make it a habit to not make New Year's resolutions, because I know I probably won't succeed and then I'll just feel bad about it. But if it's something trivial, I might make an exception. So this year, before I graduate, I hope to write several "focused" blogs -blog entries focusing specifically on aspects of college.
I guess it could be a continuation of the "Welcome to College" series I never got around to really doing. Or not, whatevs. Anyway, topics I intend to include:
- How to select a college
- In-state vs. out-of-state
- What classes to take
- Tips for the first term in college
- Cautionary tales
- Extracurricular activities
- Finding yourself
- How to not look like a jackass
- How to spend your money
- A reflection of each year here
- A summarization and commencement to myself about my time in college
but yeah.
excellent soup i made
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