College Life
It's hard to describe the feelings that run through me attending college again. Its exhilarating and I am glad I decided on this course of action instead of jumping head first into the job market. I feel like this is how college should have been in the first place, with my motivation and drive and goals in place. Sometimes it requires a little slap in the face by reality to realize the correct path to take.
This semester I am taking the following classes: JAPN1020, ENGL1010, ACAD1100;2200, PHYS2120
Japanese 2 is really fun but also a bit frustrating. I love learning japanese and it seems like my understanding of the language is still a little better than a lot of the people in my class (I've been scoring higher on the quizes/etc) but thats mostly due to the fact that I just came from Japan after all. The frustrating point is that here in Memphis the JAPN1010 went over 80 Kanji, but in Japan they didn't go over any, focusing more on speaking and grammar then knowledge of Kanji. This I actually agree with, my last japanese instructor put it the best, when we learn a language for the first time did as a baby you read from a book and then learn how to speak? It seems like every language class I know of teaches in such a backwards from natural way that no wonder a lot of people find it really hard to comprehend it all. I am thankful I took it with that instructor as he taught me more than I would have been able to soak up otherwise. On the plus side, I can memorize Kanji like a crazy fool and I memorized 50 in just under and hour enough to score 100% on my test on them after I studied. I still go over them 2-3 times a week to make sure I retain it all. I also made 50-60 notecards just on the different verbs as well, making sure my arsenal to form sentences continues to expand.
English Composition is the class I thought I would like the least. I dislike writing papers like I dislike getting a shot. Luckily I have an amazing teacher who does what teachers are always meant to do and inspire you, entreat you to be passionate about what they are. The class itself can seem kind of chaotic, everyone talking at random times and only loosely is the overall objective obtained but its obtained with everyone feeling like they've inputted and they don't have to worry about stating their opinion about the topic. It caught me by surprise that a teacher could be so lenient on what I thought were givens in a class room for control and order and yet have the class achieve. I am kinda proud of my papers that I've written so far, but I can't let myself get too pompous and continue to work to better myself and my writing.
Academics, both 1100 and 2200 can be summed up simple enough. They are classes meant to give you information on how to be motivated and how to study. What to study when, how to underline. I am doing what I can to keep interested as thats the best way to soak information, but its mostly simple ideas and suggestions that I have obtained through experience unfortunately and not because I took the time to learn the tricks of the trade before hand. In any case, the class itself is a common ground for me and others to talk about when pressed.
Physics 2 (for physics and engineering majors), is great. Its a combination of recollecting the information given and learning things for the first time. I am re-learning several things about calculus just as I am doing some problems. Gauss' Law at first didn't make sense to me just by the sheer exclusion of the rest of an infinite source for effecting a point when reason says it should be accounted for. But physicist know what they are talking about and working out the math several times it's a very sound equation. I enjoy doing practice problems and using my new calculator. I also spoke with my old physics profesor from when I first attended UofM and we had a nice discussion of nuclear engineering, physics, calculus, and the new proposed hydrokinetic turbine being displayed at the UofM library at the moment. He was overjoyed that I had returned and even more so that I maintained my immense love of physics. After I finish this semester he said that I will move straight into research projects, unlike most universities, at UofM when you work on a project or research you are listed with the PhDs and such that also worked on it, getting your name out to the physics community. Maybe one day I'll be in the very Physics Today magazine my awesome mother-in-law buys me :)
Classes aside, its relatively hard for me to make friends given 1) the age difference 2) I dont know anything about the NFL teams or the NBA teams and 3) although it sounds like it shouldn't impact, because I'm married. I've had a few girls talk to me and express interest in being friends and talking and then find out that I am married (you figure the ring would have tipped them off) and then never messaging/talking to me again. Oh well. It's only been 2 weeks really so its not like I've written off my college experience to be a solitary venture, but it's not like I have an abundant amount of hope either for the opposite.
I'll update more in the future as I remember to
~Ghezra
This semester I am taking the following classes: JAPN1020, ENGL1010, ACAD1100;2200, PHYS2120
Japanese 2 is really fun but also a bit frustrating. I love learning japanese and it seems like my understanding of the language is still a little better than a lot of the people in my class (I've been scoring higher on the quizes/etc) but thats mostly due to the fact that I just came from Japan after all. The frustrating point is that here in Memphis the JAPN1010 went over 80 Kanji, but in Japan they didn't go over any, focusing more on speaking and grammar then knowledge of Kanji. This I actually agree with, my last japanese instructor put it the best, when we learn a language for the first time did as a baby you read from a book and then learn how to speak? It seems like every language class I know of teaches in such a backwards from natural way that no wonder a lot of people find it really hard to comprehend it all. I am thankful I took it with that instructor as he taught me more than I would have been able to soak up otherwise. On the plus side, I can memorize Kanji like a crazy fool and I memorized 50 in just under and hour enough to score 100% on my test on them after I studied. I still go over them 2-3 times a week to make sure I retain it all. I also made 50-60 notecards just on the different verbs as well, making sure my arsenal to form sentences continues to expand.
English Composition is the class I thought I would like the least. I dislike writing papers like I dislike getting a shot. Luckily I have an amazing teacher who does what teachers are always meant to do and inspire you, entreat you to be passionate about what they are. The class itself can seem kind of chaotic, everyone talking at random times and only loosely is the overall objective obtained but its obtained with everyone feeling like they've inputted and they don't have to worry about stating their opinion about the topic. It caught me by surprise that a teacher could be so lenient on what I thought were givens in a class room for control and order and yet have the class achieve. I am kinda proud of my papers that I've written so far, but I can't let myself get too pompous and continue to work to better myself and my writing.
Academics, both 1100 and 2200 can be summed up simple enough. They are classes meant to give you information on how to be motivated and how to study. What to study when, how to underline. I am doing what I can to keep interested as thats the best way to soak information, but its mostly simple ideas and suggestions that I have obtained through experience unfortunately and not because I took the time to learn the tricks of the trade before hand. In any case, the class itself is a common ground for me and others to talk about when pressed.
Physics 2 (for physics and engineering majors), is great. Its a combination of recollecting the information given and learning things for the first time. I am re-learning several things about calculus just as I am doing some problems. Gauss' Law at first didn't make sense to me just by the sheer exclusion of the rest of an infinite source for effecting a point when reason says it should be accounted for. But physicist know what they are talking about and working out the math several times it's a very sound equation. I enjoy doing practice problems and using my new calculator. I also spoke with my old physics profesor from when I first attended UofM and we had a nice discussion of nuclear engineering, physics, calculus, and the new proposed hydrokinetic turbine being displayed at the UofM library at the moment. He was overjoyed that I had returned and even more so that I maintained my immense love of physics. After I finish this semester he said that I will move straight into research projects, unlike most universities, at UofM when you work on a project or research you are listed with the PhDs and such that also worked on it, getting your name out to the physics community. Maybe one day I'll be in the very Physics Today magazine my awesome mother-in-law buys me :)
Classes aside, its relatively hard for me to make friends given 1) the age difference 2) I dont know anything about the NFL teams or the NBA teams and 3) although it sounds like it shouldn't impact, because I'm married. I've had a few girls talk to me and express interest in being friends and talking and then find out that I am married (you figure the ring would have tipped them off) and then never messaging/talking to me again. Oh well. It's only been 2 weeks really so its not like I've written off my college experience to be a solitary venture, but it's not like I have an abundant amount of hope either for the opposite.
I'll update more in the future as I remember to
~Ghezra