The Kind of Student I Am
Beginning of Term:
I start out excited to begin the new term. New classes, new profs, new books. I go to my first class, feeling motivated and happy, determined to attend every class, take amazing notes, and do all the readings before-hand.
Mid-Term:
So midterms roll around, and I do well. I like tests. I do really well on in-class essays, though I like writing short answer the best. This term I got three As out of four midterms/in-class essays. So yeah, I'm happy with myself, hoping that this time, I'll actually keep up with my work and do well on the entire course.
Late-Mid-Term:
Things aren't going so well anymore. The first round of essays has come and gone. And since I've stopped going to most of my classes, I'm way behind. Either I've handed in a really bad essay done at the last minute, or not handed it in at all, for various reasons. This year, for one class, no matter what I did, there was always some big issue for every assignment. And since I'm afraid to talk to profs, I don't approach them with my problem, and when I want to, it's too late to even try. So I just don't hand it in. Not a good idea, if you want to pass the course. Also, I've given up on my reading. There's too much, so I cut it all off, or most of it, unless I find I book that I actually enjoy.
Late Term:
I'm sort of freaking out. This is where I am right now. I'm so behind in most of my courses. I have an essay due tomorrow, which I'm confident I can finish. It's only 1500 words, but it's worth 50% of my final mark, so I have to do well. I have another paper due tomorrow, but there's no way I'm finishing it, so I'm going to hand it in late on monday. Plus, I didn't hand in the first essay for that class (my prof is crazy! She's young and has obviously forgotten her undergrad days, since she's assigned 6 thick, tiny-lettered Victorian novels, with two papers, both 8-10pgs with sources. I know, I'm whining, but those papers are big for English classes, and sources are next to impossible to find for these kind of papers. And how am I supposed to read Austen, Dickens and all the other authors, as well as the reading for my other class? She actually gets mad when half the class isn't finished. Lame.
Today I had a second midterm for my Old English class. I suck at languages. I love them, but I'm really really bad at them. So why do I keep taking them? Especially the dead ones?
The kind of student I am: On my Old English midterm, I couldn't do the translation. I got maybe three words out of the paragraph, and gave up. So instead I wrote a message to my prof, telling him how I've been a neglectful student, though I think the material is interesting. I thanked him for his time, reading my failing midterm, and asked him if there was any chance of saving the class. Then I handed it in and ran out, shutting the door behind me. Yeah. That's what kind of student I am.
I start out excited to begin the new term. New classes, new profs, new books. I go to my first class, feeling motivated and happy, determined to attend every class, take amazing notes, and do all the readings before-hand.
Mid-Term:
So midterms roll around, and I do well. I like tests. I do really well on in-class essays, though I like writing short answer the best. This term I got three As out of four midterms/in-class essays. So yeah, I'm happy with myself, hoping that this time, I'll actually keep up with my work and do well on the entire course.
Late-Mid-Term:
Things aren't going so well anymore. The first round of essays has come and gone. And since I've stopped going to most of my classes, I'm way behind. Either I've handed in a really bad essay done at the last minute, or not handed it in at all, for various reasons. This year, for one class, no matter what I did, there was always some big issue for every assignment. And since I'm afraid to talk to profs, I don't approach them with my problem, and when I want to, it's too late to even try. So I just don't hand it in. Not a good idea, if you want to pass the course. Also, I've given up on my reading. There's too much, so I cut it all off, or most of it, unless I find I book that I actually enjoy.
Late Term:
I'm sort of freaking out. This is where I am right now. I'm so behind in most of my courses. I have an essay due tomorrow, which I'm confident I can finish. It's only 1500 words, but it's worth 50% of my final mark, so I have to do well. I have another paper due tomorrow, but there's no way I'm finishing it, so I'm going to hand it in late on monday. Plus, I didn't hand in the first essay for that class (my prof is crazy! She's young and has obviously forgotten her undergrad days, since she's assigned 6 thick, tiny-lettered Victorian novels, with two papers, both 8-10pgs with sources. I know, I'm whining, but those papers are big for English classes, and sources are next to impossible to find for these kind of papers. And how am I supposed to read Austen, Dickens and all the other authors, as well as the reading for my other class? She actually gets mad when half the class isn't finished. Lame.
Today I had a second midterm for my Old English class. I suck at languages. I love them, but I'm really really bad at them. So why do I keep taking them? Especially the dead ones?
The kind of student I am: On my Old English midterm, I couldn't do the translation. I got maybe three words out of the paragraph, and gave up. So instead I wrote a message to my prof, telling him how I've been a neglectful student, though I think the material is interesting. I thanked him for his time, reading my failing midterm, and asked him if there was any chance of saving the class. Then I handed it in and ran out, shutting the door behind me. Yeah. That's what kind of student I am.