the fruits of my ponderings, aka: TL;DR.
So this last school year was pretty good. It was a lot of fun, had some good times, learned a lot, but also slacked off a lot and didn't do as well as I'd hoped. I feel that this is partially due to the fact that I forgot to make a list of goals for myself - something I've done at the beginning of every school year for the past 7 years. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't, but at least I have set things I set out to achieve. Lacking this for my freshman year of college probably wasn't the best thing, but considering I had no idea what to expect I like to think it's somewhat understandable. Having learned this lesson, and gotten others under my belt as well, I feel a lot more prepared to deal with the upcoming year (as early as it seems to be thinking about it - what can I say. I like school, and I have a lot of free time) and as though I am on the verge of making some big decisions about what I'm doing with myself while there. I'm sure y'all have noticed me thinking about picking up a minor in equine science, which I now feel 100% positive I'm going to do. What I don't know just yet is what I'm going to do with my art major. I enjoy art, I enjoy painting and drawing and I know I'm good at it. What I've never really been sure of is whether I'm good enough to make anything of it...or whether doing it for money, as a job would give me the same enjoyment.
Meanwhile, sitting here at home, with the biggest animal I deal with regularly being my cat, contemplating my prospective minor, I find myself missing horses, and the fact that at school they're so close and so readily accessible. The last time I was actually near a horse was the end of April, and I find myself missing it so much. So my contemplations have led me to wonder about that scary, assload-of-work-filled, years-of-my-life-still-in-school prospect of veterinary school and what would come after.....and I wonder. I mean, honestly, most of the time I am motivated more by other people - "what will my parents think", "i don't want to let so and so down", "i subconsciously crave approval from such and such a person", etc. So working with living things, especially ones I care so much about as a species, seems like it would give me the drive I would need to complete whatever it is that needs to be done for them (assuming I don't suddenly stop seeking the approval of others in lieu of actual responsibility in some sort of freakish spurt of maturity). Plus, it was my first dream, as a three year old enamored with animals (even if I wasn't quite sure what the difference between a veterinarian and a vegetarian was). So that's something I think I'm really going to look into this semester, and I want to have it figured out by the end of the year, one way or another, considering that will be my halfway point. Terrifying.
So to close, I'm going to put down a few (school-related) goals I've already thought up for the next semester or two.
1. Figure out my major/minor/whatever situation. Look into the programs and what comes after. Figure out what you're most passionate about.
2. Get more financial aid and make the college fund last.
3. Get your act together and bring that GPA out of the gutter.
4. Be more active in PSET - especially PSET THON. :)
5. Find a job - work study seems reasonable, look into it.