(no subject)
I've completed my very first week back in the college act. It's a strange, though oddly familiar feeling to be a student again. I had butterflies in my stomach Monday morning when I woke up, and by the time I got in my car to drive from work to school I had a full on case of the jitters. I have an intense anxiety reaction to "new things". That includes driving places for the first time, navigating unfamiliar buildings, and a somewhat irrational fear of being unprepared. On that first day of school I realized a few things - I had failed to check out the campus, locate my classroom, get a parking pass, or buy my books. Now, if that isn't a recipe for anxiety, I don't know what is.
On top of it, I had the added anxiety of knowing that I could very well be the oldest person in the class. The one who sits in the front row and raises her hand every few minutes to ask a retarded question, mistakenly thinking that I have some sort of intellect working for me that will only help to enlighten those around me. I was determined to NOT be that person, and I'm happy to report that I am NOT that person. Gaylen is. He sat next to me in the 4th row on day one. He's an old man (40s) who asks too many dumb questions. No, he's not helping me to learn anything.
I was also really apprehensive because I've never been to a community college before. I'm not sure why THAT would give me anxiety, but it did. I quickly realized, however, that community college should not be threatening at ALL. The folks who go there fall into one of four categories, from what i can tell. They are either really young and trying to "find their way" before going to a university, really dumb and looking for a quick certification program that will give them an okay paying job, really old and just now deciding to go to school, or they're fulfilling pre-requisites for another program. I fall into category four. I'm pretty sure that most of my classmates are from category one and two, with the exception of Gaylen who most certainly comes from category three.
I take notes like a crazy person in lecture - I always have. One of the best ways to learn material is to write it down in your own words, and review it. The problem is, my Prof posts lecture notes online, so I'm the only one writing my own notes. I had a very talkative, albeit negative girl sit next to me in lecture in both classes this week who questioned my sanity for writing my own notes. She looked at me in what can only be described as utter disbelief when I told her that I write my own notes so that I don't have to spend much time studying. It was about the same look she gave me when I told her I already had a Bachelor's in Biology. She's taken this class once before and had to drop it part-way through the quarter, and was warning me that the class was "really really hard" when i dropped the bombshell about the BS. I also overheard her talking to another group of girls about some other class. Her description of that one was that it was "really really hard" as well so I'm fairly certain that she's either not smart at all, or she's trying to psych out her classmates. Either way, after attending the first few classes, I would be shocked if the course truly turned out to be "hard". Perhaps that's because I've already taken courses in Anatomy and Physiology separately...how hard could it be for me to put them together and regurgitate the info?
Our first lab involved calibrating a microscope, determining the size of the field of vision at each magnification, and using a sample of our own cheek cells to show that we understand how to use a microscope and calculate the size of a cell. Basically, its a lab I've done in just about every biology class I've ever taken - and that goes back to 8th grade. I finished in just about 45 minutes (of a two hour lab) and then had to stay and help the girls that sit at my lab bench because the poor things were completely lost. we're talking NO idea how to use the microscope. If that's how it's gonna go down...i am sitting pretty.
So, that's how that is. Oh, and I took my first quiz in psychology and got 100%. I'm awesome and dominate 100 level classes! yay!
And Chad hooked me up with a cool new phone today. I like it. I gave myself a really horrible 80s ringtone - Uptown Girl.
Perfect.
On top of it, I had the added anxiety of knowing that I could very well be the oldest person in the class. The one who sits in the front row and raises her hand every few minutes to ask a retarded question, mistakenly thinking that I have some sort of intellect working for me that will only help to enlighten those around me. I was determined to NOT be that person, and I'm happy to report that I am NOT that person. Gaylen is. He sat next to me in the 4th row on day one. He's an old man (40s) who asks too many dumb questions. No, he's not helping me to learn anything.
I was also really apprehensive because I've never been to a community college before. I'm not sure why THAT would give me anxiety, but it did. I quickly realized, however, that community college should not be threatening at ALL. The folks who go there fall into one of four categories, from what i can tell. They are either really young and trying to "find their way" before going to a university, really dumb and looking for a quick certification program that will give them an okay paying job, really old and just now deciding to go to school, or they're fulfilling pre-requisites for another program. I fall into category four. I'm pretty sure that most of my classmates are from category one and two, with the exception of Gaylen who most certainly comes from category three.
I take notes like a crazy person in lecture - I always have. One of the best ways to learn material is to write it down in your own words, and review it. The problem is, my Prof posts lecture notes online, so I'm the only one writing my own notes. I had a very talkative, albeit negative girl sit next to me in lecture in both classes this week who questioned my sanity for writing my own notes. She looked at me in what can only be described as utter disbelief when I told her that I write my own notes so that I don't have to spend much time studying. It was about the same look she gave me when I told her I already had a Bachelor's in Biology. She's taken this class once before and had to drop it part-way through the quarter, and was warning me that the class was "really really hard" when i dropped the bombshell about the BS. I also overheard her talking to another group of girls about some other class. Her description of that one was that it was "really really hard" as well so I'm fairly certain that she's either not smart at all, or she's trying to psych out her classmates. Either way, after attending the first few classes, I would be shocked if the course truly turned out to be "hard". Perhaps that's because I've already taken courses in Anatomy and Physiology separately...how hard could it be for me to put them together and regurgitate the info?
Our first lab involved calibrating a microscope, determining the size of the field of vision at each magnification, and using a sample of our own cheek cells to show that we understand how to use a microscope and calculate the size of a cell. Basically, its a lab I've done in just about every biology class I've ever taken - and that goes back to 8th grade. I finished in just about 45 minutes (of a two hour lab) and then had to stay and help the girls that sit at my lab bench because the poor things were completely lost. we're talking NO idea how to use the microscope. If that's how it's gonna go down...i am sitting pretty.
So, that's how that is. Oh, and I took my first quiz in psychology and got 100%. I'm awesome and dominate 100 level classes! yay!
And Chad hooked me up with a cool new phone today. I like it. I gave myself a really horrible 80s ringtone - Uptown Girl.
Perfect.