I think this will be my third, maybe the fourth reflection I’ve written this week- I’ve written a lot of things this week. Not the least of which would be the last seven or eight posts here, probably close to 10,000 words for the week. Then the federal aid appeal, that was big. My first psychology lab assignment, that was kind of fun, an ‘end-of-module’ reflection also for PSY class, a guided reflection on two musical pieces for humanities class (aka cultural connections,) and lastly I turned in my first fitness report.
I’m glad I can go the distance on my keyboard. Honestly, I think I’m going to be okay. Six classes may seem like a lot, 17 credits worth. Yet, really with the combination of classes that I have, I just don’t see a problem. In fact, the one thing many of the teachers seemed to repeat (everyone except the PSY teacher,) was just to keep up the attendance. Good attendance yields good grades they said. Well, maybe. At this point, what do I need to do for each class to pass the semester:
Film: one day per week attendance, 3x short papers total
English: two days per week attendance, 2x medium papers, 1x long paper
Humanities: two days per week attendance, 1x short paper, 1x cultural event, 1x medium paper
Fitness: two workouts per week, 1x fitness report per week
Government: one day per week attendance, six quizzes remaining, journal/reflections book
Then there is PSY:
One quiz per week, one forum post (with two replies,) per week, one assignment per week, one lab every other week on average, and the reading. This week reading assignment is chapters 3, 4, and 5. Pages 60 to 177. Have a fun weekend.
At least it’s interesting, really interesting so far. Starting in Chapter three, I’m current twenty pages into the 117 page reading assignment. I wish I could read faster. Also, this is the first serious reading I’ve done on my laptop with a digital book. The interface, is actually pretty smooth for this text, it uses BibliU as its provider. Just one endless page to keep reading and keep scrolling. Oh, and I have to finish it all tomorrow, or Tuesday morning I suppose. Either way to be ready for our group to meet at the college library on Tuesday afternoon to plan our presentation.
So really, after one week, I seem to be thinking that five classes will be cake as long as I keep showing up (which I will, now my income will depend on it,) and then Psychology. That class will be work, yet that is what my degree is focusing on, so maybe that should be a class that has some content to be learned.
Okay, I can handle that- and it’s just one class. However, as currently planned, I am taking five Psychology classes next semester! Granted, I’ve planned it out so I could be completely online next semester- yet now I’m starting to think about the workload. All five classes are short 7 week classes, half a semester each- and double the work for their duration (they have the same content and credit as a regular 15 week class.) The first half of the semester would have two classes, the last half would have three classes. If this Psychology class is the baseline for work expectations of a more ‘serious’ course, I may need to put some more thought into the next semester before it gets here. Ha, one week into this semester and I’m already more worried about the next one.
So today? Oh, not much at all. Woke up shortly after eight. Finished cleaning the kitchen, ran the dishwasher tonight after I cooked another batch of spaghetti. I walked a timed mile down to Hollywood and back and set a a PR by eight seconds: 19:52. Not a lot in between. Put the clothes into the dryer. I should probably go empty that now, hang up my school shirts.
I still haven’t cleaned on the car, yet I suppose that is on the list tomorrow with reading another 97 pages of psychology. I’ll alternate from one to the other as I get to sick of either task. (I say this, yet I hope I get enthralled in either task and power through them both.)
Reflection… it’s been a great week. I found my classes, I helped others find classes. I figured out the cafeteria on the first day, and someone bought be lunch. One possibly challenging class had its difficultly evaporate with an easy online quiz for two thirds of the grade. And the one remaining challenging class that will be full of content, study, homework and lab studies? The class I’m here for, Psychology.
As if that wasn’t enough, I week ago I had just learned of the appeal process, now I’ve completed it and have every expectation of receiving an amount of student aid sufficient to pay the room and board. And, I’ve wholly come to terms with now being a liberal arts student. I suppose the STEM got knocked out of me.
Final note, though I did keep up the typing, we know what happened one night, and tonight I started just a bit early to make sure that didn’t happen again, yet here I am. Not even yet to nine hundred words, and I feel drained. Could there be more great details contained within today? Of course there are. Have I the enthusiasm to pull them out from the ether within me? No.
The first school week has ended, 14 to go.
Time to rest.