get through college

Wow, this was a hectic, worrisome semester. But my grades are in!

Overall average: 88.5%. That’s a high B, or a 3.54 GPA.

Grade by class, and personal comments:
CIS 115: 98. Was a breeze, no final exam. Literally all you had to do was show up, make a weekly blog post, do a video interview, and put together a textbook chapter with a team.

CIS 300: 87. Got a 93 on the final exam. This was by far the hardest class for me, and the one I was worried the most about failing. Taught in a very abstract, theoretical fashion that doesn’t bode well with my detail and fact oriented thinking skill. Getting a 93 on the final was a HUGE surprise for me.

ECE 241: 77. Got a 95 on the final exam. The grade is so low because there were labs with it, at 7:30 AM no less. Hands-on stuff isn’t my thing. I’m more of a thinker than doer. Plus I somehow managed to get a 47 on the third exam.

HIST 101: 93. Got a 96 on the final exam. It’s surprising that I did so well in the class. The professor taught it as though it were a 500-level class, to the dismay of many (including myself). But after the first few chapters I basically became the top student of the class.

If there is something I’ve found out over the past couple of weeks, it’s that university is most certainly not like high school or community college.

For starters, it’s definitely more difficult. The only class I’m really struggling in is history, because our teacher seems to lean much more to the conceptual than factual. But even with my other classes, there’s mostly something of a brain fuzz about me. Part of the issue is that much of their stuff is also conceptual, although to a much lesser degree.

Secondly, there is much more of a time investment required. In order to really get anything, I will need to spent hours each day reading and re-reading the assigned texts before things really click. That’s not including out of class assignments, which you might just call homework.

Third, it requires you to think more deeply, on a higher level. For me, thinking hasn’t really been a problem, probably because I naturally think on a deeper level than most of my peers. Yet university is raising that bar on me, sometimes testing the limits of my thinking ability.

Fourth, there is so much freedom you might almost have no idea what to do. Think about it. Living at home with parents, even as an adult, there are still constraints on you that you’re obligated to follow. But being away from home means no parents to supervise you. And while they are still willing to answer your phone calls for advice, they can’t be there 24/7 like before and you’ll need to make a lot of plans and decisions on your own. So far this hasn’t been a tough issue for me, but the amount of freedom is really liberating, if not a little overwhelming. So many things trying to catch my attention, but there’s only so much I can do.

Since I last wrote, I’ve finished doing what I needed to get enrolled in university, and now live on campus!

My Associate of Science degree just came in the mail this morning. Very happy about that! Time to start looking for work in that field, maybe?

Also, yesterday I sent a transcript to KSU. Should be getting my acceptance letter soon. Time to start looking into scholarships, grants, and student loans.

I am less than two months away from finishing up at the community college. From there I will transfer to the University of Kansas and complete my last two years to get my Bachelor’s of Science!!!!

But I have to apply first. Now, I did the application process for KU a couple years ago before I had heard of KU. I do NOT remember it being the way it currently is. For one thing, it’s ridiculously long and detailed. They changed it up, like they seem to enjoy doing annually for FAFSA. I’m not really complaining because it has changed, just that it is unfamiliar. But it’s due by November 1, so time to get trucking.

HALP!

Due to taking classes in high school that earned me college credit as well as taking summer classes, I will have enough credits to earn my Associate’s of Science for computer science at the local community college. I will graduate on December 8, 2011, a semester ahead of what I expected. From there I will likely go to the University of Kansas.

That’s right, I’m 3/4 of the way through my freshman year of college – already! I’ve been a straight A student the whole time along. I’ve been doing online schooling mainly. While I’m doing exceptionally well, I don’t think it’s the right thing for me. I get way too easily distracted by things around me and end up having to rush myself to get stuff done. However, if the college offers any courses over the summer that I need and it can be done online, I may do that.

I may be able to get done in 1.5 years instead of two. I got college credit in high school and if I took an online course in summer like I did last summer, I should be out a semester early!