What I Learned in School Today

Today was Group Advisory day.  Held in a classroom in the Counseling Center, we went through a Power Point presentation on how to figure out what classes to take for our certificates or associate degrees and how to register for classes.  And I was not the oldest person there.  :-) I love seeing folks starting their higher educations, at any age!

I realized two things about my Assessment Test scores.  The bad thing first:  Apparently, my math score wasn’t the worst in school history because there’s actually a lower class than the one I was assigned.  However, what I didn’t realize is that once I take that class, there are two MORE classes I need to take before I even get to the college level 100 math class…  I wasn’t intending to think about math for a few years, but now I’m thinking maybe I’ll get some tutoring and retake the assessment test to see if I can skip a few of those Math For Dummies classes.  The good thing: I may qualify for Honors English.  
*big grin*

The school I’m going to is a two year junior college.  Eventually, I want to major in English, either literature or writing, at a four year college.  What I learned today is that there are slightly different requirements for transferring units to another school, so when choosing classes, I have to make sure they’re transferable.  So, I’m glad I’m aware of that as I’m picking my B, C and D plans for registration.  French 101 is on my transfer list but I’ll check on the other classes to make sure they’re ok. 

 

I’m going with the purple list but at some point in the future, I’ll talk to a counselor and make sure I’m on the right track.  No sense taking something that doesn’t count and losing an entire semester.  I wish I could go to school full time--of course, it would go so much faster, but I could also throw in an unrequired class once in a while, that just sounds interesting.  *sigh*

Here’s the most sobering thing said in the session: for every hour of class, 2 hours of study is expected.  Yikes!  If I get the French class, that’s 5 hours a week.  I know enough math to understand it’s 10 HOURS of studying…  I know what I’ll be doing on Saturdays from late August to mid-December…  And if I can do well with a 5 unit class, think what a cakewalk a 3 unit class will be in future semesters!

All the kids in today’s session were very quiet.  A couple spoke up when asked if they already knew what they wanted to do: we had a music teacher, a theatre tech and a law enforcement officer.  They were all respectful and friendly.  Maybe they’re a little scared of college?  It’s interesting how they emphasize that in college, you’re there to learn and if you don’t take that seriously, you’re out.  As opposed to high school, where slacking off, while not exactly tolerated, is put up with because they want to push you through the system and get you off their rolls.  Only the serious need apply!

The other thing I did today was set up my cell phone for automatic texts from school in case of emergencies--like tornado’s or crazy people shooting up the campus.  I do not jest in either case…

Next up, registration on August 1 and then getting my student ID.  You need your license or other ID and the receipt for your class before you can get it.  And yes, there are many discounts!!

Your vision will become clear when you look into your heart…

Who looks outside, dreams…   Who looks inside, awakens...

Carl Jung