Why I suck at updating.
I promised I would start updating on a daily basis, I know. It just feels so weird getting back into it. Since I got into college, I've been overwhelmed with the amount of things I have to do, and frankly, the freedom. Going from having nothing to do for three months and suddenly being shoved into a world of people!, and assignments!, and socializing!, and research! has pretty much left me drained. Something had to go, so it was blogging. No matter how much I think about what to write, it just feels awkward doing it now.
I got onto vox today and noticed an entirely different layout -- I freaked. It's SO DIFFERENT FROM THE LAST TIME I SAW IT. I feel like I've logged onto a new site. It's all so foreign to me.
So...where to start.
I'm officially in what has been called one of the weirdest combinations of majors ever: English and Computer Science. Knowing that this school has the most ridiculous general education requirements ever, in the history of ever (which I will prove to you in a later post -- I promise), I went to talk to the heads of both departments to cross-reference a tentative list of classes I made based on the information provided on each of the departments' websites. The English meeting went pretty well; since I have AP credits that transfer over to English (and the fact that a lot of the school's general education requirements double-count for an English major), my requirements are pretty light: the year of Intro. to Literature Study, followed by seven 300-level courses:
- One British/European Literature class that covers a time before 1600
- One British/European Literature class that covers a time after 1600
- Two American Literature classes
- One Non-Western Literature class
- Two electives of my choice, as long as they're listed at the 300 level or above.
Pretty nice, especially since I'm already taking a 300-level English elective right now (and loving it, by the way). The meeting with the head of the English department took about eight minutes.
The CS meeting took...a lot longer. We got so much done, though.
One of the reasons why I love people who are naturally inclined for math: they tend to be ridiculously organized. Where the head of the English department simply told me the requirements and checked my AP exams ("Just look at the posters we put in the Academic Center every semester and cross-reference it with this list. That'll keep you up to date for the degree"), Dr. Portier was insanely organized. He had lists of offered courses ready for the next five years, a handy-dandy program on his computer to take all my cares away (pretty much). He figured out the course sequence I needed in relation to my date of graduation, and was really nice about it (seriously: he put me at ease and was quite charming).
However, there was one hiccup in the schedule:
Portier: Why are you in MATH 105 right now?
Me: I thought I needed it to graduate. (The university tells you that you need Statistics to graduate unless you're an education major.)
Portier: Oh, no. You just need a semester of math to meet the core requirement. CS majors have a different statistics class they need to take later in the sequence.
Me: Does that mean I have to take summer courses?
Portier: Well, this schedule works, but I really don't like the idea of you taking some of these courses so late in college. You need to take calculus.
Me: You mean earlier than spring of next year, correct?
Portier: I would like to see you in Calculus now.
Me: Now?
Portier: ...is that a problem?
Me: I...haven't taken a math class in three years. I stopped at Pre-calc.
Portier: OK, then if you're really that skiddish about it, you should take pre-calc. [looks at listings for classes] Oh. We got rid of that offering because no one signed up for it. [looks at me] ...Dr. Butler's a really wonderful professor -- she gives out lots of notes, is very methodical...she'll hold your hand [read: take it now while she's teaching it.]
Me: Alright, but I know I'll need a book. I don't know if the bookstore has any that are used, because I saw how much my book bill was.
Portier: Just wait right here.
He leaves the room, goes to a closet, and brings back the required text for the class. "I'll let you use it on the condition that you drop stat and sign up for calc today. Just don't bust it up or try to resell it, and of course, give it back when you're done." YES SIR, THANK YOU SIR. Those books are 200 dollars! How the heck do they get away with charging this much?!
So, I'm taking Calculus at the wonderful "8 AM and four times a week" time slot. I don't like waking up that early, but he was right -- Dr. Butler is wonderful. Calculus makes sense, and as crazy as it sounds, she's made me realize why I liked math when I was a kid -- there's always a right answer, and there's this great feeling of finally figuring it out and knowing you're right. However, I am petrified of the exam I have in...oh, 6.5 hours.
I'll try to write more often, but now that I have a very early class, I don't really have the option of doing early morning entries, and with work, I'm usually too exhausted to write an evening one. Consider this an anomaly because I just finished about 60% of my work for tomorrow's classes.
