The Glade 4.0

So this was my first semester back to school. I took 14 credits (edit: straight A's) while working full time and have been thinking hard about what I did wrong. I did do some things right, but I probably learn more from my failures. I'm kinda curious what any others still in school learned as well.

1) My relationship with God suffered toward the end of the semester. Even when I'm tired, I need to prioritize that. Even if it means losing 30 minutes of sleep.
2) I need to stop whining about how busy and tired I am. My wife picked up so much slack the last 4 months without even a word of complaint. I need to be more like her in this respect.
3) I need to work on time management skills more. I let myself get sucked into small, meaningless tasks that ate as much as an hour or two when it was definitely something that could have waited until the weekend.
4) I can't study when the TV is going. I must make a better effort at studying in room with no TV. This sucks because it probably means I can't be near my wife.
5) Chris Rock was right - community college is like a freakin' discotheque with books. I can't believe all the stupid questions and excuses regarding assignments I heard this semester.
6) I have a better handle on how to not use passive voice when I write. I'm trying to keep my work-related e-mails to clients free of it but old habits die hard.
7) I need to spend more time reviewing material before tests. I did good this semester, but only because most of it was simple. I need to develop better habits now with the easier stuff so I'm not screwed when harder courses come along.
8) Working out 5-6 times a week made a huge difference in my energy levels. Its important to sustain this and not slack even when I really need the time to study.
9) Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. I changed from just eating a bowl of cereal in the morning to eating oatmeal and eggs. Even when I'm tired, I still have the energy to at least make it until lunch.
10) I should probably learn to like coffee. Some days were downright miserable because tea just doesn't pack enough punch.
11) Social networking is important.
12) Its easy to feel like all the work is pointless because there's so many years ahead of me. But focusing only on what's important for me to do right now helped me keep my perspective centered. There's plenty of time to look ahead in between semesters.

I'm sure there's more I'm missing, but this is what I have so far.

Anybody else?

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The Dude abides.

1. Gods important. Sometimes talking to Him even helps you get though school related tough spots.
2. Totally with you. I work 12.5 hours a day, plus am doing much of the work at home due to my wife's complicated pregnancy. Sometimes I whine and feel bitter, but its hard not to.
3. For me I did all that meaningless stuff during the week so the weekend was as clear as could be. Having a two day break from school clears your head a lot.
4. Does your wife like to read? Could comprimise and make your studying time her reading time.
5. Agreed
6.
7. I was the same way. High school I was great at retaining stuff and just doing the tests. Some college classes were the same way, but I quickly found out I needed to study. 3.5 cards are an awesome study tool.
8-9. Working out before an exam is also a help. If your professor allows food in class, pack some complex carbs or meal bars. That extra energy helps a ton.
10. Coffee is good, but remember when you pass, I think, 200mg of caffeine, it has the opposite effect. Depending on your cup size you can reach that in 2-3 cups.


Also, since you are married too, have your wife help you study. Have her quiz you and help you out. Not only is it something you can do together, I often found that my partner could add different views or perspectives to the things I was studying and increasing my knowledge.

These numbers don't correlate to the ones above:

1. Working hard is good, but burning yourself out doesn't do you any favors. I learned to balance everything better, without burning myself out.

2. The end is a lot easier than the beginning and middle in regards to the path to a degree. It's easy to motivate yourself when you're almost there. It's those 8am classes in the middle of your degree program that test your ambition.

3. People will always have excuses for themselves, but it's never going to be okay for you to use them, so just work hard and don't give yourself a reason to need them. Plenty of people in powerful positions once had the very same excuses, but it's not acceptable for you to have them, in their eyes. Life isn't hard, you're just weak. That's the view of the world. So toughen up and brace yourself. I've learned to say "F* those people" and live my life the way I want to live, by my own values. I don't need an excuse. I'm at where I'm at in life because I chose to be. In fact, "their" definition of success and a good life really doesn't mean a damn thing to me.

4. It is possible to get a 3.0-3.5 in a class without ever studying once, it's just not going to happen often. For me, it happened twice this semester. Then again, I only had Writing and a PC Hardware class.

5. Working 2nd shift doesn't work with 8am classes, especially if you're a night owl to begin with. Unfortunately, you need to do what you need to do to get the job done. That's what I did this semester.

6. It is possible for me to put my video game obsession aside for schoolwork, it just takes extreme amounts of personal control. It does effect my mood in a negative way and it does impact my life in a negative way, but it's a sacrifice I needed to make this semester to get by in school.

7. Short term pain for long term gain. The pain won't last forever...I hope.

8. Getting 1 hour catnaps in after class, before work, helped tremendously.

9. No matter how many classes I complete, it feels like I'm going in the opposite end of my degree. It's really that far away from my reach, even though it's not. Working full time and taking two classes a semester just isn't a very fast route to get through school. Even with taking summer classes, it just doesn't ever come close to ending. Sometimes I feel that it's better to just get used to the grind and never get out of it in the summer. The moment I feel free time I resort back to my own laid back self, wishing I could spend hours relaxing like I used to. Being busy and taking classes non-stop doesn't allow you to feel what it's like to have a life again, so you forget.

10. No matter how much I want to quit work to finish school, it's not going to happen. My work offers tuition reimbursement, so there's no way I'm leaving at this point. I'm stuck with this grind until its finished.

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In terms of studying, try outlining the chapters covered on the exam in the text. It takes surprisingly little time and is extremely effective.

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Responding to your points:

6. I hear you on the video games. I completely went cold turkey. When the semester started, I only played Tales of Vesperia with the wife when she wanted to play as something to do together. I played no games I wanted to play until Thanksgiving break. It was rough. But I had to do it to ensure I start out with good habits.
8. I've never been a nap person, but there were a couple times I fell asleep in the hour or so break I had between classes. It did noticeably improve my energy level for the next class. I just wish I could reliably fall asleep when I want to...
9. I'd encourage you to try to take more. It was probably easier for me because I had my wife helping out around the house more. But if you can squeeze in another class, do it. The best years of your life are yet to come when you get married. I know it may be tough to see that right now. But you're not going to be lying on your deathbed wishing you'd screwed around more in your 20's; you will wish you hadn't wasted so much of your youth. I was busy as all crap, but I feel I really developed more as a person because of it.
10. I think its awesome you're smart enough to take advantage of your tuition reimbursement. Keep at it, homes. You'll get there.

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The Dude abides.

Students who do their first two years at a community college will generally do better than students who start at a four-year college. I've tutored at four year schools a few times and the questions they asked weren't any better.

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Buckle your pants or they might fall down.

Semesters end. Nuclear power plants don't ever shut off. And when they do, you work more than you'll ever want to remember.

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"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

Believe me I know this. I work at one.

Which plant?

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"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

So now that I'm on break and actually have time to play video games, I'm having trouble doing it. Its like I start to feel guilty or that I should be doing something more productive. Yet the idea of keeping fresh on my Physics definitely isn't something I get excited about.

Maybe I'm actually done with video games?

/shudder

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The Dude abides.

1. Statistics sucks ***
2. Study hard and you can pass even if it does suck
3. Com 102 is actually Interpersonal Bullshitting 101
4. I want to start writing again.
that is all I learned.

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Darksiege
Traveller, Calé, Whisperer
Lead me not into temptation; for I know a shortcut

Three Mile Island

Heh, I work down @ PB. How's the outage going? Get the new Steam Generators in yet?

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"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

I am so ready for it to be over. Generators are in and the reactor building is resealed. We are 300 some hours behind so I think the start up date is Jan 17. They just brought the water systems and boilers back online so there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

1. It's hard adjusting to school on a year-round, no-real-breaks basis. Having my last final Sunday night, and then going in to school the next morning bright and early to get some research done was quite the transition.

A nice transition to the real work world, I assume.

2. I have to understand everything. The 'getting most of it' approach that was fine as an undergrad is not fine now. I need to be able to understand and use and remember every nuance. I also need to get better at concentrating while reading- by the 30th article or so, I start having to re-read paragraphs 3 or 4 times to grasp the point.

3. I need to keep my research notebooks a lot more organized. I finally came up with a good system for organizing papers and references, as well as summaries and annotations, but I have to work on my own research notes now.

4. I need to cut back on caffeine. The long weeks, it's all that keeps me upright, and that is not a good thing. I also need to start making my overnight work sessions on weekends rather than weekdays, so I don't keep ending up with 40+ hour times where I need to be productive, as it emphasizes the use of caffeine.

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Darksiege: You are not a god damned vulcan homie.