If you have to cheat in a Sophmore level Lit class.....

Tee hee.  So yesterday my lit class gets this e-mail (I took out the names...):

"Gentlemen, Mr. J's 2nd paper is Mr. C's with only minor changes. Mr. J has committed Academic Misconduct by plagiarizing, and Mr. C has facilitated Academic Misconduct by making his paper available for Mr. J's use. Both of you will fail the course and, per MTSU Policy, be referred for Academic Misconduct to the Vice-Provost for Academic Affairs. "

OK I'm sorry, but it's a 2000 level class.  And the paper only had to be 1200 words (about 2 pages DOUBLE SPACED). And the paper was on Sherlock Holmes.  I mean really now people.  I completed the paper in 2 hours.  The night before it was due.  And got a 95.  It's not like it was about the book Contact (no offense to anyone who actually liked that book - maybe I will if I read it un-begrudgingly, but I digress).

I'm going to save this little e-mail gem as a reminder that there are Professors who still care about academic honesty, and that cheating is still punishable.  And it's always nice to see justice.  We all *know* it happens, but seeing is believing.  

And if you have to cheat on a 2 page paper, what's going to happen in a senior level class when you have to write 10 pages...3 times...in 1 semester.  :o

Until next time,
:)

I GOT AN A!

You've probably heard me talk about the Computer Science class I failed last semester.  Post about it here (will open in new window).  So I retook it this semester.  Worked my little rear off.  And I got an A!!! :D WHOOP DI WHOOP.

Pardon me while I go celebrate.  

Until next time,
:)

Faith in education: partially restored.

I have managed to find a group of people employed by the university who actually care about its students: the bus drivers.  I take the bus quite a bit from my parking space in Eden (see a previous rant) and all of the bus drivers are super kind and nice to students.  There was only one exception (she tried to run over students and yelled at them) and she lasted less than a semester.  

They always say hello, and tell you to have nice day.  And this week, when I was traveling to a final, along the bus route we came across two students (in different spots) hurrying to their destination.  They were not even close to bus stops, but the bus driver stopped and let them on.  (It's University policy that the bus only stops at established bus stops).  Did it take more time to get me somewhere?  Yea, about 30 seconds total.  If 30 seconds was going to save me from missing something, I didn't plan well enough to begin with.  It may have been more work for the bus driver, or an "inconvenience" to me, but I know for a fact, it made a HUGE difference for those two students, who made it to the library 5-10 minutes sooner.  I know that makes a difference.  

So bravo bus drivers, we love you bunches.  

Until next time,
:)

What is with the never-ending semester?

In my sleep-deprived brain, the semester should have ended 2 weeks ago.  I'm so over all of it.  16 hours was a mistake.  The constant go go go.  Trying to keep up with assignments and due dates.  I'm currently supposed to be studying for finals.  ::sigh:: I just don't care.  And I hate that.  I cared at the beginning of the semester, and that didn't really get me anywhere.  If not caring has the same result as caring, why bother?  

I only have 1 paper and 2 exams and I'm done.  Blah.

Until next time,
:)

I'm not a huge fan of group projects

Well that was a short post.  I don't really think I have to back that up with anything.  If you've ever had a bad group project experience raise your hand.  

Unless I get a *perfect* group (and I mean this is college.......puhleeze) I am stuck at one end of the spectrum: either I'm the slacker and I feel guilty or I'm the only one working and I am bitter and stressed.  And then there are those projects that are a constant flip-flop between the two.  

At least the project is *easy*

Until next time,
:)

I could draw a graph of the effort required for higher education

I don't know that I'll ever stop ranting about the broken education system.  Maybe when I graduate and no longer care.  Yea right.  :)

Most of my classes have a similar effort pattern.  At the beginning of the semester, everyone's gung-ho, doing work ahead of time by days, working on extra things to be all knowledgable and stuff.  In the middle of the semester is when the slide starts to happen.  There's less work, or we've gotten in a groove and the work is easier.  Then in the two days before there's a break (fall or spring, take your pick), we take a test in every class we have.  You know, just for fun.  Then it starts to pick up a few weeks before the end of the semester when professors realize they didn't get to all their goals and they start cramming stuff in until we submit all the final projects and papers on the last day of class (again, why not?) and breathe a sigh of relief...for 2 days until Final exams start...then there's a week of zero sleep, at the library 'til 2am, and then it's *finally* over.  Seriously, it's done this time.  

This semester has gone a little differently.  In one class we'll pretty much finish up tomorrow and just get to do fun little projects.  One class has pretty much become an online class between the cancellations and e-mails.  

This semester I'm learning a different lesson.  I'm not gaining knowledge (well kinda), but wisdom and experience instead.  I've always been an all or nothing kind of person and after the disaster that was Freshman first semester of college I swore unless I was dying I wouldn't miss a single class.  Ever.  Now, before I say my peace, understand it's a good goal.  And if you only do school or work part time say at Mickey D's, then there's no reason for you to be out of class.  Unless you're lazy, and I can't judge.  This semester is a little different.  This wisdom I'm learning is which classes you can miss without affecting (effecting?) your grade.  Sounds like I'm becoming a lazy delinquent.  Well I'm not.  I have all A's and B's with 1 C thank you so much.  And one of my A's is in the class I failed last semester.  Explain that.  

I know there are some traditionalists out there that will chastise me for missing classes.  And I would ask you this: if I pass my classes, what does it matter?  I'm in it to get the piece of paper.  

Until next time,

:)

I work hard, I study hard, what GIVES?

I'm a working student.  That means I have a j o b.  Because of a big project at work, I was more than likely going to not be at my Physics lab on Friday night.  I talked to my professor and he graciously allowed me to come to his Thursday night lab instead.  Thursday afternoon right before my lab I get a call with a needed, urgent change to the project.  I pull out my laptop (which my awesome boyfriend brought me) and tried to connect the the University Wi-Fi.  I get an error message when I login saying "You cannot connect to the network because you have too many devices registered on the network".  DO WHA?! I can't unregister a device, and even if I knew how many is the limit, I have no idea if I still even HAVE all of the devices in my possession, much less use them on campus.  

Here I was making an effort to make work and school be zen together, and what do I get?  A fight.  Every time I turn around.  How frustrating.  *sigh*

Until next time,
:)

School ruins my ability to concentrate

I have no issue working 8 hour work days if I'm used to working 8 hour days.  But when you have classes that are an hour long with hour or two breaks smudged in between, it's easier and easier to operate on an hour-long attention span.  A couple hours at most.  This kills me when I go to work 8 hour days.  

Couldn't we just have class 8 hours a day and be done in a week?  That would be AWESOME.  

I'm going to go do something else.  I've been working on this blog post for 5 minutes.  :P

Until next time,
:)

What if......??

I've been thinking a lot about this lately: what if we created a university centered around the students and their education?

Maybe I'm a little bitter, maybe I'm ranting, maybe I don't know what the heck I'm talking about. I go to a large state school. There are more than 26,000 students and most (like 75%) commute as opposed to living on campus. Some commute 5 minutes, some commute an hour one way. We then ask them to add between 15 and 30 minutes to each end of their commute to get from their cars to class. I've had to park as much as 1 MILE from class. 

We have a ton of construction on campus. I can't go anywhere to avoid it. Campus is about to spend almost $13 million to tear up a road and cause a traffic nightmare to a) add sidewalks and b) add grassy medians and other road beautification. I can't make this stuff up. 

What if:
# We had more parking spaces than students, all within a 5 minute walk from any different building. And make the faculty park further away. 
# instead of spending tens of *millions* of dollars on grassy medians, we put it into scholarships to help reduce student loans. 
# students could choose to pay the fees that fund what I call silly "student programming" that's really only good for students who either live on campus, or don't have a job.
# lowered the cost of food on campus. This is a place of education, not a gas station. 
# we had professors who were invested in our education, not just ones earning a paycheck at a place where they can get tenure and publish papers. This includes more than 1 office hour a week. 
# we eliminate most general education classes. Let's be honest, it's a repeat of high school and an excuse for a university to get more money. 

But what do I know? Maybe this won't earn enough money to keep the school running. 

::sigh:: I'll just get my piece of paper and then go take Coursera classes. For free. It's amazing the resources that are out there for free or low cost for people who really want to learn something. 

Until next time,
:)

That moment when you realize you got it right

First, this post is being written on my iPad, so while I'll spell check as always, please have mercy. :)

Last semester I failed a class.  A computer science class that's required in my major (um, Computer Science). I'm kind of a "special" computer science major. I'm really not a very good programmer, I'm a database person (which is where most people change their puzzled looks to ahhh, gotcha). The class I failed will be one of 2 highest level and most difficult programming classes and I just didn't work hard enough to pass. I think I posted about it, maybe not. I have to take the second next fall, and that's the semester I'm supposed to graduate. (YIKES) But I digress. 

I'm taking the class again this semester. We have 5 grades that each make up 20% of our final grade, no pressure. 3 projects and 2 tests. 

We finished out first project last week. I worked for hours and hours and hours.  I went from hopeful to defeated to determined and back again. At one point I almost gave up. Then I got it. I made a change, sighed and hung my head, and ran the program one more time. And it worked. IT WORKED.  I almost cried I was so excited. I turned it in and breathed a huge sigh of relief and hope. Maybe I will make it out alive. 

I then turned to jittery anticipation waiting for my project to be graded. Two days later I received the fateful e-mail with my grade: 19/20. That's an A!!!!  A 95 at that!!

Finally all my hard work actually paid off. Hot diggity. 

Until next time,
:)

A little catch up, a repeat, and the discouragement that set off the lazy bomb

So about the long title.  The last time I posted was last Spring semester.  The fall brought uninteresting classes.  I don't even think I remember what they were.  The spring brought some interesting stuff.  I started out with 16 hours but dropped it to allow for more time to study.  HA! I'll tell you what happened with that.  Nothing.  "Oh I have 6 hours 3 days a week until the project is due.  I have time for Hulu."  Sigh.  One class was out of my grasp and I didn't work hard enough, so I failed it.  It's a class in my major.  Double sigh.  I'm repeating that class this semester.  Yay. Maybe. 

This summer I did an awesome internship.  And the internship was extended through April.  Awesome.  

I have three more semesters, not including summers, and including this semester.  I should graduate December 2014.   *groan*

So I have 16 credit hours of classes this semester.  I sit in a classroom for 18.  I work about 20 hours, and I've been diligently at the library with every spare moment doing homework that wasn't required, reading the textbooks (do wha?!?!), and studying like crazy.  I get a C on my first assignment in one class (mind you this is a class on a topic I've been doing in the work world for YEARS), a B on a test, failed a project.  After working my tail off until 1 am and going to work at 4 am and sticking that together with 18 hour days, I can assure you the attitude I have currently is that I don't care.  I don't want to study.  Why bother?  I did all the homework, reading, extra practice, and two practice tests for Physics in preparation for the test.  I'm exceedingly good in Physics.  I got an A on BOTH practice tests and most of the practice problems I solved correctly.  I made an 84 on the test.  Talk about a demotivational poster.  Yes, work your butt off.  No one will know anyways.  So now all I want to do is sit at home and play games.  Or sleep.  Because I'm tired.  I don't want to do assignments until I absolutely have to.  

I will say the best moment in the last couple weeks was when I got a program to work in the class I failed last semester (That I'm retaking this semester).  I couldn't breathe I was so excited.  I turned in the project in time for its due date today, and I'm nervous about what I did wrong that will end up failing me, even though I put in hours and hours and hours of work on that project, and talked it over and over and over with my ever-patient boyfriend.  

Hopefully things will turn around before I manage to put myself into a hole.  I can't afford to fail more classes, but right now I don't care.  I'm so done with this broken education system.  Because of the work experience I have, the diploma is a *formality*.  Ugh.  I'm not happy about devoting my life for the next year and a half for a formality.  Gross.  

I'm hopeful about my upcoming projects.  And I have another Physics test next week.  I can do this!

Until next time,
:)