First Week So Far

I love college, it's pretty legit.

Despite my prior "homesickness".

I've met really cool people :]

yayy college

First & Second Day of College

Well yesterday I began the "rest of my life" as my friend Stephy calls it. I wrote about this yesterday in my notebook but forgot to bring it with me to type it out, so I'll just try to remember.

The whole week leading up to my departure I was anxious yet excited, as anyone would be. But it wasn't until Sunday afternoon, about an hour before I was really leaving, that it hit me. That I broke down and began to cry. I didn't know why. I was just sad. My mom and I tried to hold back tears as we said our goodbyes. I visited Stephy before I left as well. She cried too, but this in turn, did not affect me as much as I thought it would.

I left lying to myself that I would be fine.

About an hour and fifteen minutes into my trip, I started crying again. I know you're not supposed to cry when driving but, I couldn't hold back my emotions. I got to my lonely room and unpacked and wept yet again. I called my mother every so often and tried to hold back my tears when i heard her voice. I cried that night.

Well, school. I came two hours earlier yesterday to look around campus and walk and find my classes. I got pretty lost and eventually ended up in the library writing my blog update in my notebook. Later on I went to wait outside the WRONG classrooom. But i wasn't late, because when i realized something was wrong i asked the physical science department where i was supposed to be and it was in the lecture hall thing. So i went there, and out of the 130+ students, I ended up sitting next to a girl who used to live where I'm from! The odds! The other person next to me was also very friendly but ended up letting someone else sit there as he was trying to crash the course.

So i bid adieu to my new friend until wednesday and made my way to calculus. Oh lord how intimidating it is. Same as AP calc, but i feel like the expectations are higher, especially with the majority of the class being geniuses[&asian{not that there's anything wrong with that}]. I talked to one guy but he ended up leaving too because he was crashing the course, so really I didn't talk to anyone.

I went home and "lied" to myself again, saying I'd be okay and I was happy for a while. Later on, I bought some milk, put my bike upstairs, and watched t.v. It was an uneventful afternoon spent alone being sad again. I didn't even use my computer, but I talked to old friends on the phone who cheered me up.

So today, I went on my bike down to the beach riding alongside it. then a few hours ago came to the library and checked my mail and what not. I still need my calculus book to get here.

And to buy my chemistry book. And the english professor wants us to print out the syllabus and i don't know how to use the printers here.

So blah. At 12. 45 minutes I have tennis and at 6 english.

so i will definitely update this later.

one final thought.

do i regret this?

No. It's just a hard experience in my life that I have to get through. Being Alone.* It's harder than it looks.

*[i dont live in a dorm or in a dorm-type setting, so it's hard for me to get to know people

Of Errands &Cold Feet

I haven't updated in a while, because well, I don't have much to say. . . yet.

I've been running around getting this and that for my room, for school, ordering books, etc., etc.

I start a week from today and I haven't even started packing! I'm waiting for one more book. I have all my other school supplies [i think] and the only other things I need for my room is everything to deal with a BED, a trashcan & lamp. Going to take my things sometime this week, and move in Sunday hopefully.

I need to get mentally prepared to be overwhelmed.

Reality has yet to set in for me. I feel like a little kid living a grown up's life.

Or how those brides you seen on t.v. feel right before they're getting married.

"Ahh am i really getting married? Well, this guy's here already, might as well."

Hopefully I'm ready for this.

Haha well, we'll see how everything goes.

Wish me luck :]

Last First Day

Today is the "last first day" of high school for most of the people I spent my high school days with. Now, they're getting their schedule while I'm watching "Saved by the Bell" Reruns. It's the first day of many where I have to deal with myself wondering "What If?"

What if I were still in high school?

What if I would have stayed?

What if I messed up?

If i were still in high school, if I would have stayed, I would be taking regular classes. I would have had another year to deal with counselors, teachers, boring busy work. Sure I might miss prom, etc., etc. but it'd be selfish to stay for the "fun" times.

Of course it's not the greatest feeling when all your friends are there and you're not, but sometimes you just have to do what's best for you.

"Do your best, and forget the rest."

With that said, I have no regrets about leaving school early. There's no turning back now, not that it's ever occured to me. It's like a cross country race when the coach would tell us never to look back because it slows you down. I start in two weeks, and I'm excited :]

IGETC, Assist.org, & Choosing Classes

I thought I should probably give an explanation of how I chose my classes in order to give others resources to help choose what classes to take, when trying to transfer.

IGETC

The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum is a series of classes that a transfer student can take in order to satisfy General Education Requirements at both UC's and CSU's [as well as some private colleges]. There are different requirements for UC's & CSU's. The IGETC [eye-get-see] is not for everyone; for example, students with engineering or science majors might find it harder to follow the IGETC & do their lower-division major preperation at the same time, in which case there is the basic gen. ed classes you can take to transfer. The IGETC is completely optional, although if you do chose to take it, you have to finish it before you transfer to the university.

Assist.org

Assist.org is a website that lists IGETC, Gen Ed Breadth, & Lower Division Major Requirements from and to any California Community College to a UC or CSU. If you know what you want to major in or what university you want to go to, this can help you get started on what classes to take to transfer. This helped me choose classes to fufill IGETC & as many lower division major requirements as I can in two years. :]

My Classes

Well, the classes that I'm taking this semester are Chem 155, Math 150, Eng 110, PE 109, Psy 100.

Chem&Math help with both IGETC & lower division major req's.

Psy helps with lower division major req's.

Eng helps with IGETC

PE just for fun to try and stay in shape.

I'm a little OCD so i chose pretty much what classes I have to take at my CCC in my 2 years there. Of course you don't have to do this, but if you want to get a little push Assist.org is a great start.

New&Improved Dorm Checklist

A few days ago, I put a list of things a person should bring when moving that my friend Deshi made for me.

I found this when I was shopping for my stuff today at Kohls.

It puts Deshi's list to shame :]

Kitchen

-cookware

-utensils

-food storage

-travel mugs

-flatware set

-glassware set

-dinnerware

-coffeemaker

-toaster

-microwave

-toaster oven

-blender

-can opener

bathroom

-towels

-bath rug

-shower curtain

-shoer hooks

-soap dish

-toothbrush holder

-over the door rack

-lotion pump

-bath towel wrap

furniture

-chairs

-lamps

-desk

-shelves

floorcare

-light weight vacuum

-broom

personalcare

-hair dryer

-razors&grooming accessories

-toothbrush

-iron

bedroom

-comforter set

-sheets

-bedding ensemble

-floor cushins

-bed rest

-area&accent rugs

-bed pillows

-pillow protectors

-matress protector

-mattress pad

-foam mattress topper

-air bed

-blankets

organization

-large/small totes

-collapsible totes

-hanging sweater/shoe organizer

-shoe racks

-drawer organizer

-hooks

-hamper

-laundry bag

-storage bins

-containers

-wastebasket

onthego

-backpack

-gym sack

-sport bag

-tote

roomdecor

-frames

-clocks

-wall decor

-magnetic/dry erase boards

-flameless candles

Enrollment Fee Increase

For those of us who live in California, the California legislature increased the enrollment fee for all California community colleges from 20 to 26 dollars per unit, effective Fall 2009.

Now for those of us who have the Board of Governors Waiver Fee, we need not worry, for it automatically covers the increase. Still I'm taking 18 Units, that'd be 108 more dollars.

I know it may not seem like much, but I need to save every penny I can.

I wonder if Deshi has figured this out already...

Private vs. Public

As you may or may not know, I will be starting college at a California Community College. Hopefully after two years I will be able to transfer to a 4 year university. This, however, will apply to all undergrads, freshman or transfer applicants [even though I know there's already alot on information on this].

It has occured to me that students tend to only consider public universities or college because they can't afford it. Until recently, I myself have overlooked the option of private colleges because they were "too expensive". Many of my peers have also ruled out private schools, or simply overlooked them.

When choosing ANY university, i believe there are a few important things you should look at:

Majors, Student Life [Clubs/Sports], Class Size, and Tuition, are the one's I will touch on.

Majors

If you have an idea of what you want to study, you will have a good start to choosing a university. Some people might have an idea of what they want to study, but [more often than not] will end up switching majors. Many other students enter college undecided, which is perfectly fine. College is a time to explore, to find out what you like, what really interests you, and to find out who you are.

Now if you want to go to med school, people often think they have to take Biology, Chemistry, or Biochemistry. While these majors have classes that are prerequisites for med school, they are not necessary majors. A liberal arts major will help you stick out & might take a bit more work. But you should major in what you love & enjoy. [Law school doesn't have any pre-reqs, thus, you can major in anything as well.]

Now my point is, if you know what you want to major in, this will help narrow down your school search and possibly decide between two schools.

Class Size

Public Universites are known for there grand lecture halls & thousands upon thousands of students [well the big ones are anyways.] Private Universities are known to have smaller teacher:student ratios. In California there are two main public systems of universites: UC's & CSU's. CSU's have smaller class sizes & are more hands on, a bit cheaper, and with less prestige [according to some]. Class sizes may vary by class & by universities.

At a private university you might have the chance to get to know your professors better and ask for help, where as at a public university in a class of 100+ you might not. You have to decide if you want a bigger community or a smaller one.

Student Life

At a public university there are many students, many different organizations, clubs, and sports a person can join. At a private university, there is a sense of a tight-knit community and there are lots of opportunities to shine. Overall you just have to choose what you'll feel more comfortable in. [It often helps when you visit the campus.]

Price

If you are a resident in the state of the public university you want to attend, school will probably be cheaper. If you go out of state, it will be more expensive by who knows how many thousands of dollars. If you choose to go to a private school [in or out of state it's the same] it will look like you will pay alot more.

The truth is, although private school may look like a lot more, there is often more money to give out and can sometimes be cheaper than public school.

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who attends Stanford University and I asked her what the perks of private school were and she said:

"hmm... well financial aid is way better

so even if the bill is larger than for a public school, you might end up paying less.
and theyre usually smaller, so classes are smaller and you get more attention from teachers.

and they usually just really take care of you.. lots of cool programs & job opportunities & stuff like that. because there are less students, you have a chance to stand out more and participate more."

As a future transfer student I had really only paid attention to this one UC in particular [which i might mention later] but recently I have been looking at private schools and will take all of this into serious consideration.

[sorry if i seemed a little biased on what system is better, but like i said, it all depends on what you want out of your school]

Background

I don't want to ramble on too much, but just allow me to give a brief history of my last academic school year, which as you may have guessd, is unconventional. Let me start off by saying that this blog is mainly so students can learn froom my experiences and so i can learn about myself.

I began the 2008-2009 School year as a typical high school junior. My workload was a bit aboce average & until this point i maintained a relatively high GPA. For the fall semester I was enrolled in APUSH, Physics, Digital Electronics, Calculus AB/AP, Psychology, Lang&Comp AP, and Photo. As I said, my first semester of high school that year was pretty typical: 5 A's, 2 B's. What Really upset me was that my english teacher didn't really teach, per se, and when i wanted to switch to a different teacher, my counselor said my grade was too high.

I am not sure if it was this, my being bored at this current high school, or looking into the medical professions that caused me to make an impulsive transfer to PHS [known for vappa&med academy]. With that said, in early january i made my move to PHS. Were it not for my kinesiology teacher's persistance to have me take anatomy, i may not be writing this right now, because during the study night for anatomy I met an influential person: Deshi.

To make a long story Short, Deshi re-introduced me to the CHSPE [i was told about it before once at KHS but I didn't care for it.] She convinced me to take it by explaining how it worked. It basically is a 3 1/2 hour test consisisting of writing, reading, & math. I didn't really study for the test and it looked like cake compared to the SATs. The two tests [SATs & CHSPE] were a week apart for me, & believeing i was a good test taker, felt confident. I got a 1730 on my SATs & on the CHSPE i recieved a 442 in Math, 408 in Writing, & 396 in Reading [all out of 450], meaning I passed.

I withdrew from school in May and enrolled at a community college away from home. Deshi also passed, but she enrolled at the cc close to home. This is the essence of my story so far. I would like to write about my thoughts, experiences, regrets, etc. as I progress through college [which i start the 24th]. More of my intentions will be revealed in the future, but for now, this is it.