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2008 2 September :: 10.51 pm
I seriously adore school, but I've been on campus since 8 this morning and am far too tired to go over my day. Shower, then sleep, then homework all day tomorrow.
strange little girl? |
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2008 28 August :: 1.57 am
Grad school is weighing heavy on my mind already. I stumbled across this:
"In 2005, University of Michigan alumna Helen Zell donated $5 million to the university's graduate program in creative writing, to be spent quickly to build the program's reputation. While Michigan had already been considered one of the country's top 10, the donation allowed the program to claim to be, as director Eileen Pollack puts it, "one of the top two programs in the country." Michigan M.F.A. students have their tuition waived for both years. In the first year, each receives a $20,000 stipend; in the second year, each student teaches and receives a slightly smaller amount. Michigan increased its stipend in February from $18,000, in part to match that given by Texas, raising the stakes for the University of Virginia, which had already increased its award to keep up with Michigan's former rate."
It sounds like a dream. Close(r) to my daughter, a top MFA program, a wonderful financial situation compared to the $20K a year I'm spending here. I'm doing okay with my grades, but if this is the goal, then I need to get working. I need to improve my GPA and get working. I only have a 3.68, but I know I can bring it up at least a 3.8, if not higher, if I keep getting 4.0 semesters. I'm trying to get a volunteer position at 826, which is a writing program that teaches kids, from grade school to high school how to write.
Damn, I'm trying to find info on average grades of those accepted into the program, but I can't find a thing. Meh.
strange little girl? |
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2008 27 July :: 7.27 pm
Ha. I just looked at my acedmic record. The last two semesters I've been working to raise my GPA, and I thought I was doing good. It went up each semester. But I just realized how little.
My first semester I got a 3.628. Then in my second I got a 3.647, bring up cumulative up to 3.638. This summer I got a 4.0, bringing it up to a 3.68.
Yup, in two semesters I went up a whole 0.055.
Well, if I were to defy logic and all of my usual study patterns and get a 4.0 next semester I'd bring it up to a 3.785. One semester= 0.105. That'd be sweet, and an awesome accomplishment to pull of working two jobs, eh?
Fingers crossed.
School starts September 2nd, so until then I'm all Andy's. We are painting his office bright green and blue. It's hawt.
3 bellicose kids |
strange little girl? |
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2008 27 July :: 1.08 am
I just hate how the school's website never properly works. I switched all of my classes around. Still registered for five classes, two fiction and three liberal ed requirements. No classes for my minor anymore, not this semester, but this may be a good idea. I still have a bunch or requirements to do and I should get them out of the way. Now all my classes are on Tuesdays and Thursday. I'm going to try to get a job on campus, hopefully in the library. I figure opening up my days more will give me more time for work. But the school's site won't let me browse jobs so I have to call on Monday instead, if they are even open during the summer. Who knows.
I did good this semester, got a 4.0. I have a 3.68 cumulative right now, up from a 3.628 before this semester. Dramatic, eh? Well, if I do get straight A's next semester then I'll be up to 3.785. (3.704 if I got all A-'s) The goal, at least for now, is to get a 3.8 before I graduate. I'm working really hard, and it'll be tough. But hopefully I can pull it off. And if I keep up the J-Term and the Summer courses I can do the BFA without having to take more semesters, have my fancy degree without doing four and a half or five years. I'm already halfway through my BA Fiction core classes, have only three advanced courses to take.
Blah blah blah. This means nothing to anyone but me. Jessa is working her ass off, that's all.
So, it looks like I have two history classes, one science, one math, one 'humanities literature', one global awareness, three advanced fiction, two specialty writing, and six total Women & Gender courses. I guess that is around 50 to 55 credit hours. Then I'll be done with the BA... but I wouldn't quite be to my 120 credits... I'd only be at 105ish....
But when I change to the BFA that add one more advanced, three reqs, three electives in my specialty, teaching. And the BFA only requires 128 credit hours. So, I'd be getting a fancy degree, with teaching experience and a minor and I'd have to take no pointless elective classes, which at our school means taking an intro course in another major or just extra gen eds that are there for requirements that you've already met. Or yoga. And I think studying the history of the Soviet Union is going to be just pointless enough when I have to take it for the requirement and that I won't be jumping to study Gender and Class in Modern France.
My head hurts. I need to talk to my adviser.
[edit]
Moral to the story. I ended up staying up till four in the morning changing classes around.
Currently:
Tuesday-
Advanced Fiction- 8:00- 12:20
Education Culture and Society- 12:30- 3:20
Critical Reading for Writers- Writers on the Road- 6:00- 9:50 (with Don DeGrazia
Thursday-
Biology of Human Reproduction- 6:30- 9:20
And then I have an online "Mathematical Ideas" class.
So, as it stands, I'm getting my Math credits out of the way, finishing up my humanities credits. If I stick with my minor then the Biology class applies to it. If I don't, then it finishes up my science.
The frustrating thing is I need one "English" class and one "Humanities Literature" but the site sucks. I took the second level English first because of my ACT scores, but that is the highest level that has an EN requirement. The site just says "advanced writing course" but no writing course carries an EN. And the "Humanities Literature" won't allow me to add a course because they say I need both the writing I & II courses, even though I tested out of I. So I suppose those will have to wait till another semester, when I can get my advisor's help.
1 bellicose kid |
strange little girl? |
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2008 22 July :: 1.07 am
I'm going to Baaasten on Wednesday morning and I'm going to spend all of my time either in the pool at the hotel or wandering around the streets asking people if they have seen Pacey or Joey around.
strange little girl? |
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