ΦΘΚ Phi Theta Kappa
Yesterday, I got an invitation from my school to join Phi Theta Kappa (or ΦΘΚ if you actually use the greek letters), which is the international honors society of two year colleges (its like PBK, but is for two rather than four year programs). It seems kinda neat. They do various activities throughout the year (like a children’s book drive, bowl for kids, give the gift of sight, and so on), you get access to different scholarships, your membership is included on transcripts, resumes, and degrees, and (the best part – I think) you get to wear the gold and blue stole and cord at graduation. See:
Anyway, there is an information meeting in a week or so, so I guess its something I could look into…
Blah….
I am sooooooo hating school this week…… I have so much due this week, but I am so easily distracted…
Due this week:
Monday – nothing
Tuesday – no class (yay!)
Wednesday - summary of a supreme court case
Thursday – Quiz, report
Friday – 2 reviews, a quiz, 2 science labs, a self evaluation, and an essay
Saturday – Paper
Not to mention that I can’t do much today (choir concert and exchange sister’s birthday) or tomorrow (out of town). And then add to that writing in my blog, browsing the internet, playing with my dogs, pursuing my new found interest of Combined Driving, cleaning the ferret cage, the list just goes on………….
Choir Class
My new choir class is wonderful. Its at a better time, the people are closer to my age, and the music is so much more fun.
We are singing a medley from Fiddler on the Roof, Shenandoah, A Consort of Choral Christmas Carols by PDQ Bach, Go Tell it on the Mountain, I Saw Three Ships, and Still Still Still. So it looks like a good collection of pieces.
Schedule Issues
With our schedules, life has worked out such that I practically never see my family anymore. They all leave the house by 7am. I usually get up by 8:30am. The I do stuff around the house, or (depending on the day) go to class. Most of my classes are in the evening, so I leave the house by 4:30 or 5pm. The others don’t get home at least until 5:30. Then by the time I get home by 9:30-ish they are all getting ready for bed.
As a result, we have become a “whiteboard family.” There is a whiteboard sitting by the door with a place to leave a message for anyone in the house. Plus it is magnetic so we can leave other things for people. Oh well, it seems to work.
Week one – a retrospective
Well, for the most part my classes seem ok. 17 credits is a lot, but it seems doable.
Human Biology – this class is online. The material itself is interesting (I guess), but the instructor only lists quarterly, unit due dates rather than for each assignment. And thats hard for me, cause I’m good at putting stuff off.
Society and Technology – this is my other online class. Its ok, and more importantly, its required for my degree…
Substance Abuse Psychology – I thought I would really like this class because I am so interested in the law enforcement perspective on drug use. But a majority of the class is working towards a career in social work/medicine/psychology. A few are very anti-any sort of drug control. So I don’t know, I don’t think I’ll like this class as much as I thought I would.
Juvenile Justice – While not my favorite law enforcement subject, the class seems like it could be interesting. Plus, the group seems ok. The biggest problem is that it is mostly lecture.
Criminal Investigations - This should be my most interesting class. In part cause I like the subject, but also because it is mostly comprised of hands on work.
Choir – I liked this class, but it was at a dreadful time. But when I went to talk to the instructor about this problem, he said that he had wanted me in a more advanced choir anyway. So I’ll try this other class next week.
Finally
Today was the first day of classes (finally!). However the only two classes I had today were the two online classes which also happen to be my least favorite of the 6. In other words, I don’t have much exciting to write about.
Good Riddance to Summer!
Finally, school is starting in one week!!! I am so bored with summer…..
I am currently trying to plan a month long trip to Australia for next fall. The ideal time to go would be in December, but that would mean missing my own graduation again…. But whenever it is, this trip is to spend a month at the Tolga Bat Hospital in Atherton volunteering with the care and rehab of orphaned and injured flying foxes, free-tailed bats, and tube nosed fruit bats (look on the Tolga website for some adorable pictures!). Since they prefer their volunteers to be experienced in bat rehab or be over 22 years old, I was planing on taking a course in bat rehabilitation at the Bat World Sanctuary just outside Dallas, TX in July.
Why you don’t transfer credits
If you couldn’t guess, trying to transfer credits is a nightmare.
Over the summer I took a class at a different school so I could fulfill a graduation requirement. No big deal, its in the same state and accredited by the same agency, so thats not the issue.
So I’ve been emailing my counselor for about two weeks now to get these credits transfered. Last I heard from her (this morning) she had the copy and would get it approved by the end of the week (yay!). But then, this other guy (who runs my degree program) at the school (who I don’t think likes me very much – I dropped one of his classes last year cause it was so boring) called me today and said that I couldn’t take two of my fall classes (even though I have written permission from the instructors!!!) because I don’t have this one pre-rec done (even though it is… I got an A… and it will be transferred by the end of the week). Arrrgh… I hate it when people aren’t helpful and I hate it when people are wrong – it just annoys me.
Yipee for personal drama. In other news I decided to take another class in the fall. Someone I know was taking 18 credits and I was feeling inferior with my 14 credits, so I decided to add another degree requirement, Society and Technology.
