Finals: Better In College?

All throughout high school I had finals after Winter Break.  Coming back to school after Thanksgiving and having to buckle down to study now seems strange to me.  I was used to having more time both to learn and to prepare for these tedious tests.  However, now, although I am still stressed, I am starting to see the upside to having finals before Winter Break.  For one thing, with such a long Winter Break ahead of us, that is a large opportunity to forget everything (or a fair amount) that we have worked so hard to learn over the course of the semester.  With finals before, now the concepts and facts are still fresh on our minds.  Also, Winter Break is now actually a full-fledged break.  There is no guilt over "forgetting" to study over break, mainly because there is no studying.  As a hard working student who spent a semester studying and learning, it is nice to have a relaxing break with literally no schoolwork.  However, now I do feel the pressure to study over Thanksgiving.  This past Thanksgiving, I did bring some of my school books home, in hopes that I would have time to catch up on some reading and maybe even work ahead.  At times when "Family Bonding" was required, this was quite a nice excuse.  But since Thanksgiving is so short, I didn't accomplish nearly all that I had hoped.  

Did anyone else have finals after Winter Break in high school?  And if so, which system do you like more?  

Working Girl

            I worked all through high school.  I worked through the entire summer.  As I was getting ready to leave for school this past fall, my dad sat me down to have “a chat.”  He wanted to express his concern about me wanting a job for freshman year at school.  As a college student, neither he nor my mom worked, and he seemed confident that I could make it through school without a job.  Also, I have a cousin who recently dropped out of college to focus more on his part-time job, and this idea scared my dad a lot.  My warning to him was that if I wasn’t working, I’d be calling and asking for money quite a bit more.  He didn’t seem to believe that. 

            Within the first few weeks of school, I noticed that I had a lot of free time.  I loved having new friends and being in a new city, but the repercussions were costly.  A new city meant new shops, new restaurants, and a lot of time to explore all of these.  It didn’t take long before the small budget my dad gave me was gone, and he wasn’t happy to hear that from me.  However, I had a solution.  I wanted a job.  Without telling him or my mom, I went to stores close to campus with a resume and a willingness to work.  I figured that if I could find an employer that was willing to work with my schedule and prove to my parents that this would not interfere with schoolwork that it would be allowed.  I was right. 

            Now I spend two days during the week and one day each weekend working, and I love it.  My grades have stayed consistent, and I’ve found that I’m more focused when doing my homework now that I actually have a limited time to get it done.  However, I’ve noticed that the majority of students here don’t have jobs, and seem to find it strange that I want to work.  Is said drive not normal?  And did anyone else’s parents have reservations about working in this new environment?  

Comments

I commented on Lynn's Blog, Thyrston's Blog and Small Town Girl's Blog.

Blue Highway

In the third passage of Blue Highway Miz Alice describes the calmness of life on her island.  She speaks of her ability to tune-in with nature, and appreciate the small things in life.  By living in this way, it appears as though Miz Alice is able to avoid stress, and avoid the ever prominent obsession with material possessions.  For the time being, I think this is exactly what Heat-Moon needs to hear.  After everything that happened in his life, he needed a break.  But is this realistic as a permanent lifestyle?  Could other people really live this way?  

I think yes.  Although living on a somewhat secluded island would definitely not be for me, I think those that have the "gumption" to be different and live a more individual lifestyle should do so.  While we may find this to be somewhat strange and impractical, I'm sure they can say the same for those who choose to life in the middle of a loud, dirty, always moving city.  If these people choose to stay secluded, who are we to tell them that they "need" to join the real world?  

Halloween: Costumes or Lack There Of

"I'm a mouse, duh."  Everyone that has seen the movie "Mean Girls" knows this quote well.  As Karen walks into a Halloween party wearing nothing but lingerie, someone asks what he costume is.  Pointing to her mouse ears, the only indication that she is wearing a costume, this is her response.  In a movie, a scene like this is considered comical, but recently, this seems to be a reality.  

Walking around on October 30th and 31st, I saw a wide variety of costumes.  Some people "pulled a Karen," wearing barely there clothing that has a small indication of a theme, where-as others went all out in over-covered outfits that really did conceal their identity.  And then, of course, there were those in a happy medium, as well.  For the Karens in the world, I have one question: Why?  What makes you want to leave the house in a complete lack of clothing?  And did no one warn you that it wasn't appropriate?  Don't get me wrong, I understand that it's fun to wear somewhat suggestive costumes (for example, I was in a guy's t-shirt as Tom Cruise from "Risky Business" - not the most modest of costumes but still covered).  

Let me know, am I way off base?  Are my ideas of appropriate that different from others'?  

Comments

I commented on Everything I'm Not Makes Me Everything I Am's Blog, A World Wide View's Blog, and Lauren Daniel's Blog

Friends Forever?

            On August 18, my best friends and I all had a tearful last embrace before departing off to college.  We went through the “of course well talk all the time!” and “it can’t ever be the same!  No one else knows me this well!” and then we left.  Now, more than two months into it, I am surprised at how few of those girls I still talk to on a regular basis.  Everyone says that college changes your relationships, but the degree caught me off guard. 

            At first, when many of my friends were still at home, it was easy to talk to them.  Conveniently, I would call them as I walked to class or to meet some new potential friends for lunch.  Short stories were swapped with a I’ll call you later to explain more.  It became difficult, however, when everyone went off to school.  We all have our own class schedules, meal times, and not to mention, time zones.  Those short talks got converted into voice mails.  No longer were they daily, but then weekly.  Now, I’ve gotten to the point where I talk to two people on a regular basis.  Going from nine to two – wow. 

            Now that’s not to say I don’t talk to anyone else.  I love the random call when someone has time to kill.  It’s great to catch up on everything that’s been going on, but it is harder than I originally thought because the knowledge base is so different.  We hang out at different places with different people; our class schedules involve different classes on a different GE curriculum with different amounts of work.  A story that could be an easy “I was hanging out with the girls in Mac’s” needs to be “I was hanging out with my three friends, their names are . . . and I know them from . . .and Mac’s Place is . . . “ -it just takes longer. 

            In addition to that, I’ve become closer with my friends here in a much shorter time span that imagined.  People say that you bond with your college friends in a way that can’t be matched by those from previous walks of life, and I really find that true.  Through seeing people all day and night every day, you learn about them quickly.  They become a huge part of your world; they become your new support system. 

            Has anyone else felt that the contacts you keep and the new ones you make are turning out much differently than you expected?  Am I the only one that really doesn’t stay in consistent contact with all my best friends from high school?