Yipes! Transcripts come out tomorrow! I’m so nervous!

I will admit it, I feel like I bombed my Latin class. I can only say that now as I know I cannot get a good grade in that class if I tried. I studied hard for my final, but won’t know for sure how I did until I get my transcript at 5:00am tomorrow. Yes, yes, you must be thinking I’d be nuts to wake up just to check my transcript.

And you’d be absolutely right.

So I’ll just wait until whenever I wake up, and it will be the first thing I do before I brush my teeth. That’s a little less obsessive, and more realistic for my as of late sleep schedule. Just the other day, I slept until 11:30am! That’s insane! I know some people can sleep until like 1:00pm, but I can’t do that without being up all night. What a vicious cycle, man.

Anyway, about transcripts.

Transcripts are basically the “report cards” of college. They are a permanent records of all your classes and grades, honors and special awards while at college. Your classes are listed, then your grade, and your semester and cumulative GPA [or grade point average] are derived from those numbers. It’s important to keep your transcript clean, i.e. no failed classes or terrible grades.

It seems that it’s always easier to drop in your GPA than raise it, so beware of that. From experience and my friends’ experiences as well! If you remember anything about what I have written! Remember that!

So, anyway, Omaha is going well! Eric and I took our bikes out today. He bought clipless pedals today, so it was interesting to see him negotiate those. We biked about eight miles around Lake Zorinsky in West Omaha, about twice around. We were hitting a top of ten miles an hour against the wind, but then averaged about eighteen and a half miles an hour for the rest of the ride, so we were clipping. It was wonderful, but now my allergies are on full alert. I’m pretty sure I’m going to scratch my eyes out before the itching stops. I’ll have to stop by and get eye drops. I’ve never had problems with allergies til I got to the Midwest, and I’m not quite sure why. But if you have allergies, make sure you know what they are and watch out for those.

This is my bike: a Dawes Sheila Size Small, but imagine it in pale blue [I'm not much of a pink gal, but it still has red bar tape and accents, so it's actually a pretty cool combination]. Ahhh, it’s gorgeous. Shimano shifting brakes, front and rear, with 24 speed, 3 gears, drop handlebars. It’s love at first ride.

This is Eric’s bike: a Specialized Sirrus Sport. I don’t know the 411 on his bike, because well, it’s his bike, but I will tell you that Specialized is a great brand for biking, and if you’re interested in biking, please feel free to check out their website here

Anyway, so we took our babies out for a ride, and it was awesome. We were driving to the lake and pulled up in the parking lot to like thirteen young to middle-aged women doing weight lifting and yoga in the parking lot. There was a guy trainer yelling at them to get up and work it, so it was kind of hard not to laugh, but we managed to keep our cool.

So until next time,
I will be biking my heart out,
Seanna

So, I’m pretty sure I should shave this title quote into the top of my head.
So everyone around me would continually watch for me “resting my eyes.”

Yep, you guess it.
I’m studying for finals. I’ve got almost six posts waiting to be upload onto this blog.

To all my loyal readers, please forgive me. I’m cram-packed with homework, finals, studying, events, duty logs, moving out of my residence hall, coordinating Eric’s new internship, helping him study . . . it’s enough to make me go gray, I swear. Come Friday, I will be uploading SEVERAL new posts, and I do apologize for the delay, but it’s college, and it’s finals week, which can be summed up in two words: sleep deprivation.

Enjoy this picture. I’m pretty sure since I’ve asked for a different type of coffee at the coffee shop here where I study, I’ve tried them all, so this is probably what they will tell me next . . . .

Until next time,
I will be caffeine addicted and happy,
Seanna

One final down. Seven to go.

Can I hire someone to do this for me?

YAY! MY FINALS SCHEDULE!

You will never, ever hear a college student say that unless it was like my last semester and I was finished on Monday, and then just intravenously injected Dr Pepper for the rest of the week while fulfilling my House, M.D. void, laying on my futon, laughing as others were studying all night and my biggest decision was whether or not to hit the snooze the next morning.

Long sentence. Lots of sentiment. Whew.

Anyways! My finals schedule looks a tad like this:

Monday: Science Methods Lesson Modification Part #3 Due
Math Final 2:15-4:15pm
Hall Desk 4:00-6:00pm
HDFS 343 Review
Start Celebration of Learning #2
Finish Family Learning Project

Tuesday: Send Mother’s Day Card [yes, I remembered!]
Turn in Family Learning Project
2pm: Band Staff Meeting with Mr. Smith
Hall Desk 4-6pm

Wednesday: SpEd 455 Final 9:45-11:45am
CI 439 [Science Methods] Final: 2:15-4:15pm
Honoring Our Graduates Ceremony [Ushering]: 4:15-7:00pm
Band Staff Dinner at Old Chicago: 8:00pm
Finish Celebration of Learning #2

Thursday: Hall Desk 10:00am-2:00pm
Work on HDFS 343 Review
Email Celebration of Learning #2
HDFS 343 Final: 2:15-4:15pm
Hall Desk 5:00-8:00pm

Friday: Work in the Lab School from 9:00-11:30am
Pack and Clean

WAIT

Work the Hall Desk all. day. long.

Saturday: I am chained to the hall desk checking residents out.

So as you can see, my Finals Week is actually pretty busy. It’s intense.

Part Two of my Dead Week/Finals Week Finals from Hell Extravaganza!
PSYCHOLOGY: Based on your degree of knowledge of their works, evaluate the motional stability, degree o f adjustment, and repressed frustrations of each of the following: Alexander of Aphrodisas, Rameses II, Gregory of Nicea, Hammurabi. Support your evaluations with quotations from each man’s work, making appropriate references. It is not necessary to translate.

SOCIOLOGY: Estimate the sociological problems which might acompany the end of the world. Construct an experiment to test your theory.

MANAGEMENT SCIENCE: Define management. Define science. How do they relate? why? Create a generalized algorithm to optimize all managerial decisions. Assuming an 1130 CPU supporting 50 terminals, each terminal to activate your algorithm; design the communications interface and all necessary control programs.

ENGINEERING: The disassembled parts of a high-powered rifle have been placed in a box on your desk. You will also find an instruction manual, printed in Swahili. In ten minutes a hungry Bengal tiger will be admitted to the room. Take whatever action you feel is appropriate. Be prepared to justify your decision.

ECONOMICS: Develop a realistic plan for refinancing the national debt. Trace the possible effects of your plan in the following areas: Cubism, the Donatist controversy, the wave theory of light. Outline a method for preventing these effects. Criticize this method from all possible points of view. Point out the deficiencies in your point of view, as demonstrated in your answer to the last question.

Enjoy! As soon as I survive Dead Week and finals Week, I will too!

Until next time,
Seanna

It’s Wednesday. Of Dead Week. And I feel like I’ve been up for a while. . . 

So, Dead Week is pretty much like Dead Week in high school, except your professors may or may not teach new material the week of Dead Week and test you over it during Finals. Shhhh . . . it’s a secret. . . . So beware and be ready.

Whenever I am bummed about my own finals, or studying, or lack thereof, I always visit a website telling certain finals submitted by other students [they are not true, but I would like to make myself feel better by thinking they are doing such a task and not me], titled appropriately “College Finals From Hell.” This always makes me feel better. Kind of like textsfromlastnight.com make us all feel better about our walks of shame or embarrassing moments in public.

Note: First Five of my Dead Week/Finals Week Remedy Humor. Be prepared for more to follow.

HISTORY: Describe the history of the papacy from its origins to the present day, concentrating especially, but not exclusively, on its social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical impact on Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. Be brief, concise and specific.

MEDICINE: You have been provided with a razor blade, a piece of gauze, and a bottle of Rubbing Alcohol. Remove your appendix. Do not suture until your work has been inspected. You have 15 minutes.

PUBLIC SPEAKING: Twenty-five hundred riot-crazed aborigines are storming the classroom. Calm them. You may use any ancient language except Latin or Greek.

BIOLOGY: Create life. Estimate the differences in subsequent human culture if this form of life had developed 500 million years earlier, with special attention to its probable effect on the english parliamentary system. prove your thesis.

MUSIC: Write a piano concerto. Orchestrate and perform it with flute and drum. You will find a piano under your seat.

I hope this has made YOUR day, because it has sure made Hump Day easier for me! The middle of the week, Hump Day, and I’m that much closer to SUMMER BREAK! =]

Until next time,
Seanna

So, when you get to college, at Iowa State University [of course] there is a special time each semester where you feel vindicated. A time where it pays to be a stuent and final get rid of those fourteen pound books that become another permanent appendage, at least until you pass the class and can peace out: time to sell your books back to the bookstore and make some MONEY!

I had a friend who recently decided to try to cheat the system and rebel against formalized education.

Yes, that’s right. She sold her books to Bob Buys Books.

She also learned a valuable lesson.
Bob Rips off Buyers.

Don’t ever, ever sell your books to Bob.
He’s not an innocent as his common name makes him appear. She received less than 25% of her buying price, whereas the UBS [University Book Store] was buying her book back for 86% of her buying cost [well, technically, her parents' buying cost, so she was actually making profit, but shhhh, don't tell]. 

So, lesson learned. Don’t go to Bob for your buying needs.

Until next time,
You’ll find me in line at the UBS,
Seanna

CI 433 Curriculum Unit: 37 pages, 23.5 hours*
CI 439 Lesson Modifications: 8 pages, 2.5 hours*
CI 438 Interview-Teach-Interview Paper: 28 pages, 26.8 hours
HDFS 343 Observation Portfolio: 42 pages, 68 hours*
HDFS 456 Family Learning Project: 12 slides, 18 pages, 53 hours
SpEd 355 Observational Report: 17 pages, 9 hours
SpEd 455 Shadowing, Teaching Experience, Case Study: 22 slides, 29 pages, 34 hours

Such has been my life the last three weeks.

Jealous much?
Welcome to my life in April.

Oh yeah, and the asterisk means the project isn’t quite finished.
Yuck. FML.

The three most important tools for college success: iPod, academic planner, and a writing utensil.

You think I kid . . .

iPod to keep you sane between classes, and of course, to jam out and sing when you think no one is looking . . .
An academic planner to keep your life straight between class, homework, extracurriculars, work, and other activities throughout the week. 
And last but not least, a writing utensil. For obvious reasons. =]

A good academic planner that has plenty of room for notes, scribbles, and project outlines is the key to college success. Keeping homework assignments on track and making sure you complete your readings everyday will make sure that you stay up to date with class. I use something called an “uncalendar” calendar, because the days are unlabeled, so if you make a mistake, you can just rip it out.

There is a section for addresses, notes, and a weekly calendar Monday-Sunday. On the left is areas for jotting down notes, projects, and things to remember. On the right is your calendar by week, with morning, lunch and evening sections to distinguish between times in the day. There are places for reminders and important VIP things, too. I absolutely love it, because my calendar is the most important thing in my life. It tells me where to be, when I need to be there, and what I need to do!

As soon as you set foot on campus, go to the bookstore, and purchase a planner. It’s the first step, and one of the most important.

So, until next time,
plan and organize like your life depends on it! 

-Seanna

A lot of times, a professor’s first exam is the toughest, even harder than the final, I would say.

I know you’re thinking, wow . . . what is she saying? But in all seriousness, the reason the first exam in any class is the hardest is the mystery factor . . . you don’t know what to expect.

Professors usually give you a study guide before an exam, or review the material in the class ahead of the exam. It’s always hard to anticipate what will be on a test, how it will be formatted, what type of questions the professor will ask, and the level of complexity of the questions.

An exam usually reflects the type of personality the professor has, whether or not they are strict, or lax, or middle of the road. Now of course, this is just a theory, hah, there is no solid research behind this, but in my experience, the test you will study the hardest for in each of your classes will be the first one.

A few tips for preparing for the first exam:

-go over all material from the class, whether it be notes, online powerpoints, etc.

-don’t forget to review the in-class material [which means, of course, you have to GO to class!]

-read the assigned text [which is usually spread out, but since you have already read it of course, just review it and skim]

-formulate practice questions you think might be on the test: y/n questions, essay prompts, and multiple choice

-don’t forget not to cram until wee hours of the morning the night before: this doesn’t help you, and won’t learn the material! I know everyone says this, but it is true. Really. I’ve learned this!

So there you go. Your key to studying for the first exam in your classes. After you first exam, whether you do well, middle of the road, or “don’t quit your day job,” make sure you look over it and check out the answers you got wrong; if you only receive a grade back, make an appointment to see your test with your professor or teaching assistant. This option is ALWAYS available, so take advantage of it! Your professor will be happy to get to know you, too, and this will help you in the long run!

Until next time,
Seanna

“How many times per week does your mailbox contain an offer for a pre-approved credit card?”

If anyone else’s mailbox is like mine, then they’re probably thinking airplanes are ridin’ supa-low with the number of credit card offers I receive in the mail weekly, wait wait, daily.

When I first came to Iowa State University, I went to get my student ID card, i.e. my “ISU card” [the red card with yo face on it that you should never lose, but I have in fact, three times], and then proceeded to the USBank table to sign up for a card of some sort.

USBank representatives are always on campus during your Orientation to make banking and financial planning easier for you before you come to ISU as a student. You may choose form a variety of different options, including using your Student ID card as a linked card to your USBank account. I didn’t do this because I found it way too confusing, but many people do and they love the system. Imagine, one card to rule them all! That sounds familiar, isn’t that a Pokeman motto or something? Anyway . . .

So I signed up for a credit card, by accident. I meant to sign up for a checking account and a debit card associated with that checking account, but it didn’t quite work out that way, AND I didn’t ask for help. [FYI- Always do that.] A credit card has worked for me, since I work for the university and am paid twice a month, on the 15th and the last day of the month. My budgeting includes planning ahead and knowing exactly how much I will receive on those days, and never, ever, EVER going over my projected income. You think it’s cool to be in debt? NOPE. Check out those creditreport.com commercials on TV with the guy playing guitar in a seafood restaraunt. Do YOU want to be doing that because you signed up for a credit card and just kinda, well, DIDN’T PAY IT?

Yeah. That’s what I thought. That’s why it is so important to simply throw away credit card offers as they come to your mailbox.

Sure, you’re going to be a college student, which means that everytime you check your mailbox, you’re hoping that your parents just made a mistake and sent you money, or food, or well, anything. Or that Aunt Agatha who always liked you decided to do you a favor and send your birthday money four months early.

Doesn’t always happen that way. If in the right hand corner of the envelope it says “Pre-Sorted Standard” and it is from a bank that you do not have affiliation with, I say toss it! [This coming from my expertise of sorting mail as a Community Advisor, believe me, I sort more of those things than you will see in your lifetime!]

So like I said, just say no. Just throw them away. Don’t think about using a credit card to buy that 69 Mustang you’ve always dreamed about, or even just a game for a PS3, or some clothes because you feel like “changin yo style.”

Just say no! The motto I usually remind myself of is: Live like a college student now, so you won’t have to after you graduate.

And there you have it. Just say no to Pre-Approved.

Til next time,
Seanna