Pity Party of One | Free and Flawed

Sep

10

Filed In: Personal, school

I think the last three weeks of school have gone from good to bad really fast.

I feel like I’m working so hard to keep my head above water, but at the end of the week I’m four feet deeper than where I started. My schedule isn’t ideal. Having Chemistry, Math and Biology every day makes it difficult to absorb the information taught the day before. Just as I’m beginning to make sense of anything, a whole chapter full of new information is thrown at us.

The speed at which these classes are taught drives me nuts. They assume that after we leave their class we have nothing else on our schedules and can spend the rest of the day memorizing the periodic table or understanding why Lyme disease is a product of a tritrophic population. Leaving one class only to go straight to two others and then to work doesn’t leave me much time to figure out the rate at which Jogger #2 made it down the path. And frankly I don’t care. Who uses Algebra any way?! (Don’t answer that.)

It’s not that I’m not trying or working hard. I try and want to understand the material, but something isn’t clicking. That frustrates me. I’m usually pretty quick at picking up new things. Maybe it’s because they’re all being thrown at me at once. Maybe three Science classes and one math class wasn’t the best schedule for me. Unfortunately that’s all there is in my major. I couldn’t have chosen art, could I? Nooooope! Had to go with science!

The only class I am enjoying is Anatomy because I’m not lost. I’m not lost because I’ve had it before and I am really interested in the material. I’m in a blended course so I have three days of online lectures, notes, videos, etc. and then one day of lecture and lab. It’s difficult to keep up, but I can only imagine how much worse it would be if I had no previous experience with it.

I’m a complainer, but I hate complaining about school. I love school. I love to learn, but I feel like I’m doing very little learning. The material isn’t sticking and I’m not getting the help I need. I don’t have much extra time to spend at school to attend review labs or meet with TAs or tutors. When I do ask a TA for help, I get none! What extra time I do have is spent either at work or at home doing homework. And I can’t drop any classes because my grants are awarded only if I maintain at least 15 credit hours. Ain’t that some bull shiz?!

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m exhausted already and the semester is no where near over. I need to find a better system and figure out a way to balance my classes with work and life. I can’t spend four hours on only one subject. Before I know it it’s almost 10 p.m. and I’ve only done math work. So either I’m unprepared the next day or I’m falling asleep as I’m driving down I-90 at 6 a.m. (like today.)

Any suggestions on how to better balance/manage my time? Want to remind me that going back to school isn’t a horrible idea? Want to do my homework?

[end pity party]

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and now I am afraid to go back to school….

I don’t have much of a suggestion for balancing time, sadly. It’s hard to do, esp. when you’re in such intensive classes.
Can I just say how much I’ve started to look forward to your paint drawings, though?

I tend to advocate studying hardest for the things that are going to be on assignments while you are really busy, and then when you get a bit more time go over the things you didn’t have time to do.

Studying and working as well is really hard work, you have to be disciplined to get your work done as well as holding down a job and the only way to do that sometimes is to cut corners while everything is getting too much.

It’s a sin that when you ask for help you get none in return. Thats like watching a person who cant swim just drown instead of saying move your legs and arms.

Is there any online web-chats available for people to help you?

Where’s the pause button when you need it. Sheesh

Oh man, reading this gave me flashbacks from when I was in school. I graduated about 2 years ago and I DO NOT MISS IT. I took full course loads every semester for 5 years. I think the most I ever took at once was 21 hours. Throw in a job and and all that comes along with being a young 20-something trying to figure out who the hell I am (and who the hell is this guy I’ve been dating for 2 years?? And why are we breaking up?? Etc..) and I thought I’d never make it out alive. I remember doing an awful lot of cramming. And the one thing I still remain absolutely certain of, is that the really important information WILL stick with you. I have not, as of yet, found myself in a situation in my career going “I so wish I could remember what it said on page 205 of my textbook about lighting codes”. I guess what I’m trying to say is… it’s important to stay focused, but don’t pressure yourself to remember every single thing! Because you won’t. And that’s okay.

Again, those subjects are totally up my alley, so you can ask me questions! My s/n is Pmpom if you have any quick questions that could be answered on aim. I’ll try my best to help ya, but it’s been a few years since I’ve taken gen bio or gen chem!

Oh wow.. that sounds like a rigorous curriculum.

As for the time stuff? I definitely recommend a decent planner. It sounds simple, but it makes all the difference. Take a day and use fun colorful markings for each course, work and then study time.

I worked, went to school and pledged for a service fraternity all in the same semester and somehow managed to pull all A’s & B’s despite my previous years of dismal grades, with FAR less to do (cuz I didn’t work nor pledge)

And maybe scale down your google reader? We’ll all miss you - but we totally understand and would much rather you do well w/courses than bother w/our blogs.

Hmm.. and other than that, if the courses are still hard, maybe pair up with a classmate and see if they can help out a bit.. compare notes, etc.

Ah school….*shudder* I finished my undergrad last year and by the end of it I had a couple of methods for surviving that I hope can help you!

The biggest thing was that I sat down at the beginning of the semester, glanced at all of my reading, locked the door to my room, and didn’t get up until I had finished the first week of reading in all of my courses. It’s exhausting to do, but I found that being ahead meant that I did one week of intense work and then I could coast - if I wanted to go out with my boyfriend it wasn’t life or death because I had a few days to play with before I was back in sync with the class, and then I could just sit down and blow through more of my reading again and get ahead.

I worked completely in the arts, but I always found that staying ahead of the curve was what made me feel best - and that’s how I blog too. I usually have 6 or 7 drafts that I can just put out there no matter what and I slide my really pressing content in between posts I already have pre-programmed to publish.

Something about having the ability to be spontaneous if I want to be just makes me feel a hundred times better about life.

If you’re feeling like you’re getting behind in comprehension, figure out who the keeners are and talk to them - I know 99% of my friends in sciences had a regular study group. If those don’t seem to be happening your school should have free tutors who will work with you to make sure you’re comfortable.

Give yourself some time, and enjoy it if you can!

Oh, hon. I’ve so been there. I’m taking this term off because work is super crazy right now, but I usually take three classes and work 40+ hours a week….

Try studying in shorter bursts instead of all at once. I used to use my lunch break to do class reading- I could eat and read at the same time, it gave me some breathing room that night, and it seemed to help me retain the information better.

Make sure you are getting enough sleep. You can’t function, much less learn if you aren’t well rested. If this means catching up via naps on the weekends, make sure you’re doing it. It will make everything else that much easier to deal with.

Find someone who isn’t a TA that can help you. Approach someone in class. Find someone in a more advanced class. Most people love helping you learn something they are good at- if anyone asked me for help in their accounting class, I would be all over it.

You can do this. It’s super hard, it’s frustrating, you tear your hair out sometimes, but it’s totally worth it.

Deep breaths, babe.

I hate when school feels so overwhelming. It’s like we want to be there and learning the information, but there is too much to learn and so little time. It can be so frustrating! That’s exactly why I took a little math and science classes as possible.

So bad news - I went ahead and did all your homework but then my dog ate it…so…yeah…sorry about that.

What’s with your classes meeting so often?!? That sounds really overwhelming.

I’m also trying to work on my schedule. I keep thinking there must be a way to cram more stuff in but it’s just not working.

On the bright side, you could be working all the time and not learning anything. That’s worse, right?

That sucks. I’m sorry.

The only trite advice I have is to get drastic in terms of how you manage your time. Cut out what is not needed and concentrate on the must do’s.

Are there other people in the class who feel the same as you? See if there are and if there are a few try getting together for study group. Or else say it to the professor about the content or the failure of the TA’s to adequately assist.

Sorry if you’re doing all of the above already but it’s all I’ve got

First off, that book looks really angry. Bad book!

I’m sorry you’re so stressed. Getting back in a swing of things is definitely tough but you’re going to rise above. You’re super awesome, just tell the professors that and you’ll get an A. I’ll write you a note.

Wow, your schedule does sound hectic, just try to eat healthy and take care of yourself so you can wake up with the most energy possible.

Maybe should take an art class those pictures of the angry book are hilarious!

Oh man, I don’t envy you there! Especially since math and science were always my two WORST subjects. Fingers crossed that it gets easier as the semester goes on!

And seriously, your MS Paint skillz amaze me.

As someone who now has a masters, here is my firm belief about college - it isn’t about WHAT you learn, it’s just about learning. Learning HOW to learn and absorb new knowledge for the rest of your life. Grad school (if you choose to go) is where you learn actual useful stuff for your profession

I survived college by diligently going to every single minute of every class, but then just skimming the reading. I learned quickly that even the professors who said “I test on everything in the readings, not just what I go over in class” were usually lying. And even if they did throw in a few reading questions, it was never enough to have a real impact on your grade.

You will make it through! Good luck! I know going back to school is always an adjustment where you think you are going to die for awhile, and then it just seems to get better once you work out how to get everything done (in both life and school).

oy oy oy oy. big hugs, and no useful advice for you. i’m in awe of anyone who goes to school AND works. you’re already far beyond what i could handle, if that’s any consolation?

I’m pretty sure I’m going to have one of those dreams tonight about me being back in college, it’s the day of the final, and I totally forgot about a class.

Just keep plugging away. Slow and steady wins the race. Good luck!

Probably the biggest thing I could say is that you’re totally not alone. I completely feel you, as I’m on campus either working or in class until 10pm at least 3 nights a week, after first being there since 8am and being in classes and working all day. And still I have to study, do homework, write papers, and do reports and lesson plans for my clinic clients.

What works for me, I suppose, is that I’ve figured out how to play the game of school. Find out what the powers that be want, and give them that. The next big thing is to figure out how you learn. I don’t learn well from flashcards and rote memory, so I’ve had to figure out other ways around it. Other ways that take less time, and also are more effective for me: reading notes, saying them out loud, or finding things I disagree with or don’t understand and then talk to someone in class about it.

And if you have a lot of reading to do (and can’t simply avoid reading altogether), definitely read the first and last sentence of each paragraph in the assigned reading… skim for numbers and figures, of course, but as a general rule of thumb, the first and last sentences contain most of the information you’ll need. It’s uncanny, really. Good luck with everything!

Ok I know this is besides the point, but do you do those drawings? Because they crack me up EVERY TIME.

As for the school stuff, I have a feeling I will be feeling the exact same way in just a few weeks… hang in there. At the end of the day I am always happy that I’m a nerd, because LIKING to learn makes everything a lot easier. Finding a proper school-work-life balance is a constant struggle but at least you have a foundation of enjoying learning.

Hang in there!

I just want to chime in and say: IT WILL GET EASIER.

I promise.

The beginning of the semester is always the most overwhelming. Hang in there, love.

You are amazing for trying to do as much as you do. I hate to say it, but maybe it’s time to take a break from the blogosphere? Gah, no fun. And maybe next semester try to space out your classes during the day so you can take some time after each class to absorb it, begin your reading/assignment, before hitting the next subject. Good luck!

Amen! I’m right here with you. I also feel as if I’m being stretched really thin… between my course, they required homework, reading projects, and papers, then attempting to also have some sort of a social life… sheeesh! This shit is tough. If you figure out the secret at a happy medium please share your secret. I serious! I need to know.

Okay, first of all, 3 weeks are OVER! Yay! Be grateful for that.
Second of all, I feel you. I decided to make my schedule with two science classes and two random online classes- and I’m suffering as well. I totally agree with it being way too difficult to soak in the information when new information is thrown at you within the next day or so. It’s rough.
I wish I could tell you how to find a better balance- but I’m struggling with it as well. Balancing work and school and everything else- it’s tough. But hang in there. Going back to school is NEVER a bad idea and all the hard work will be worth it.

You are clearly a master at paint.

As for school, don’t ask me, I always hated it.

Why did you end the pity party, O Paint Guru? I was going to send you a cupcake and party hat.

You could just make hilarious comics for a living!
Really, though, I guarantee more is being absorbed that you think. It will start looking more familiar. I swear.

I just know that Jogger #2 got Lyme disease, too.

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