Where did winter break go?
Jan. 31st, 2005 08:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mandolinWell, had my first class of the semester today, and I guess I can narrow it down to good news and bad news.
The bad:
- My class isn't getting paid for. They couldn't find the money in the budget this semester. (I need to talk to someone about the best time to apply because I got the money in two weeks flat last semester. I waited two months to hear "no" for an answer now. It's got to be about the timing.) I'm now glad I took just one class again this semester; paying for two would be a pain.
- We have to do a group project again. Not a paper (thank GOD), but a real-world database project.
- We do have a final, two days before the project is due. *twitch* Be warned, the week of (and before) May 15th will find me a raving insane lunatic. Consider this advance warning.
- Dr. Zhou stresses class participation. I have warned her that (at least from me) she is opening herself up to some really stupid questions...
- Blackboard isn't working; she put the slides up on the class page for us prior to the lecture, but none of us can actually get into the class page to get them.
- Under normal circumstances, I will not be getting out of class til 7 pm.
- I suspect that this will not be an easy course.
The good:
- Since this is not a double-numbered class, I do not have to be put in charge of a group of overworked, stressed undergrads who I can't get ahold of to save my life. (Hey, I'm just glad not to be arbitrarily put in charge.) It's all grad students. It's NOT a paper. Joy!
- Dr. Zhou might be demanding, but she is (so far) understandable and articulate. I may not have to go over my notes like the Zapruder tapes to translate every lecture this time around.
- There's still only two exams, and the final is during the last class time. So I won't have to worry about taking work off to get to a scheduled final exam after classes end.
- I've already latched onto a group, since the other two guys actually have some ideas of a real-world application for a database business proposal. I'm drawing a blank, and I certainly can't draw ANYTHING from my job.
- I seem to be doing fairly well in terms of participation, since I did manage to answer a few of her questions and break the dead silence.
- It's a class of 12 students so far, so we won't have to sit through quite so many presentations.
- We're going to be doing some Oracle and SQL work, so it's not going to be all theory.
- Class doesn't start til 4:30, so I might not have to go quite so insane to get there in time. And getting out at 7 means I get out after rush hour and don't have to fight to get to Wilkens Avenue.
So, I'm hanging in there. And I need to wind down and get my affairs in order so I get into work at a decent hour tomorrow..
The bad:
- My class isn't getting paid for. They couldn't find the money in the budget this semester. (I need to talk to someone about the best time to apply because I got the money in two weeks flat last semester. I waited two months to hear "no" for an answer now. It's got to be about the timing.) I'm now glad I took just one class again this semester; paying for two would be a pain.
- We have to do a group project again. Not a paper (thank GOD), but a real-world database project.
- We do have a final, two days before the project is due. *twitch* Be warned, the week of (and before) May 15th will find me a raving insane lunatic. Consider this advance warning.
- Dr. Zhou stresses class participation. I have warned her that (at least from me) she is opening herself up to some really stupid questions...
- Blackboard isn't working; she put the slides up on the class page for us prior to the lecture, but none of us can actually get into the class page to get them.
- Under normal circumstances, I will not be getting out of class til 7 pm.
- I suspect that this will not be an easy course.
The good:
- Since this is not a double-numbered class, I do not have to be put in charge of a group of overworked, stressed undergrads who I can't get ahold of to save my life. (Hey, I'm just glad not to be arbitrarily put in charge.) It's all grad students. It's NOT a paper. Joy!
- Dr. Zhou might be demanding, but she is (so far) understandable and articulate. I may not have to go over my notes like the Zapruder tapes to translate every lecture this time around.
- There's still only two exams, and the final is during the last class time. So I won't have to worry about taking work off to get to a scheduled final exam after classes end.
- I've already latched onto a group, since the other two guys actually have some ideas of a real-world application for a database business proposal. I'm drawing a blank, and I certainly can't draw ANYTHING from my job.
- I seem to be doing fairly well in terms of participation, since I did manage to answer a few of her questions and break the dead silence.
- It's a class of 12 students so far, so we won't have to sit through quite so many presentations.
- We're going to be doing some Oracle and SQL work, so it's not going to be all theory.
- Class doesn't start til 4:30, so I might not have to go quite so insane to get there in time. And getting out at 7 means I get out after rush hour and don't have to fight to get to Wilkens Avenue.
So, I'm hanging in there. And I need to wind down and get my affairs in order so I get into work at a decent hour tomorrow..
