Starting College or Going Back - Page 5

Missyboxers · 01-14-2009, 01:23 AM

MRD, how did the first day go?

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ElizabethG · 01-14-2009, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Missyboxers

MRD, how did the first day go?

Yeah, inquiring minds wanna know......tell it all MRD!!!

myrosiedog · 01-15-2009, 10:27 PM

I'm having computer problems at home, so I'm at work.

But the first day was great. I love all my profs. But German is HARD!!!!

Amer. Gov't. is going to be really easy. Southern Politics is fun. Statistics is going to be a challenge. Good thing the gov. classes are going to be my easy classes. Even the papers in there will be fun and not too hard. Just time consuming.

I made a friend the first day and he's a Florida Gator as is my Amer. Gov. Prof, so good brownie points there.

Most of my classes are younger kids, but my Southern Politics I am not nearly the oldest. In fact, that class is mostly made up of guys in their 50's and 60's and college age girls majoring in Politcal Science.

The biggest difference this time around? I sit in the front and participate in class. Before I sat in the back and was scared to open my mouth. I'm sure my Amer. Gov. prof wishes I'd shut up, but she said that class participation counts for 10% of our grade, so be careful what you ask for.

Anyway, thanks all. It was scary, but fun and I think I'll have lost weight at the end of the semester as I have a LOT of walking and a LOT and I mean a LOT of stairs. It's like being on the stairmaster by the time I get to my 3rd class.

Oh and I got a dead battery in the parking lot the first day, so already had my first experience with campus police!

Hope to be back online at home by Fri. and will let you know more, if you want. I've already bored my family and friends to tears.

Ellen · 01-16-2009, 12:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myrosiedog

. . . But German is HARD!!!!

I majored in German and used to teach it (French, too). A lot. Please PM me if you need any help with its goofy grammar or anything else. I mean it!!! It's really not too bad once you get the hang of it and some more insight into the linguistic mindset. Believe it or not, at one time, German and English were the same language!

For encouragement and laughs, read Mark Twain's essay entitled "The Awful German Language" which can be found in nearly any Twain anthology, or even online.

We used to have a running joke in the German department, something to the effect of "no wonder they lost the war!"

queenb · 01-16-2009, 10:25 AM

Ellen, I have read that essay ; it is hilarious even if you only understand 3 German words, or less. Just wondering, MRD--why German, rather than Spanish, French, or what have you? I wouldn't dare.

myrosiedog · 01-18-2009, 11:52 AM

I registered late and there were not a lot of classes left to choose from. I also only have about 4 required classes left to take and a language was one of them. When I registered, only German and Chinese were open. I had kind of wanted to take German anyway as it is very closely related to English and there are a lot of similar words and I can sort of kind of read some already thanks to my dad. Also it's a low context language, meaning you can look at sentence in German and pretty much figure it out which is not always possible with the latin derived languages like French and Spanish.
Chinese would have been really, really hard, what with the whole new alphabet/character thing to learn too. At least German pretty much uses the same alphabet as English. I took HS Spanish and hated it. I have friends that also are German who have offered to help so I thought why not.

My problem isn't so much the reading of it, it's the understanding it spoken in class and having to speak it as this teacher is VERY much into the oral part of the class and not just written German. I can't understand any of it. But I got a 9 out of 10 on the written stuff we did in class on Thur., so as long as it's written, I think i just might make it. But of course the final is both written and oral.

I have the complete works of Twain, but I never read that. I think I will. Thanks for the offer of help Ellen and for the advice to read Twains essay. I may just take you up on it.

Star, books are the BIGGEST ripoff in the world. Even used books are expensive.
I have 4 classes and I got 2 used and 2 new books. I did not buy the German workbook as we were told in class we didn't need it until we take the next semester of German. I also had to get a graphing calculator for statistics and I spent almost $500!!!!!! Which everyone keeps telling me is cheap, but I'm still shocked. 4 books were $400????

canuckinchile · 01-18-2009, 12:41 PM

MRD, speaking as the mom of 2 university kids I can vouch for how expensive the books are. Don't you have a way to buy them used?? I would check into that. My kids almost always buy their books from other students and save a lot of money that way. There are usually loads of notices up in a student union building or something like that, or you can put up your own. Also, (and I don't know a ton about this) I know my kids joined a facebook group for their specific faculties and there was A LOT of good information on the site, and it was a good way to ask questions and have upper year people help you out. Good luck with German...glad it's easy for you. I know it is a lot like English but the grammar rules would slay me. Since I grew up taking French, I found Spanish really easy to pick up and the spelling is straight forward. In fact, my English spelling is kind of shot to hell now since I spent 8 years with virtually no double consonants, and they just look weird to me now

I hope you have fun !

Yardgnome · 01-18-2009, 02:23 PM

I'm concurring on what a ripoff books are. I'm at the point know, I try and borrow my books from classmates. I have some classes that you use your books for two semesters and that helps with saving money. I usually wait a semester to sell my books back, so if friends need to borrow them, I'm more than happy to lend them because they may have one I want to borrow.

myrosiedog · 01-18-2009, 07:10 PM

I had gotten a voucher for books from financial aid and could only use it in the bookstore, so I was limited to what the bookstore had to offer which was that I could get used books for 2 of my classes. I am glad I got a new book for one of my Poli sci classes as that is a book I will probably keep. I am thinking that I will more than likely keep a quite a few of my books when I really get into my major, so in a way, I'd like those to be new. But I'm not opposed to having used books. Believe me, I would have loved to have gotten a used statistics book if I could and a used graphing calculator, but again, I had to buy from the campus bookstore because of the way they were doing my financial aid.
But my daughter's boyfriend and a girl I work with have to also take statistics, so I'm hoping to resell the book and calculator or at least hope that 3 of us can get use out of them.

ElizabethG · 01-18-2009, 08:17 PM

Glad to hear you're liking your classes, MRD. And everyone is right about the books, that is the BIGGEST rip off going, wonder why no one has ever tried to do something about that? I remember when I was taking my undergrad courses years and years ago that we were strongly advised to get the newest edition of the book, even if nothing but the page numbers had changed! I just refused. I don't see why the books couldn't be put on CD's or something and you could just download updates much like updates for some of the computer applications. If they were on CD's they sure would be a lot easier to haul around too!

What is your Southern Politics class like? That sounds like the kind of class I could really get into. You know, as long as you are able to post about your classes fairly regularly, I can experience them through you.

Anyhow, glad you're doing well and enjoying yourself.

01-14-2009, 01:23 AM	#41
Missyboxers FORT Fogey Join Date: May 2004 Location: NYC Age: 26 Posts: 3,192	Re: Starting College or Going Back MRD, how did the first day go?

01-15-2009, 10:27 PM	#43
myrosiedog FORT Fogey Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: All jacked up on Gator Juice in the Swamp. GO GATORS!!!! Age: 47 Posts: 15,233	Re: Starting College or Going Back I'm having computer problems at home, so I'm at work. But the first day was great. I love all my profs. But German is HARD!!!! Amer. Gov't. is going to be really easy. Southern Politics is fun. Statistics is going to be a challenge. Good thing the gov. classes are going to be my easy classes. Even the papers in there will be fun and not too hard. Just time consuming. I made a friend the first day and he's a Florida Gator as is my Amer. Gov. Prof, so good brownie points there. Most of my classes are younger kids, but my Southern Politics I am not nearly the oldest. In fact, that class is mostly made up of guys in their 50's and 60's and college age girls majoring in Politcal Science. The biggest difference this time around? I sit in the front and participate in class. Before I sat in the back and was scared to open my mouth. I'm sure my Amer. Gov. prof wishes I'd shut up, but she said that class participation counts for 10% of our grade, so be careful what you ask for. Anyway, thanks all. It was scary, but fun and I think I'll have lost weight at the end of the semester as I have a LOT of walking and a LOT and I mean a LOT of stairs. It's like being on the stairmaster by the time I get to my 3rd class. Oh and I got a dead battery in the parking lot the first day, so already had my first experience with campus police! Hope to be back online at home by Fri. and will let you know more, if you want. I've already bored my family and friends to tears. __________________ Que me amat, amet et canem meum (Who loves me will love my dog also)

01-16-2009, 10:25 AM	#45
queenb Miz Smarty Britches Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: drinkin' muddy water, sleepin' in a hollow log Age: 49 Posts: 5,839	Re: Starting College or Going Back Ellen, I have read that essay ; it is hilarious even if you only understand 3 German words, or less. Just wondering, MRD--why German, rather than Spanish, French, or what have you? I wouldn't dare. __________________ Tell your mind to stay cool brother man, seek the truth and don't be no fool

01-18-2009, 11:52 AM	#46
myrosiedog FORT Fogey Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: All jacked up on Gator Juice in the Swamp. GO GATORS!!!! Age: 47 Posts: 15,233	Re: Starting College or Going Back I registered late and there were not a lot of classes left to choose from. I also only have about 4 required classes left to take and a language was one of them. When I registered, only German and Chinese were open. I had kind of wanted to take German anyway as it is very closely related to English and there are a lot of similar words and I can sort of kind of read some already thanks to my dad. Also it's a low context language, meaning you can look at sentence in German and pretty much figure it out which is not always possible with the latin derived languages like French and Spanish. Chinese would have been really, really hard, what with the whole new alphabet/character thing to learn too. At least German pretty much uses the same alphabet as English. I took HS Spanish and hated it. I have friends that also are German who have offered to help so I thought why not. My problem isn't so much the reading of it, it's the understanding it spoken in class and having to speak it as this teacher is VERY much into the oral part of the class and not just written German. I can't understand any of it. But I got a 9 out of 10 on the written stuff we did in class on Thur., so as long as it's written, I think i just might make it. But of course the final is both written and oral. I have the complete works of Twain, but I never read that. I think I will. Thanks for the offer of help Ellen and for the advice to read Twains essay. I may just take you up on it. Star, books are the BIGGEST ripoff in the world. Even used books are expensive. I have 4 classes and I got 2 used and 2 new books. I did not buy the German workbook as we were told in class we didn't need it until we take the next semester of German. I also had to get a graphing calculator for statistics and I spent almost $500!!!!!! Which everyone keeps telling me is cheap, but I'm still shocked. 4 books were $400???? __________________ Que me amat, amet et canem meum (Who loves me will love my dog also)

01-18-2009, 12:41 PM	#47
canuckinchile FORT Fogey Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: back in "The Big Smoke" Posts: 5,292	Re: Starting College or Going Back MRD, speaking as the mom of 2 university kids I can vouch for how expensive the books are. Don't you have a way to buy them used?? I would check into that. My kids almost always buy their books from other students and save a lot of money that way. There are usually loads of notices up in a student union building or something like that, or you can put up your own. Also, (and I don't know a ton about this) I know my kids joined a facebook group for their specific faculties and there was A LOT of good information on the site, and it was a good way to ask questions and have upper year people help you out. Good luck with German...glad it's easy for you. I know it is a lot like English but the grammar rules would slay me. Since I grew up taking French, I found Spanish really easy to pick up and the spelling is straight forward. In fact, my English spelling is kind of shot to hell now since I spent 8 years with virtually no double consonants, and they just look weird to me now I hope you have fun !

01-18-2009, 02:23 PM	#48
Yardgnome Being VIP Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Harnessing my evil for good. Posts: 5,261	Re: Starting College or Going Back I'm concurring on what a ripoff books are. I'm at the point know, I try and borrow my books from classmates. I have some classes that you use your books for two semesters and that helps with saving money. I usually wait a semester to sell my books back, so if friends need to borrow them, I'm more than happy to lend them because they may have one I want to borrow.

01-18-2009, 07:10 PM	#49
myrosiedog FORT Fogey Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: All jacked up on Gator Juice in the Swamp. GO GATORS!!!! Age: 47 Posts: 15,233	Re: Starting College or Going Back I had gotten a voucher for books from financial aid and could only use it in the bookstore, so I was limited to what the bookstore had to offer which was that I could get used books for 2 of my classes. I am glad I got a new book for one of my Poli sci classes as that is a book I will probably keep. I am thinking that I will more than likely keep a quite a few of my books when I really get into my major, so in a way, I'd like those to be new. But I'm not opposed to having used books. Believe me, I would have loved to have gotten a used statistics book if I could and a used graphing calculator, but again, I had to buy from the campus bookstore because of the way they were doing my financial aid. But my daughter's boyfriend and a girl I work with have to also take statistics, so I'm hoping to resell the book and calculator or at least hope that 3 of us can get use out of them. __________________ Que me amat, amet et canem meum (Who loves me will love my dog also)

01-18-2009, 08:17 PM	#50
ElizabethG My little JAG Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Georgia Age: 47 Posts: 601	Re: Starting College or Going Back Glad to hear you're liking your classes, MRD. And everyone is right about the books, that is the BIGGEST rip off going, wonder why no one has ever tried to do something about that? I remember when I was taking my undergrad courses years and years ago that we were strongly advised to get the newest edition of the book, even if nothing but the page numbers had changed! I just refused. I don't see why the books couldn't be put on CD's or something and you could just download updates much like updates for some of the computer applications. If they were on CD's they sure would be a lot easier to haul around too! What is your Southern Politics class like? That sounds like the kind of class I could really get into. You know, as long as you are able to post about your classes fairly regularly, I can experience them through you. Anyhow, glad you're doing well and enjoying yourself. __________________ Life was so much simpler then.....