All The Turkey Legs

Remember how I predicted that I would be back this week with another potential change to my degree plans? Well, here we are. Who's surprised? Show of hands? Anybody? No? Okay, then let's continue.

This time it's not a terribly drastic change, I promise...

So I took another look at the University of Central Florida's online bachelor's degree programs, specifically that Creative Writing degree.  Despite last week's assertions of "I don't like writing silly fufu fiction!," I have to admit that I do still feel drawn to this school and this program. When I look over the degree requirements, I just feel like I would enjoy this course of study more... Even if it means that the potential career options aren't quite as numerous or adulty.

As it's an English degree, it requires more Literature courses, and most of you already know what a bookworm I am. (Or at least I was until recently. The hours that previously were dedicated to recreational reading have been seasonally usurped by my Algebra studies.) So that's right on up my nerdy alley.

Plus, this program offers more courses focusing specifically on Writing, which is the skill I'm most looking to hone. I'd have to take a few classes and workshops in Fiction and Poetry, etc, but is that really so bad? Yes, it would certainly be challenging for me, and it would force me out of my writing comfort zone. However, maybe that's a good thing? I'm sure that would likely make me a better writer in the long run, and isn't that the entire point?

However, all of this doesn't necessarily mean I would have to completely abandon the idea of also developing a skill set that would help me to qualify for jobs in advertising and marketing. Today I discovered UCF's online minor in Mass Communications, which would add the following courses to my curriculum:

• MMC 2004: Mass Media
• MMC 3630: Social Media as Mass Communication
• ADV 3008: Principles of Advertising
• RTV 3007: Development and Structure of Electronic Media and New Technology 
• VIC 3001: Visual Communication 
• COM 3330: Computer Mediated Communication

So basically, I would walk away from school with a Bachelor of Arts in English, with a Concentration in Creative Writing and a Minor in Mass Communications. By adding that minor (instead of something neat like Anthropology, as previously suggested), I'm creating a program for myself that is kinda-sorta similar to the track I would have been on an SNHU, but lighter on the marketing & communications classes and heavier on the literature & writing classes.

Plus, I'm not gonna lie, the fact that the school is located in Orlando is a huge selling point for me. The reasons are primarily because the location satisfies my preference of a main campus within a 5-hour range, and it's nice that it's a drive that I'm already super familiar with. 

And. Also. Like. I mean. You know. DISNEY WORLD, OKAY?!?! Which yes, I do fully realize should NOT be factoring into my choice of a school at all. But I am who I am. Don't judge me.

Eat ALL the turkey legs.  All of them.

Seriously, though. I still haven't given up on my long-held dreams of relocating to the central Florida area within the next few years, and I likely never will. (Not that I currently have an actual plan for how to make that happen yet or anything.) So if I do manage to accomplish that goal, then gaining frequent access to the campus and it's resources would be incredibly helpful during my studies.

Sigh. Why must making this decision be so ridiculously difficult for me, ya'll?

So the Plan This Week Is...

Bachelor of Arts in Communications, with a Concentration in Professional Writing and a Minor in Social Media Marketing.

No, really. I'm serious. Let me explain.

So of course, in typical Billie fashion, I've continued to turn the idea of the Creative Writing degree over and over in my head until it's tumbled to death. And here's the thing: I'm an okay writer with a decent-ish grasp of language mechanics and grammar, etc. I immensely enjoy words and crafting things with them in an engaging way.

When possible, I particularly love to make people laugh with my writing.  Turns out that not every platform is the appropriate place for dick jokes, though.

What I'm not great at is making up stories. I don't really ever write them, and I'm not into poetry at all, to be quite honest. I was thinking that maybe once I was in a structured Creative Writing program, I would learn to be excellent at it. But then I look at sample writing prompts, and they do absolutely nothing for me...

• Smoke, Fog, and Haze: Write about not being able to see ahead of you.
• Sugar: Write something so sweet, it makes your teeth hurt.
• Numbers: Write a poem or journal entry about numbers that have special meaning to you.
• Dread: Write about doing something you don’t want to do.

All that being said, I do enjoy the creative process of stringing words together, but in a different sort of way. Ways that directly observe the world around me, that inspire action or reaction, that convey thoughts and ideas, that bring real life to the page (or screen). Words used to persuade, to help, to inform. That's the style of writing I've always enjoyed best. Travel recollections. Book reviews. Editorials. Opinion columns. So on and so forth.

Basically what I really want is a degree in blogging, frankly.  

"Okay, but Billie, you know there's a division of Creative Writing for Non-Fiction, right? Some programs even let you do a concentration in it within your major!"

Yes yes, I know. And believe me, I have very much considered it, and haven't entirely ruled it out, honestly.  University of Central Florida's Creative Writing program offers classes and workshops in Non-Fiction.  So if I do go with a Creative Writing degree, that is more-likely-than-not the direction I will go with it.

Another type of Writing major option is Technical Writing, but it's just way too dry for me.  Technical Writers are the people who write instruction manuals and such.  Which I don't want to do.  Because I would rather not spend all of this money on a degree only to wind up sitting in an office like...

So all of these wandering thought-bunnies eventually brought me to another place...

When I was a travel agent, one of my favorite tasks was having to write up the copy for and work with our company's Marketing department to produce a poster/flyer to advertise upcoming special events we were offering. Another favorite job of mine there was managing our office Facebook account, combining images with copy I would write to try to get people interested in our services, attractions, and destinations. And as much as I didn't love direct sales (aka customer service), I did always enjoy the part of crafting an exciting and persuasive presentation via email to pitch a pricey vacation to an interested potential client.

Which got me to thinking about a friend of mine who works as a copywriter with the Universal Orlando Resort, in the in-house marketing department.  He loves it, and I've always been kind of envious of what he does, as it seems like an absolutely fantastic gig and something I would truly enjoy.  So.  Why not go for it, riiiiiiight?  Or at least put myself on an academic path that has more of a chance of leading me in that direction.

The other reason I'm considering moving away from the Creative Writing degree and more towards this Professional Writing degree is simply Adulting.  As I conveyed previously, if I'm going to do this... you know, spend all this time and money, especially this late in my life... then it would be vastly preferable to get a degree that will actually have at least some potential to for improving my career prospects and financial position.  And frankly, this degree is just far more practical, with courses like:

• ADV 263: Advertising Copy and Design
• ENG 220: Business Communications
• COM 230: Graphics and Layout in Print Media
• COM 235: Intro to Journalism
• COM 310: Social Media
• COM 325: Editing for Media and Publication
• COM 340: Writing for Public Relations
• COM 445: Writing for New Media
• COM 232: Desktop Publishing
• COM 315: Communication in the Digital Age
• COM 329: Editing for New Media Technologies

See?  Definitely less artsy-fartsy and more worky-jobby.  But still things I feel that I would enjoy learning about and honing my craft in.

I initially wanted to do a minor in Graphic Design, something else I've always enjoyed and have often been told that I have a talent for, but I ran into a snag.  One of the courses required for the minor has a pre-requisite course, which is fine, I don't mind taking additional Graphic Design classes.  However, that pre-req course is described as being "Mac-based."  And I'm a PC user.  And I'm not about to run out and spend an enormous wad of cash on a Mac just for one class.  Sooooo... Sadly, I had to scrap that whole idea.

So after exploring my options some more, I came across the Social Media Marketing minor.  By adding this skill set to my degree, I'm effectively exploring my love of digital platforms and learning how to use them to make money, as well as expanding my career options that much further.  Plus, given my vast ineptitude with math, something dealing with the online world is the closest I'm ever going to get to a STEM career.

Now all of this being said, I do have a couple of reservations about this degree path (of course I do... thanks, Anxiety!):

1. It's a Communications degree.  I haven't been out of school long enough to forget all of the shit that gets talked about Comm majors.  No, seriously.  If you don't know, then google "Communications Majors Stereotypes" sometime, and you'll see what I mean.  And while I don't much care what the average schmoe thinks of my Communications degree, I do have to consider how it will look to employers.
2. I recognize that I'm probably overselling it, not just to ya'll but also to myself, as while some of the course work looks really interesting, other bits of it seem super boring, especially the Marketing classes.  But I'm sure there's no such thing as a program where you're going to 110% love all of your classes, right?

After spending waaaaaaay too much time comparing schools and programs, the only one I've found that offers the blend of professional writing, advertising, and digital media that I'm looking for is Southern New Hampshire University.

The good news is that they have a fantastic online degree program, and the classes are administered through Blackboard, which is the same software that TCL uses for their online courses so the transition would be pretty seamless.  However, choosing SNHU also means giving up on my goal of staying within my region so that I could take road trips to the school as needed. I would only ever see the SNHU campus twice: When I fly up in a couple years to check it out before I officially enroll (which most online students don't ever do, but I feel very strongly that I need to see with my own eyes what I'm getting into and where I'm going to be accumulating a massive amount of debt before I make a commitment), and then again 2-3 years after that for graduation.

So that's where things stand this week.  I'm sure I'll be back in a week or two with a totally different agenda.  Stay tuned!

Khaaaaannn!!!

Okay, so yeah.... That title is a super-geeky Star Trek reference.  #sorrynotsorry  But it's a bit of a bait-and-switch, because the subject of tonight's blog post is not actually this guy:

Or even this guy:

Side note: In any other context, you can talk about Benedict Cumberbatch with me ANY time.  But right now, the Khan we're talking about is this guy:

This is Sal Khan.  (Not to be confused with Salman Khan, who is apparently some hot-shot Bollywood A-lister.  It's amazing the things you can learn from a simple Google image search.)  Or, more to the point, we're here to discuss his fucking amazing website.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let me start over:

So as we all know by now, Billie has mad math problems.  At the beginning of this month I bought into that Learning Upgrade software that I discovered, and paid $50 for the first Algebra module.  I finished it up on Friday night, but hesitated to buy the next one.  While I was learning some stuff, I found myself questioning if I was really getting enough out of it.  I also didn't like that it was nearly all solving stuff on the screen, rather than having to actually work out equations and problems on paper.  So I got the bright idea to google some practice Accuplacer placement tests for the Elementary Algebra section (the part I'm trying to prepare for).

I took a couple, and the results were extremely disheartening.  However, while getting my google on, I turned up a link for Khan Academy.

I very vaguely remembered seeing a blip about this website on some show at some point, I recalled something about it being an education or tutoring website or something.  So what the hell, I clicked.

Ya'll.  Oh my god.  This website is AMAZING.  I dove into the Algebra I section yesterday, and I've already powered through 4/17 units.  It's infinitely more comprehensive than the other software I was using.  Each lesson I feel like I'm in an actual class, but one than I can pause and back-up when needed.  I've gone through about 10 pages of scratch paper over the last two days.  I feel like I'm actually learning and retaining.  Some sections I struggle with more than others, but that's to be expected.  (No seriously bro, fuck inequalities.)

However, because this content is so much better, it's also going to take a lot more hours for me to complete.  But that's okay, I've got nothing but time.  Well, sorta.  I still want to be ready to re-take the placement test by mid-July at the latest, preferably sooner.  But I think with Khan Academy, I'll hopefully be much more prepared.  Fingers crossed!

So far, it's been a really enjoyable experience overall.  The website itself has a fantastic user interface, and I know it's silly but I love that you win little badges and awards along the way for completing tasks.  I find it very encouraging, especially when I accumulate enough points to unlock an new cute little avatar!

Most importantly, the videos in each lesson are surprisingly engaging, which is saying a whole lot given how dry the material inherently is.  But Sal does a fantastic job explaining, narrating, and writing things out in ways that make sense (most of the time, anyhow... my fault, not his).  And some of the lessons are actually pretty hilarious.  I mean, really... Where else can you learn to algebra by solving for the number of Chuck Norrises (or Chuck Norrii, if you prefer)?

Oh, and did I mention that it's all completely 100% FREE?  Yeah, you read that right.  Sal's mission is "to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere."  Anybody with a computer or mobile device can utilize this service, so there's no excuse not to go get yo' learn on!  

I'm also super impressed by the amount of subjects offered.  Once I get through this Algebra I/II nightmare, my next goal is to find some quality study materials for the English Composition CLEP exam, which sadly Khan Academy doesn't offer.  However, once I check that off my bucket-list I'm very seriously considering coming back to Khan to do the courses on Microeconomics and Biology and then attempt the CLEP exam in each of those.

Because seriously, the fewer college classes I have to take (and pay for) on my way to a degree, the better.

Adulthood Is A Bitch

Get comfortable, dear reader, because this is gonna be a lengthy one. Why, you ask? Because I think I might be scrapping the whole Clinical Mental Health Counselor career path.

I know, I know. I sound flaky as fuck right now. But but but reasons! I have them!

Basically, as I've mentioned on this blog before, I've never been 100% comfortable with the idea of having to go to grad school in order to make my Bachelors worth anything. If I complete my B.A./B.S. and then decide that I want to go to grad school at that point, that's whole 'nother story. But with my advanced age as I start out my undergraduate degree, I've just not been in love with the idea of feeling obligated to continue on to grad school. But I was willing to suck it up and just accept it as part of my academic path.

Now I've known all along that in order to obtain my licensure as an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), after grad school I would have to work for a couple of years as an Intern (or LPC-I), under direct supervision. Cool, sure, no worries. Right?

Yeah, about that.  What I learned this week is that supervision doesn't come free. Well, let me back up... It theoretically can if after grad school you land a job interning with a agency who provides your supervision hours as part of your employment with them. It's considered a perk of the job. However, those opportunities are fewer than you might think (especially in a small town like mine), and the ones that do exist are extremely competitive.

Because of these factors, most LPC-I's have to find supervision in private practice, and that costs money. Big money. Like, $100-200 per week. For real, ya'll. So let's use some of my blossoming fancy math skills, shall we? Based on the median weekly amount of $150 per week, the equation looks something like this:

($150 x 52 weeks) 2 years = $15,600

Keep in mind this is AFTER grad school, so no more grants, no more loans, no financial aid at all. That cool 15 Grand+ would be coming completely out of my relatively empty, freshly-graduated pocket.

Can you actually hear my feet on the floor, backpedaling like a boss right now? (They're pretty big feet, so I wouldn't be surprised if you could.)

Needless to say, I'm feeling quite discouraged about the LPC career path now, and reevaluating all the choices I've made up to this point. Getting my Bachelor's in Psychology isn't going to lead me anywhere I want to be without having to follow it up with grad school and licensure, so I've been exploring other options.

The first and closest online equivalent I've found would be to get a Bachelor of Science in Human Services. It's administered through the University of South Carolina, right here at the Beaufort campus. With it, I could go on to become a Substance Abuse Counselor. No grad school required, but I would still have to intern and do supervised hours for two years. However, from everything I'm reading, the opportunities for employment that provides your supervision are far more numerous. But would I enjoy it? Ehh. Maybe? I'm not sure. If I'm being completely honest, I just don't feel quite so drawn to this field as I did Mental Health counseling.  And also because, well...

Another option from USC is one that I've mentioned before, the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, which is administered online through the main campus up in Columbia. I would probably enjoy the coursework for the major, as I could focus on Psychology, Sociology, and English courses. And at the end of 4-5 years, I would be able to say "Hey, look! I got me a Bachelor's degree, ya'll!" But on it's own, it would be worth about as much as that Psychology degree that I'm reconsidering. Hrmph.

So that got me to thinking... What if I did get me a good old "useless" degree after all?  Instead of worrying about career paths and earning potential and adulting, what if I just majored in something I would enjoy? I mean, I have a decent job that I love. I'm already far beyond entry-level. And wasn't the entire original point of me going back to college more personal than professional anyhow? To finish what I started 20 years ago?

Which leads me to...

Yeah... Writing.  Oh, come on, don't look at me like that.  And really, I mean, if you're reading and enjoying this blog right now, that idea hopefully doesn't shock you. (Unless it does, and you're only reading this blog right now to mock me to your co-workers, which I acknowledge is entirely possible.) After all, I mean, I did get that perfect score on the writing section of my placement exams. So maaaaybe there's something to that worth exploring?

After some research, I've created a shortlist of schools that I would be interested in transferring to, all of which offer online Bachelor's degrees in English with a concentration in Writing:

#3: University of Colorado (Denver Campus), Bachelor of Arts in English Writing
UC Denver is an extremely reputable school and is definitely a great option (hence why it made the list), but of the three, it has the most drawbacks for me. I don't love that it's all the way in Colorado should I need to visit the campus. Also, it's coursework has slightly less focus on creative writing and more on technical writing, which is both good and bad: It would probably be better for employment opportunities, but also pretty boring. It's also the most expensive of my current three choices, coming in at $467 per hour.

#2: Southern New Hampshire University, Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing & English
Yes, the same SNHU that you see the commercials for. I hesitated on this one, as generally the majority of the mass-marketed online schools are just for-profit diploma mills. But I did a lot of research, and it turns out that SNHU is completely legit, and their online programs are very much geared towards online non-traditional students like myself. And at $320 per hour, it's the most affordable. 

#1: University of Central Florida, Bachelor of Arts in English: Creative Writing
This program seems to have the most of what I'm looking for: A creative Writing bachelor's program that can be completed online, strong support for online students, an entire Transfer & Transition Services department that I can speak with while I'm at my community college these next two years to make sure I'm on the right track for an eventual transfer to UCF, prerequisites that I can actually complete at TCL, and a main campus located within a 5-hour driving distance from me. In fact, it's a drive I'm extremely familiar with and make at least once a year anyhow. That's right, ya'll... UCF is located in Orlando. And as far as price goes, it's only a little more than SNHU at $384 per credit hour.

As far as a minor goes, I probably should minor in something related to my major, like Technical Writing or Journalism.  Orrrrr I could just minor in something fun, right?  You know, like Anthropology!

I'm totally serious, James Franco.  I mean, for fuck's sake, just look at the titles of the courses I would get to choose from!

• ANT 3026: Mummies, Zombies, and Vampires: Anthropology of the Undead
• ANT 3107: Blood and Valor in the Viking World
• ANT 3177: Archaeology of Caribbean Piracy
• ANT 3241: Magic, Ritual, and Belief
• ANT 4013: Anthropology of Fast Food

I'm #sorrynotsorry, but that all sounds completely freakin' AWESOME to me.

But anyhow.  All of that being said, if after completing my Bachelor's I decide that I do want to continue on to grad school after all, I have an extremely convenient option. Savannah College of Art and Design, just an hour down the road from me, offers a fully-online Master of Fine Arts in Writing. So clearly, SCAD would be the obvious choice for my graduate degree.

So that's kinda where things stand now. Or not stand, since they're all up in the air. That's where things float now? Whatever. More importantly, how on Earth is it even possible that I'm 36 years old and still don't know what I want to be when I grow up?

Hurry-Up-And-Wait Time

So I never made it back here last Monday to talk about what went down at the Financial Aid office. Sorry about that! Let's get caught up, shall we?

I dipped out of work an hour early (because my boss is pretty much amazing) and headed over to the school. After waiting for a while since there were four people ahead of me, a lady finally called me back. I gave her the forms and the IRS tax transcript, and she attempted to send me on my way.

Umm. Wait, what? No, ma'am! Look. I know it's close to the end of your day and you've probably already mentally checked-out. And I actually sympathize, I really do, I totally get it. But here's the thing: I am burning an hour of PTO to be here, so technically I'm on the clock, too. And what that means is that we're going to sit here and you're going to answer my questions and you're going to give me actual information. What you're NOT going to do is rush me out and leave me to just sit around wondering what happens next.

So, as sweetly and politely as possible, I innocently ignored her hints for me to leave and continued to ply her with every damn question I could think of, successfully digging out all the information she should have offered up if she wasn't trying to shove me out of her office.

The Bad News: As far as the issue of what happens next, it's basically just hurry-up-and-wait time. She said that they haven't even finished processing the requests for the summer semester (which starts next week) yet, so don't expect to hear anything about my financial aid award package for at least another month. Great. Fantastic. Thanks for telling me so I'm not obsessively checking my student email every day, hoping to hear something from ya'll. (Spoiler alert: I'm kinda doing that anyhow.)

The Good News: She was VERY clear that she wasn't making me any promises, but she said based on my income and estimated financial need, between federal Pell grants and the South Carolina Lottery Tuition Assistance program... It looks like my tuition might be completely covered for the next two years!!! The only thing I would have to take out a student loan for would be books and supplies. I'm trying to keep in mind that she could be completely wrong (as she herself stressed), but still... It's definitely a nice thing to think about!

So hopefully now sometime in June I'll have more information. If I haven't heard anything by the middle of the month, I'm gonna be dropping by their office and being annoying again. Note: This is a perfect example of what I said in a previous post about wanting to stick with schools within a reasonable driving distance, because sometimes you just gotta show the fuck up in order to get shit done. Which actually brings me to my next bit of news...

Another school has been added to the short list of transfer opportunities. Last week for work I had to attend a required 2-day OSHA training course (*snore*) and it was located in the building next door to mine, which happens to also be the base library and Education Building. During a class break, I wandered upstairs to the Education office and chatted with one of the advisors there, and told her a bit about my academic goals.  The lady (I didn't get her name) directed my attention to Park University.

It's located in Parkville, Missouri, but the school actually has a satellite campus right there in the same building. They offer a fully online Bachelors degree in Psychology, and it's not super expensive. Still more than Kennesaw State, but way less than University of Florida. But I like the idea of having reps from the school right here in town, walking distance from my office no less, should I need anything (like to pester somebody about Financial Aid). Plus I read over the degree requirements, and if I'm understanding correctly, they only require ONE math course, College Algebra, and that's extremely appealing to me.  So Park is in the running now, probably #2, with KSU still being #1 and UF getting bumped down to #3. 

She also gave me a two-page list of websites to check out for grants and scholarships. She said they curated the list mainly with active duty military service members and spouses in mind, but that Department of Defense employees were eligible for some of them. I haven't really delved into it yet, but I will this week just to see if I can find myself even more free money!

In other news, I'm still pluckin' away at my self-study Algebra lessons, doing 2-3 of them each night. Last night I finished Lesson #35 of the the first module. Since there's two modules, with 120 lessons total, that puts me at 29% finished. (I just calculated that percentage using my newly acquired math skills. No, for real. I didn't know how to do that before.)

Some nights with it are better than others, that's for sure. Like, some of the lessons just come crazy easy to me, and I fly right through them. (It turns out that I'm really good at fractions... Who knew?)

Other lessons... Well. Not so much. On those occasions, there's typically a whole lot of cussing and screaming at my laptop. (No crying, though... yet.) Things like:

• "Why are you overcomplicating this?! The answer is 10, god dammit! Why do I have to do all these confusing extra shit?!"
• "I have no fucking clue what you're saying to me right now! Speak English, motherfucker!"
• "Why am I so stupid?! You know what? Fuck algebra. Nah, bro. Just FUCK Algebra."

No, really. These are actual things that have come out of my filthy mouth. (It turns out I'm really NOT good at solving equations and inequalities. Ugh.)

The struggle is so very real, ya'll.

But! The silver lining here is that eventually I do always master each and every lesson. I actually refuse to move on to the next lesson until I clear the current one with 100% accuracy. Granted, some of them I have to redo 3-4 times before I get it. Even then as I'm completing the skill assessment, I'm closing my eyes and holding my breath after I input each answer until I hear the DING! telling me that I got it right. But... I'm getting it.

Now if I'm retaining it on the long-term, that remains to be seen.

A New Leader Emerges

Some of you may have noticed the quick little Facebook post that I made earlier in the week, inquiring of my Atlanta area folks about a particular university.  After much research, I've decided to move the University of Florida down to #2 on my preferred university list. They've been bumped by a much lesser-known school...

Kennesaw State University, about 25 miles northwest of Atlanta, GA.  Reasons I've come to this decision?  Here we go!

• Degree:  They offer a completely online Bachelor of Science in Psychology program, without the transfer requisites that UF has.  (They still require those classes, but I can take them there once I've transferred.)
• Cost:  KSU's online degree programs are waaaay more affordable than other schools.  $260 per credit hour, compared to UF's $552.  Hell, even in-state at USC would cost me $412 per credit hour.  So financially, KSU is pretty much unbeatable.
• Transfer Credits:  KSU has this amazing functionality on their website, the Transfer Articulation Search.  Basically, I put in my state and then the school I'll be transferring from.  And it gives me a list of every single class offered at TCL that will transfer seamlessly to KSU.  That shit is extremely helpful!  Now I know exactly what electives and such to take over the next two years, and can breathe easy in the knowledge that I'm not wasting my time or money.
• Location:  KSU is located not far from my Aunt Debby and Uncle Mark, who I adore.  So anytime I need to drive up to the campus (probably once a semester), I'll get to visit with them.
• Owls:  The mascot is an owl, ya'll!  I fucking love owls!  (This wasn't so much a factor in my decision as much as a sweet bonus that I'm pretty happy about.)

So that's the plan as it stands right now.  I realize that a lot could change over the next couple of years (or hell, even the next couple of weeks), but this is what I'm working with at the moment.  I feel really good about it, too!  I'm excited!

In other news, remember the Tax Transcript that I had to request from the IRS and have them mail to me?  Well, it arrived on Friday.  So on Monday, I'm going to ask my boss if I can dip out an hour early to head over to the Financial Aid office at the school, and turn it in along with the verification form that I also had to complete.

So with any luck, I'll be back here on Monday evening with an update on just how the hell I'm going to pay for all of this.  Because...

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Ya'll, guess what?!

I GET TO RETAKE THE ALGEBRA PORTION OF MY PLACEMENT TESTS.

I just spoke to the college and they said I can attempt the test up to three times in a one-year period.  The required wait-time between test attempts is only three business days.  So that means pretty much anytime before the Fall semester, I can retake the test and try to get a score high enough to make me exempt from those Beginning and Intermediate Algebra classes!  CAN YOU TELL THAT I AM VERY EXCITED?

So of course, this means I'm going to spend this summer studying my assssss off.  Money will be super tight for the next couple of paychecks, but I'm gonna do it: I'm purchasing the full version of that Learning Upgrade algebra study software tonight, since I completed the last of the demo lessons yesterday.  I am determined to chew through this high school level crap so that I can place into college-level algebra and not have to spend all that extra money and time getting myself up to speed.  I will ace that test next time, dammit!

Okay, true, but I still need to master that shit if I'm ever going to get through college.

In other news, the credit transferring stuff is making my head hurt.  I've been looking more and more at the transfer requirements for the University of Florida, and there's a few parts that cause me great concern.  I touched on this briefly in my last post, but now we're gonna get deep into it, ya'll.

Here's what it says on UF's website:

WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR COMPETITIVE TRANSFER APPLICANTS?
Competitive upper division applicants (students with 60 of more college credits earned) should have at a 2.75 overall GPA and all the below courses completed with at least a 2.75 GPA:
Required:

• Introduction to Statistics (STA 2023)

• General Psychology (PSY 2012) 

• Biological Science (BSC 2005/2009) or Biology I (BSC 2010)

• Pre-Calculus: Algebra and Trigonometry (MAC 1147) OR Pre-Calculus Algebra (MAC 1140) and Trigonometry (MAC 1114)

So what's the problem(s)?  Get comfortable, because this is gonna be wordy:

• Introduction to Statistics:  I can take it at TCL online.  No Problem.
• General Psychology:  I can take it at TCL online.  No problem.
• Biology: TCL offers it, but I've checked the Spring, Summer, and Fall terms just out of curiosity to see what scheduling is typically like.  It's not offered online, and it's not offered at night.  They only offer it as a class that meets twice a week on-campus during the day.  This, of course, does not work for me.  So unless something significantly changes over the next year or so, it's not going to be possible for me to obtain those credits before I'm ready to transfer.  Problem.
• Pre-Calculus/Algebra/Trigonometry:  I don't even entirely understand what they're asking for here.  Based on the UF course titles, it seems like their Pre-Calc, Algebra, and Trig can be taken in one combined class.  Or you can take Pre-Calc/Algebra and Trig as two separate classes.  However, at TCL, they offer College Algebra, College Trigonometry, and Elementary Calculus as THREE separate individual classes.  Do I need to take all three?  How do I find out what UF will take from my courses at TCL as transfer credit and how it will all translate?
  
  Furthermore, again based on my investigation of the current year's three semesters, Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus classes at TCL are, like Biology, only offered on-campus and during my workday.  So it's impossible for me to take those two classes prior to transferring anyhow.  In my application to UF, if I were to include a letter explaining this, and my intent to make obtaining credit for these courses my priority upon matriculating to UF (where they ARE offered online), would it make any difference?  I wonder if contacting Admissions at UF would do me any good, or if they would just tell me that they can't make that determination until I put in my transfer application in a couple of years?  Problem.

I know it probably seems super early to be so worried about this stuff, but I couldn't disagree more.  I'm not about wasting time and money on classes that won't transfer, or spending two years working on a program that won't facilitate a transfer to my preferred university.  As such, I feel like now is the precise time to be taking these things into consideration, so that I can build a course of study for the next two years that actually helps me to accomplish my goals.

And, you know, preferably not lose my fucking mind in the process.

Algebra Agonies

So this whole damn algebra thing has been bugging me.  The thought of paying $1,000+ and wasting two semesters on additional math classes (which won't even count towards my degree) just to get me up to par isn't sitting with me as well I thought it would, and especially in light of my recent discovery...

After my last blog post, my wonderful old chum Alaina messaged me with her sympathies over my math difficulties, and referred me to a website, Dyscalculia.org.  I went over the list of symptoms for the condition, and while I fervently related to some of them, others I did not at all.  But all of that aside, the most important thing about this website for me was the left side bar, where I wandered into the Algebra section.

The fun little screencap caught my attention, I can only assume because it looks like a video game and I am a child of the 80s, you know.  So I started exploring the Learning Upgrade programs, specifically for Pre-Algebra and Algebra.

Each one includes 120 lessons, and costs $50 for each module. It lets you demo the first eight lessons for free, though.

Ya'll... This shit is a goddamn revelation for real.  It's pretty hokey and cheesey as hell, but I don't even care. I have been working in the Pre-Algebra module, doing 3 lessons per night for the last two nights, and already I have mastered things that I had zero comprehension of during my placement tests on Thursday.  Hell, three days ago I couldn't even tell you what a coefficient is.  Now I know and understand so many terms and operations that I didn't understand before, and I've aced all six of the lessons I've completed.  Mind = Blown.

This silly little Learning Upgrade program absolutely works.  I'm kinda in shock at how well it's working for me, anyhow.  Progressing like this, I'll most definitely be ready for that Beginning Algebra class in the Fall.  Orrrrr (and I'm going to call on Monday and ask so wish me luck) hopefully they'll even let me re-take the Algebra portion of the placement testing before the semester starts, and if I do well enough maybe I can get out of taking Beginning and Intermediate Algebra completely!

Either way, I really want to continue working my way through both modules over the summer, but that means throwing down $100 bucks.  Do I think it's worth it?

Abso-fucking-lutely.  But do I have an extra $100 bucks just lying around for me to toss at this?

Nah, bro.  I'm gonna crunch some numbers and see if I can squeeze the money out of somewhere, at least half at a time ($50 for each module) but I'm not sure that I see it happening.  Which is a shame because I'm learning so much, which is damn near a miracle honestly.

There's also another big reason I would love to get out of those two remedial algebra semesters, if possible.  Currently my #1 choice of schools to transfer to after TCL is the University of Florida (go Gators!).  And I was reviewing the curriculum requirements for their Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree, and for some inexplicable reason, in addition to College Algebra and Statistics they also require Trigonometry and Precalculus.  So if I have to take those beg/int algebra classes (which, again, do NOT count towards my degree), plus four more... That's 6 damn semesters of math.  And that just makes me want to cry, ya'll.  Seriously.