For spring semester I need to retake Business Law, unfortunately. I say unfortunately because I deal with business law all day at work and school is like my escape from work. I should have withdrawn from it five years ago instead of just failing it because now it is the one grade dragging down my damn overall GPA.
Sometimes I am still a bad student. . .
but first, let me say that I have no idea what people who claim the private sector is better than the public sector are thinking. Working in various areas of the private sector from a small town grocery store to a large company I've seen waste, inefficiency, and HUGE bureaucracy. Probably the most efficient no nonsense job I ever had was working for nearly minimum wage at a public library. And right now work is getting increasingly complicated and I'll be short staffed for at least a month and I have no idea how I am going to survive without overtime approval in the meantime. Not that I know how my school work would survive overtime, so either way I am preparing for hell in one area or another.
So, sometimes I am still a bad student. I had done well in blowing off a Friday bar night and Saturday beer fest with friends because I wanted to study and do homework, as much as I would have liked to have socialized. Despite the hermit behavior and the studying, I went to take an exam that I really wasn't as prepared for as I would have liked. I aced the first exam and wanted to do the same on the second but I knew that wasn't going to happen. So when I came in the proctor said "Just to let you know, today is not the last day to take the test like everyone thinks." I think my heart might have jumped out of my chest and somehow smacked me in the forehead, or maybe I suffered a mini stroke because the world seemed to go black for a second before I regained consciousness making out an articulate "HUH?" I asked if there had been a change. That's when the proctor pulled out the paperwork my professor signed. It was true! I had until 3/11! Still stunned I asked "Are you sure?" and the proctor assured me it was my professor's handwriting. I felt a mix of emotions, something like feeling foolish for asking so many doubting questions and another feeling of divine providence. In one second I computed all the possible reasons for extending the test deadline and figured it must be because of the massive power outages. Of course as I walked out I started to doubt the scenario and wonder if I had done the right thing. But I kept walking, left, ran errands, came home and logged into my class to reread the exam info. I hadn't misread it the first time. So I emailed the professor explaining what had happened and asking if the date had been extended or did I just take a zero?
But we're on spring break and the professor isn't going to answer for a week. So now I am ridiculously nervous, scrunching up my face causing premature lines and wrinkles (not to mention a huge stress headache). How badly do I want to kick my own ass? So bad.
I find that the more I learn about higher education the more issues I have with my grades. I receive an A and I have to consider whether or not my grade was inflated and whether or not I can compete with students at a more competitive school.
According to The Chronicle I should be able to expect more honesty from tenured professors who don't have to worry so much about student evaluations. But how do I know who are tenured? Should I email them before signing up for their classes saying, hey are you tenured? Would that be rude? It seems a bit personal. Of course I want good grades but I also want to actually learn. How can I make that happen without coming across as annoying/needy/jerky/crazy?
To make a bad week worse, diet soda has been linked with a huge increase in strokes. It doesn't mean they're CAUSED by diet soda but it's possible. Either way, how dare they tell me this, diet soda has been my new Vodka ever since going back to school.
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