Catch-Up, Changes, and Plans

Hello, fellow visitors to the Internet. This is another one of those "sorry I haven't written in a bit of time, life got the better of me" posts. Here's what happened, long story short. After the first week of the semester, I wasn't feeling too sure about one of my classes. I kept thinking that I could make it work, that it wasn't a big deal, that I was nervous about it for nothing. But then we got the syllabus (3 classes into the course) and I saw what I was facing and I realized it just wasn't for me... So, on the final day of the Add deadline, I switched classes.

In doing so, I created a lot of work for myself. I was three classes behind in my new class (Astronomy), had extra textbooks to buy and read, classes to make-up, material to understand. Now, three weeks into the semester, I feel settled into my new class, and I'm glad I made the switch. However, if you've been following my blog, you'll know that this is a bit of a déjà vu experience, as I did this same thing last semester. I thought I had a good schedule and class load figured out, until I realized one of my classes wasn't my cup of tea, switched to something else, and had to face all the catch-up work that came along with it.

This semester's course swap was a bit more complicated for me, as it involved my major. I don't want to get into it too much, but let's just say I finally had a heaping dose of those typical collegiate "I don't know what I want to do with my life" thoughts. I'm still re-evaluating my goals and plans for the rest of college and beyond, so I do think this experience was good for me, but as far as switching courses two or three classes into the semester, that's something I'd like to avoid in the future. I don't know if I need to just plan my schedule more carefully... or if I need to sign up for more courses than I'm going to take with the option to drop one that doesn't feel right (something that was suggested to me by a CU alum). I'm sure I'll figure out a strategy - and a schedule - when the time comes for course registration in the Spring.

Overall, this little absence from blogging represents quite the learning opportunity for me. I do plan on writing on here more, as there's lots to talk about with the semester in full swing, the summer drawing ever closer, and the general experience of life here in beautiful Boulder.

Cheers :)

This blog is sponsored by the CU Book Store.

Hello 2010!

Well, 2009 has drawn to a close. Amidst a lot of chatter with friends about resolutions and reflections, I have found that it's hard for me to comprehend how my life has changed since the beginning of 2009. This year feels long in hindsight... Last January, I was still dealing with college admissions! I think I had all my applications in, but I was getting acceptance letters, filling out scholarship applications, and stressing about where I was going to choose to go to school. That seems so long ago, in many ways. 2009 felt like it was a big deal because it brought the start of college. I've been thinking lately about what that has meant for me. In some ways, college has changed my life a lot. I already feel like I'm thinking about certain subjects differently due to my classes. I feel settled into CU, a part of the whole *collegiate* system. I feel ready to tackle a second semester. Along these lines, though, I admit, January 2009 is going to look a lot like January 2010. I'm still in Boulder. I'll be heading back to classes after a nice relaxing winter break, simultaneously dreading and welcoming the change of pace and reintroduction of a schedule, just as I do every year.

On top of all these similarities and differences, there's the fact that THIS New Year's is a big deal. The end of a decade - only the second decade change I've lived through - is worth noticing. On Twitter, a site I use a lot, people have been making comments with the tag "10 years ago," explaining where they remember being in their lives at the beginning of this millennium. I don't remember very much that specifically. I would have been 8 years old, in fourth grade (if I did my math right), and attempting to understand the whole "Y2K" thing. College was a distant thing - something I knew I'd get to in my life, but never spent any time thinking about. It's funny to think about the passage of so much time. After all, the hours and days slip by easily when we're not looking, but then we hit a landmark like 2010 and notice just how far we've come from the last time we stopped and reflected. I have some new plans for this blog for my second semester that I'll be describing soon, but for now, I wish you a very Happy New Year.

Cheers :)


This blog is sponsored by the CU Book Store.