"Back 2 School"

by Adam Sandler

Ohhhhhhh

Back to school

Back to school

To prove to Dad

That I'm not a fool

If you couldn't tell what the occasion was from the above title and song, I started back in school on Tuesday. I haven't been in school for over two years and even then I only went a semester and had taken a year off before that also. So anyway, it's been a while since I've been in school!

I chose the above "song" for the introduction because of the last little bit, "To prove to Dad that I'm not a fool." In as much as I want to LEARN and to have a degree I think a lot of the reason I went back to school is because I knew it was what was expected of me from my Dad. The day I called him to tell him I was going back to school I was expecting him to be excited and proud of me. Instead he very seriously stated, "Well it's about time. I knew you'd come to your senses sometime I'd just hoped it would happen sooner rather than later." That was pretty much the end of the conversation. And now here I am back in school.

I am only taking classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays which is really nice but because of that my classes go from 8AM to 6:15PM! It's pretty intense. I'm taking 14 credit hours this semester. These are the 5 classes I'm taking:

1: Strengthening Marriage and Family

2: The New Testament

3: Introduction to Family Processes

4: Principles of Statistics

5: Introduction to Interiors

My 1st class (Strengthening Marr and Fam) is good. The in-class stuff isn't all that great but the books are really (surprisingly) interesting (as I have never before found myself EVER wanting to read a text book, this is a new found thing for me). It is odd though because at BYU they have 2 marriage and family courses, one which is a religion course and one that is not. I am currently taking the one that is not considered a religion course however both of our texts for the course are based solely around "The Family: A Proclamation to the World."

My New Testament class is fine however I am dreading it because I hate being graded on how well I know my religion. The fact of the matter is that what I truly hate is being told that in some areas I really struggle to know all the details. I think that of the 3 religion courses that I've taken from BYU (Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and The New Testament) I will most definitely struggle the most with The New Testament. But the professor seems really good and I am hoping that I will learn a lot even if a perfect score is not something I will be likely to receive even with fervent studying.

I really enjoy my third class, Introduction to Family Processes. The professor seems cool and very to the point about things. He KNOWS (first hand) that ALL families have issues and he's not afraid to discuss them. He is quite cynical which I actually like. On the first day I made a comment about something and stated that I am a step-parent. He looked aghast and asked, "You married a divorced man??! Is it OKAY to marry a divorced man?" In a situation in which many people would've been terribly offended, I was excited that he was going to be a teacher that would not be afraid to dig into such issues.

I am hoping that I will do well in my statistics class. I took AP Stats as junior in high school and can honestly say that it was one of my top 2 favorite classes I took in high school. I did very well on it but I also enjoyed the class material in and of itself. I am hoping that this class will be a similar experience. In this class I have come to realize the truth behind my mom's old statement about how the kids on the front row get better grades. In a class of 900 sometimes it might be hard to get over looked or even distracted but I've realized that it is an entirely different experience to the people who sit on the front row. I've taken one class in this auditorium before and ALWAYS sat on the back row and if not, at least in the back 5 rows. This year I am front and center. Everything seems so much more interesting and I don't get distracted. I actually enjoy the classes! It's amazing! So, note to current and future college-goers: SIT ON THE FRONT ROW. I know it sounds totally nerdy, but it'll make all the difference. PLUS, there is so much more leg room and your backpack doesn't have to be crammed under your feet. SUCH COMFORT! It's truly amazing! ;)

My fifth and final class I am not so sure about. The professor seems to be a real stickler and I cannot decide yet if I really like her or really don't. She won't bend on anything and the class doesn't seem like it's going to be as fun-loving as I had hoped. I am really considering dropping it. Hmm...come to think of it maybe I should look it up right now and see if I'd still have enough hours...well I looked and I'm not so sure so I guess I'll hang onto it for now. The 15th is the last add-drop date with no penalty so I guess that's my deadline to decide. Mike wants me to drop it because he thinks it's just too much for me right now and because the professor is so...oh I don't know of any kind words to describe it so I won't. But I think the materials would be interesting to know! I like interior design. :)

Well I am doubting that anyone has even read to this point of the post because this is turning out more like a personal journal than a post for others to read, but thanks for sticking with me! :)