Fall '12 check in

It's been a while since I've posted but only because I have been busy plugging away at my classes which have taken a giant leap from "do-able" to "OMG-this is freaking hard!". I completed my final algebra class during the summer in order to start the final leg of my pre- nursing journey. After a year of math, I am so excited but equally apprehensive about my first "real" pre-nursing class: chemistry.
Oh, and this is where it starts getting hard and extremely important. No pressure, right?

.... Fast forward 4 weeks later....

What in the hell was I thinking!? I've read and have been warned by many that some of the pre req's are actually harder than some of the nursing classes and that I will encounter MANY times where I am ready to give up and just say F--k this!! Well, I am having those days about once a week right now. Being such a competitive program of study, I can clearly see why and how some people are weeded out. I've never been the best at anything, no matter how hard I try, as long as I'm not the worst, I am OK with being average. So here I sit having "one of those days" where I'm questioning my likely hood of succeeding. One has to really want this in order to succeed and I am not lacking in that category but I am starting to realize 'the want' is not enough.
So as of right now I am less than 1 week from my chemistry midterm with my grade teetering between a C+ and a B-.

I may be crazy to think that I can actually do this but I definitely haven't come this far to quit so here goes everything I've worked so hard for along with a wish and a prayer....

This way to my future

I come to this intersection each time I drive to my school and these two signs have become significant to me. The blue sign with the 'H' and the green sign that reads 'E.C.C' which are both pointing in the same direction.

'E.C.C' is the community college I attend and the 'H' (for hospital) is where I hope to work some day. This signifies where I am currently going and where I want to end up, which are both in the same (and right) direction. In a way, it's a street sign for my life and gives me good thoughts every time I see it as a subtle reminder that I am going the right way. Sorry if this sounds cheesy :)

Spring '12 grades

Here is how I did this quarter:

Lifespan Psychology: C+
English 101: B, or B+?? I don't remember and the site is down for me to check     Algebra II: V

Ummm, what in the heck is a 'V'?? According to my transcript it's an 'instructor's withdrawl'. I guess it doesn't count against your GPA, but to me, it's a 'fail'. I am taking a different math course over the summer. It is an alternative to the final math class I need before I can take chem and bio. It's also online which may be even more beneficial because I will be able to view the lessons with my tutor right by my side. She is a tutor but more of a 'translator' as she translates math into english for me :)  This will be my only class this quarter because of financial aid which is a WHOLE OTHER story right now.


Before I go, I want to post a pic that I took a couple months ago...

Look closely at these two signs. To anyone else they are just typical street signs but to me they signify so much more..... Which I will blog about later!

Reminder for post later on- CNA class, spring '12 quarter finals

Much too tired and much too much to write about right now but for a quick overview:
- I began a weekend NAC/CNA certification training class that runs 6/2/12- 7/15/12 (my birthday:)  ). My goal is to be state and OBRA certified this summer.
- Spring '12 quarter is coming to an end. Overall the quarter went well but could have been much better (I will explain later).
-looking forward to a MUCH NEEDED summer break- as of right now, I am still undecided as to whether or not I will be taking summer quarter off. Long story....

Financial Aid 2012-2013

I really hate that financial aid is the main topic of the majority of my posts but for future references it's important to document. Here is the latest scoop....
I am always on-top of my financial aid and turning in everything weeks or even months before they are due. I check the web portal daily and sometimes multiple times per day. If there is ever an issue, I like to get it figured out as soon as possible. I thought I had seen it all until this:

-STD HAS 24.5 TO MAX, REQUESTING 60. CAN APPEAL.

REALLY? First of all, do they really need to refer to me as "STD"? OK, I'm kidding. But really, after filing for my aid request for the upcoming school year, I got this. Basically this means I am requesting more aid than I am allowed. This can be pretty confusing. I understand it, but I don't know how well I can translate it into words so bare with me.

Financial aid awards the amount of credits that are required for each degree. This does not take into account any additional pre req's, or in my case, pre req's to the pre req's so many students need to appeal their credits meaning they need additional credits to complete their degree. This is actually quite common and the need to appeal credits can be required multiple times. In my case, I needed 3 math classes before I could take Chemistry. After chemistry I can take the 4 required Biology courses to apply for the Nursing Program at my school. I had other pre req's to take but was able to do so over the course of the last year. Now the only pre req's I have are chem and the bio series. These courses must be done consecutively meaning none of them can be take at the same time. So that is 5 more quarters before I even start my major. I was well aware that my 1 year of pre req's would actually take 2 years but my problem is that I have run out of credits. They awarded me 32.5 credits for the '12-'13 school year so as long as I am enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits I will receive my aid, most importantly, my student loans.
Due to scheduling conflicts I will be taking summer '12 off, unless I need to repeat MATH082 but I'm praying to GOD that I won't have to! Taking a quarter off is not in my plan but it is what it is. There is some good news though, I may be able to take chem concurrently with my first quarter of bio. I know this doesn't seem like much but traditionally chem is a pre req to bio so taking them together is one whole quarter closer to entering the nursing program!
This quarter also marks one year on my journey and I have completed almost half my nursing pre req's and I 'only' have the science courses left. My remaining courses will be challenging and it is crucial that I do VERY well since acceptance into the nursing program is extremely competitive. I am excited but just as nervous for the next phase!     

Spring 2012

Yesterday was the start of week 3 for Spring quarter 2012. I am taking Math 082 (algebra 2), psych 200, and Eng 101. Math is my only on-campus class this quarter. I love the flexibility of online classes and I know I have said this before but online classes are NOT necessarily easy. This round of psychology will be very exciting as we will study the lifespan of human psychology from birth to death. I have had this instructor before so I know what she expects. As for math? My first two courses were taught by the same teacher. This quarter (the last one I need) is by a different instructor. So far, I really like the class. I will no doubt, be spending a lot of time with my tutor in order to pass but I am confident that I will. Lastly, my english class has been one of my favorites to date. We do a lot of writing and I have really enjoyed the required reading. None of my classes this quarter are 'easy' but my positive outlook and thorough enjoyment are certain to contribute to my success. As for summer and fall quarter? My schedule requirements are suggesting that I may have this summer off. I am in such a hurry to accomplish my educational goals that I am not sure if I like the idea of having the summer off or not. Once my math courses are complete I 'only' have 5 quarters to go before entering the nursing program.

Winter '12 final grades

I only had two courses this quarter; Principles of Pharmacology and Algebra I. I did very well in pharm maintaining an A- all quarter. But I failed MISERABLY on the final. This dropped my grade to a C or C+. UGH, SO bummed. Algebra, I needed at least a C to pass and did very poorly on the tests but I worked round the clock with a tutor and pulled my failing grade up to a passing C by getting 100% on the last test and 82% on the final. Needless to say, this has been my worse quarter yet and my GPA will suffer undoubtedly. I will not let it get me down though. I will move on full force. I am very proud that I passed algebra and maybe my concentration there affected my pharm course. Neither of these are major pre req's for nursing so it won't have detrimental affects on my course of study. Just my ego :(    That's enough talking about it, time to move on and do better next time!!

Winter quarter 2012

Final fall 2011 grades:
Prealgebra: C- (Grrrrr.)
Sociology: B-
Interpersonal Communications: B
GPA: not sure, too tired to check right now. Somewhere around 3.2ish?

Am I really about to start my 4th quarter of college? Never thought I would say this but WOW, it has gone by fast! Here is a quick recap of fall 2011:

I failed prealgebra.... I got a C-. I know this isn't a "failure" per se, but a minimum of at least a "C" is required in order to move on to algebra I. Did I mention that I hate math? I do. I really really do. Worst part is math isn't even required for my major. It's required as a prereq to chemistry but not for nursing. (Meaning if I would have taken chemistry in high school within the last 5 years, I would not be taking math at all right now). Once chem is done, I have 4 quarters of biology before entering the nursing program!

Since I "failed" math I would normally need to repeat the course but luckily I had one more shot on the placement test (you get 2 chances every few years). I knew it was a long shot but since I had just take the prealgebra course AND since they allow calculators on the placement test (but not in the course!) AND since it was multiple choice, I knew I had a fighting chance at placing into Math081 (algebra I). I was SO nervous but I took the test and sure enough I was placed into math081! I am ECSTATIC that I won't be retaking prealgebra! I would have been so bummed to have been set back an entire quarter and I would have needed to redo my entire timeline. I know I am not out of the woods yet as I have many more quarters for something else to go wrong. So, Lots of studying, hard work and perseverance is all I can do to get me through it- one quarter at a time!

Winter 2012 schedule:
Algebra I (wahoo!)- prereq to alg. II which is a prereq to chem.
English 101- nursing prereq
Principles of Pharmacology- not a prereq, but a health credit beneficial to nursing (and to make my schedule 'full-time')