First Day of Classes

Astronomy-MWF 9:00
So far, I like this class. I like my teacher, he seems to have an overall love of Astronomy (or Astrophysics, as he calls it). He even knows the guy who wrote our textbook, because they correspond via email. Some of the things he talks about go over my head a little bit, but I'm not too terribly concerned about it, because I think that it is mostly non-essential information. I don't really know anyone in my class, but I know that I'll make a few friends by the time it's all said and done.

College Algebra-MWF 10:00
I'm fairly certain that this class is simply a review of Algebra II. It isn't necessary for me to take this class, because I have a high enough ACT score that I could have skipped it and gone straight to Trigonometry. However, my advisor (who also teaches this class) suggested that I, as a Math major who wants to teach high school math, need to take this class as a review of Algebra concepts, because that will be the bulk of what I will teach. My teacher is stern, but I also think that she will be a good teacher, and I will learn a lot from her. She is a no-nonsense kind of person, who refuses to tolerate anything other than what she expects of us. Every day, she will assign homework, but it isn't the kind that we will turn in for a grade. Our only grades come from quizzes (they are only pop quizzes) and tests. She has strict policies about testing, but I think that they are also fair. This class should be interesting.

Plane Trigonometry-MWF 12:00
I have the same teacher for this class as my Algebra class, so much of what I said above applies to this class, also. My teacher/advisor told me when I enrolled that she thinks that I will be a strong enough student that I can easily handle being in two math classes in one semester. Also, because I am a math major, I have to take 5 math classes in four semesters, so it was easiest to double up with Algebra and Trig. I am excited about this class, because I LOVE Trig! (I am such a math nerd!) It truly is my favorite math class, followed by Algebra, then Geometry. (I haven't seen much Calculus...yet.) I also have some friends in this class who were in my high school Trig class, which makes me happy! Shane, Alex, and I made an agreement to help each other as needed, so everything should be just fine.

Astronomy Lab-Monday 1:30
The worst part about this class is that I have a feeling that I will be exhausted by this time every Monday. It is bad in the fact that most of our labs take place at the Observatory here on campus, and most of our lab time is spent with the lights turned down, with us sitting in nicely cushioned reclined chairs. It is comfortably cool in there, also. Yes, I may be prone to napping in this lab. Hopefully, I won't, but it could happen...Other than that, I am excited about it, because there is nothing I love more than looking at stars! I happened to make a friend in my lab, so maybe I will see her in class sometime :)

Freshman Orientation-Tuesday 8:30
I enjoyed this class very much, and I have a feeling that it will be fairly simple. My teacher is lots of fun, and I believe that I will have her for a Calculus teacher in the near future. I happen to already know three people in my class. They are Alex (Tevis's bff), Andy (Shane's roomie), and another guy named Matt who lives a few doors down from me. An interesting part of this course is the fact that we will be required to serve four hours of community service by the conclusion of our class. I think I know where I will do this, but I'm not for certain. We started the class by doing an icebreaker that helped us to get acquainted with our classmates by asking them random questions.
English Comp II-TTh 9:30
Like my Comp I class from last semester, I truly enjoy this class already. I have a different teacher, but I still enjoy the class. For this class, we don't even have a book, which I find interesting and would greatly appreciate if I didn't have my scholarship that paid for my books.  My professor is interesting, and I like his style of teaching (so far!). I am excited to see how my writing will develop as the semester progresses...I guess we'll have to see!

There are a few other things I have learned about living on campus. The first is that the cafeteria doesn't have very convenient hours, in my opinion. Breakfast is served from 7:30-8:30 for hot meals & 8:30-9:00 for cold meals, Lunch is served from 11:30-1:00, and Supper is served from 4:45 to 6:00. I am slightly appalled at the fact that our supper is so early, as I am used to eating around 6:30 or 7:00. I have a feeling that I will be needing a small mid-evening snack on most days. Another thing that I have learned is (I don't know if I have mentioned it yet) that the downstairs portion of my dorm is freakishly cold. I had to bring my Space Bag full of blankets back with me from home, so that I could have a way to stay warm downstairs.

I'm sure that there will be more random things I learn thorugh the year, but, overall, I am excited about school for the meantime!