Telling It Like It Is» Education

Fridge Locker Locks Food in the Locker Sized Fridge from Refrig-A Raiders

Lin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:30:40 +0000

Heard of the Fridge Locker yet? The Fridge Locker helps protect your food from “Refrig-A Raiders” at work, college and home, with the Original Personal Food Security System, The Fridge Locker. Have you ever taken your lunch to work and when it came time to go to lunch, you discovered someone swiped your food?

College roommates, friends, family and coworkers often complain about people stealing their food, drinks, snacks (and beer) without asking, but if they had the locker sized Fridge Locker, food thieves would think twice. There is no need to keep hiding snacks from friends or family anymore…, and “do not touch” signs rarely work, this portable security food locker solves your problem.

The Fridge Locker is a great gift idea for college students, dorm roommates, yourself, or anyone else on your gift list who has tried in vain to keep food raiders (people who can’t be trusted to keep their paws off your food) from emptying your fridge, freezer or pantry shelves. It’s also a great idea for parents trying to get their kids to eat healthy but have trouble keeping their kids out of the treats and snacks before dinner – be sure to choose a lock combination your kids and their friends won’t easily guess.

The Anti Theft Lunch Bags just might be enough to keep food thieves and bullies from stealing your child’s school lunch bag or lunch box, but the Fridge Locker deals with food thieves even better.

“We all know the feeling… You’re hungry for the delicious snack and the refreshing beverage that are waiting for you in the fridge. But when you open the door the shelves are empty… Keep your food safe from “Refrig-A Raiders” at home, your dorm or the office with the Original Personal Food Security System, The Fridge Locker.”

Chromed metal combination lock, set any combination you choose!

Door opens & becomes a shelf.

High density polyurethane walls.

Portable, take anywhere!

The Fridge Locker is available at PerpetualKid.com and is a simple and easy device to use. Consisting of a metal cage, measuring 7.5-inches wide by 7.5-inches tall by 11-inches deep, the Fridge Locker is secured with a combination lock that you choose. The food security system is small enough to fit in a fridge, freezer or pantry. Keep in mind that once the Fridge Locker is installed in the home, office or college dorm refrigerator, food thieves might not be too pleased that your tasty food and snacks are no longer easy pickings.

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Multiple Intelligences – Understanding Different Types of Learning Styles

Lin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:00:02 +0000

Multiple Intelligences. No, I’m not talking about life-forms outside of Earth; I’m talking about the numerous ways that we, humans, learn new things by our different learning styles. I’ve only had 2 days of classes, and my Critical Thinking class feels more like a really fun Psychology class than anything else. I love psychology so, when it’s brought up in class, I get really excited.

We’re in our second week of school (out of 8 weeks) and we just read a chapter in the book that talks about Multiple Intelligences. There are 8 forms of dominant intelligences, 3 learning styles, and 8 personality styles – all which makes up the theory of Multiple Intelligences.

In 1983, Howard Gardner introduced the Multiple Intelligence Theory “as a model of intelligence that differentiates intelligence into various specific (primarily sensory) modalities, rather than seeing it as dominated by a single general ability.” (Wikipedia)

Here are the 8 Dominant Intelligences and what they each mean:

Visual/spatial- Picture smart- Thinks in pictures; Knows where things are in the house; loves to create images with pictures.

Verbal/Linguistic- Word smart- Communicates well through language; likes to write; good at spelling; great storyteller and loves to read.

Musical/Rhythm- Music smart- Loves to sing, hum and whistle; responds to music immediately; performs music

Logical/Mathematical- Number smart- Can easily conceptualize and reason; uses logic; good problem solving skills; loves math and science.

Body/Kinesthetic- Body smart- Learns through body sensations; moves around a lot; enjoys working with hands; some athletic ability

Interpersonal- People smart- Loves to communicate with people; great leadership skills; lots of friends; does extracurricular activities

Intrapersonal- Self smart- Deep awareness of own feelings; very reflective; requires time to be alone; no group activities

Naturalistic- Environment smart- Interest in environment and nature; recognizes plants, animals, rocks and cloud formations; may like camping, hiking and fishing.

There are various tests available to see what your Dominant Intelligence is, and how the others rank as well. My weakest happens to be verbal and then it’s Naturalistic; the others seem to be quite well-developed as I scored quite close in the rest of them despite having my strongest being Body/Kinesthetic.

The part that I found completely and truly fascinating was when it came to the 3 Learning Styles. Although the descriptions sound kind of like the 8 Dominant Intelligences, there is a difference.

So here are the 3 learning styles:

Visual Learning Style- Thinks in pictures; enjoys visual instructions and demonstrations; would rather read a text than listen to a lecture; avid note-taker; needs visual reference; likes charts and graphs.

Auditory Learning Style- Prefers verbal instructions; would rather listen than read; often tapes lectures; recites information out loud; enjoys talking and discussing issues and verbal stimuli; talks out problems.

Kinesthetic/Tactile Learning Style- Prefers a “hands-on” approach to learning; likes to take notes and uses a lot of scratch paper; learns best by “doing”; learns by moving; doesn’t concentrate well when sitting and reading.

The funny thing with the 3 Learning Styles for me is that I learn things by physically doing them, instead of watching someone else, but I also have a strong Visual Learning Style. I can’t sit in a class all day where the teacher is doing the lecture, I have to stay in my seat, and am expected to listen and understand what the teacher is saying. I have to move!

I can’t sit still for very long, and it can definitely be hard for me to concentrate when I’m just sitting down. I’m not exactly “easily distracted”, I just have to be doing something. So it’s quite interesting to see how these Learning Styles are incorporated into whom I am and how I learn, without me even realizing it.

I’m sure everyone knows about the 8 personality types (introvert, extrovert etc.). It’s also very important to see how your personality type either hinders or boosts your learning. It’s also important for teachers to know how each child/adult learns if they expect every child/adult in the classroom to really understand and comprehend what he/she is talking about in class.

Virtually my entire Critical Thinking class is all Body/Kinesthetic learners, so we learn best by “doing”, rather than just listening or watching. It’s important for my professor to know this so she knows how to reach each kid so they all understand.

It’s also good to know these things because it can and will affect your various jobs. One of my classmates said that he’s a good listener and likes to listen, but has a very difficult time following directions. It doesn’t mean, “Well then obviously you’re not a good listener”, because they might be the best listener you’ve ever met; just don’t give him/her directions on something.

They asked the Professor if she knew anything about it, and she was totally stumped – no one had asked that kind of question before. They ran their own test at home using a video game (that uses a lot of puzzles and requires you to follow directions before proceeding) to see why they have such a hard time following directions. They tried following the directions by repeating what they were told to do, in their head.

Ultimately they couldn’t figure out what to do and got frustrated. So they tried the same thing, but this time repeating the directions to them, but out loud. Surprisingly enough, they were able to do what the directions had said and were able to finally proceed. So they learned that they have an Auditory Learning Style.

I’m a have a very strong visual learning style. Like I said earlier, I can’t sit in class that does lectures and be expected to know what the teacher talked about before leaving the class. When I was in high school, that’s very much how high school was like. My math teacher would stand in front of the class, and lecture all day. Needless to say, I wasn’t doing very well in that class. I transferred to the local Alternative school so I could speed up my learning, and graduate high school before I was due to give birth to my daughter. The alternative school has teachers, just no lectures.

It was purely, “Here’s your packet of work, there’s your book. Do the work. If you can’t figure out from the book, THEN come ask me.” This was quite surprising to me. I felt confused at first, but yet so relieved that I wouldn’t have to waste my time listening to guy try to explain math to me in a way I wasn’t going to understand anyways. There was my packet, there was book, and there was my sweet grade. I passed the math class from the alternative school with a good grade (though I don’t remember what exactly it was). The math class I’m in right now (in college) is very much the same way. The teacher is there if you can’t figure things out on your own, but she doesn’t stand in front of class and explain math to me in a virtually foreign language.

Applying all of this to how I absorb information from work, as a new hire is quite funny. I worked as a waitress for over a year at a Mexican restaurant. My trainer handed me the menu and said, “Learn this.” Ok, I know I need to learn the menu if I’m going to be serving the food to people, but can you show me what this food is supposed to look like, too? I can’t learn my job if I’m just reading what I’m supposed to do. If it’s a serving job I’m doing, you better show me the food and tell me what’s in it, before you start quizzing me on the menu. I need to see the way it’s presented, and see what these weird ingredients are for me to know, “Oh, ok, that’s what that is!”

I always knew that was the case (I had to see, to know) but I didn’t realize how important it was in EVERYTHING I do; not just simply a waitressing job. If it’s a technical job, you better let me do it while your explaining it to me; don’t just say, “Ok watch what I’m doing,” and expect me to follow.

All of this stuff is/can be very valuable information to everyone. If you have young kids that are toddlers, watch them; see how they’re learning. If you know how your child learns, then it’ll be so much easier to communicate with them. When they did something wrong, do they need you to SHOW them what they did, or do they just need you to TELL them what they did? If they’re young enough that you can influence their learning styles, then that’s even better! Help them excel in all 3 learning styles so no matter HOW someone teaches new things to them, they’ll always be able to understand it.

Guest post written and submitted by Heather P. If you’re on Twitter, you can follow Heather P, and engage with her and fellow Hush Hush fans and Twilight book fans.

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10 Mistakes College Students Make When Going to College

Lin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:00:03 +0000

If you have been to college, you likely have some regrets about things you wish you had done differently. If you are a current college student, there is so much you can learn from those who have come before you that could help you get the most value out of your college experience.

Whether choosing your major wisely, taking advantage of free programs for students, or networking with professionals who visit your campus, there are so many things that can give you an edge in a difficult economy. Below are ten common mistakes that college students make, and how you can avoid them and learn from the mistakes of others.

1. Many college students blindly choose a broad major because they have not decided what they want to do with their lives while others will opt for majors that have historically allowed people to find lucrative careers but aren’t the right fit for students. An example of this is the business degree, which continues to be popular but has lost prestige since the financial crisis. This doesn’t mean that students genuinely interested in business should shy away from the major; business-minded students must realize the broad scope of business curriculums, such as ones covered at MBA Online, before diving into the field of study. Simply doing a little research about a variety of majors, other than broad ones like business, can help most college students identify what it is that they they love to do and what can really lead to a career that is lucrative.

2. A second mistake that many college students make is not developing a relationship with their professors or taking advantage of office hours held by professors or their assistants. Office hours are offered by all professors and can help struggling students catch up, but can also help regular students excel and get the most out of their experience. Office hours can be very valuable, but they are a not top priority of many students.

3. College is fun, and having fun leads many students to select classes that are going to be easy and require little studying or test preparation. This can lead students into a vicious cycle of picking easy classes rather than challenging ones that will result in learning skills that make students marketable. Choosing a challenging and interesting schedule makes most students more marketable when searching for a career.

4. Colleges do a great job of exposing students to professionals and potential employers. However, many students do not take advantage of these opportunities and therefore, miss out on valuable opportunities. Whether it’s at career fairs or on campus interview opportunities, companies invest a lot of money and time into meeting potential employees on college campuses. By taking advantage of these opportunities, students may have an easier time finding a job upon graduation.

5. Every year, there is a lot of money that is left unused in the form of scholarships that were unclaimed. Many students do not do their due diligence in researching the money that may be available, and thus could lessen the financial burden of obtaining their degree. College students could potentially have hundreds of extra dollars in their pockets if they would just invest a little bit of time researching existing scholarships, applying, and collecting money for their educations.

6. Students often do not see their peers as a valuable part of their post-graduation network. There are many ways to leverage your peers, not just your superiors, to find a job, or get tips on how to interview successfully. If students would take advantage of their student network, they would likely have an easier time finding a job and would learn from each others’ mistakes in the job search process.

7. Many students believe that it is necessary to get a degree from a big name college rather than a community college near their home town. Often, employers do not care which institution is on your degree, but rather how you applied yourself when obtaining that degree. Therefore, if your budget only allows you to attend a community college while working or living at home with your parents, consider doing that if even for a couple of years before spending too much time and money at a large, and probably expensive, school.

8. Many students underestimate the value of making good grades in high school, and how that can affect the schools to which you can apply or what your college experience will entail. Therefore, start early focusing on making good grades and building a resume that will surely impress any potential admissions board or employer.

9. Many students go to college and end up spending time with people they already know rather than branching out and experiencing a diverse culture that most college campuses offer. By branching out and meeting new people, students can learn from the experiences of others and determine what qualities in others are important when seeking a career or trying to be successful in school. Branch out!

10. Many students trade in a life of valuable extra-curricular activities through which they could gain valuable leadership experience for a life of partying with their friends and being king on the social scene. There is definitely a time in college to be social and have fun, but there is also value in finding an activity in which you excel or that you enjoy, and thriving in it. Whether it is leading a bible study or other study group, holding a leadership position in your sorority or fraternity, or leading a student organization, employers will be looking for extra-curricular activities beyond hanging out with the local barkeep.

As you can see, there are lots of mistakes that most college students make that could cost them precious value in their degrees. By avoiding these mistakes, college students would be more successful and have a much better change at a lucrative career with a good company or firm.

Guest Article: Marina Salsbury planned on becoming a teacher since high school, but found her way instead into online writing after college. She currently writes on a variety of topics, but always seems to veer back to education-related articles.

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2012 New Year’s Resolutions Or Setting Attainable Goals

Lin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:00:54 +0000

We all know that once Christmas finishes, that’s when everyone starts thinking of their silly, quirky and even serious New Year’s Resolutions. They usually tend to be the same every year, since come February you gave up and quit, so a New Year means a new start to what you wanted Last Year.

For most women they tend to be about losing weight or even simply eating better. For men, I believe it tends to be more about quitting drinking if they tend to over-indulge. But whatever the case may be, I think we’re all guilty of not completing the year before’s resolution(s).

To keep things simple for myself, I decided I’m not going to set a New Year’s Resolution. Why should I tell myself, “I should do this…” or, “I should try that…” when I know that I’m going to completely forget about it fairly soon? I tend to set general goals for myself throughout a year that I know I can (and WILL) actually accomplish, instead of waiting till the beginning of a new year to say, “I’m going to do [this] this year”.

My boyfriend and I decided around November that we REALLY needed to get ourselves into college and pursue some type of career. Why should we wait for January to roll around to get ourselves started looking at colleges? It was something that desperately needed to be done, and now it’s been accomplished.

We’re both enrolled at DeVry University, with me pursuing an Associate’s Degree in Web Graphic Design, and him pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Networking. Although I’m nervous for school to start, because I don’t know 100% what to expect from college, I’m glad that we set a goal and actually did it, instead of starting to and then not actually doing it.

I know, maybe I should set my Resolution to be something like getting a 3.0+ GPA, or getting on the Dean’s list for sweet grades. That’s all good and dandy, but that’s just something to I’m going to strive for automatically. When I was a freshman in high school, for my first semester I got a 3.8GPA, so I know that I can easily get a 3.0 or even my old 3.8 GPA if I really wanted to. I had it then, so I can get it now.

Since I’m pregnant with my second child, maybe I should set something around being the best mom to two kids I could possibly be. Why, though? I KNOW I’m going to be the best mom to my two kids, so I’m not going to bother making it a New Year’s Resolution. Maybe I should set it for something a little more difficult like being a manager at a company? That might actually be reachable if I was currently working, or if someone would hire a 4 month pregnant woman. Maybe my boyfriend should set it as his New Year’s Resolution to be the manager at his job? That’s ALWAYS been his goal, so why should he make that his Resolution?

To me, Resolutions are just silly, something that typically goes in one ear and out the other. If you can set yourself a goal to something that’s going to be attainable, it should be attainable within 3-4 months. After that 4th or even 5th month, you entirely forgot that you even had a resolution, let alone remembering what it was that your goal was supposed to be. I wonder, though, who even began this tradition of setting goals that only 12% of the population actually succeed in?

Men tend to achieve their goals when they’re set in smaller chunks like losing a pound a week, instead of just general losing weight. Women tend to achieve their goals when they make it a public thing and have people backing them up and supporting them throughout the year to achieve said goal. So why don’t people publicize their short-term resolutions more-so than their obnoxious long-term resolutions? Maybe if people did that then the success rate would increase and the failure rate would decrease?

I’m not judging those people who actually put some serious thought into their Resolutions and actually do everything they can to achieve it. For those people who make silly resolutions with no desire to actually give it a shot, why even make a resolution to begin with? I think the idea behind making Resolutions are good and should be done all year, instead of just once a year. A whole year’s resolution should be to set small goals for you throughout the year, instead of just one massive goal that will fail within a couple months.

Maybe it’s just me and my own self determination to get things done (with a little encouragement from time to time) that I don’t see the need to set a New Year’s Resolution every single year, or maybe I just see no real need. Whatever the case may be, if you want to set a Resolution, by all means, go ahead. My only word of advice would be to just make sure it’s actually attainable in a short period of time instead of something that would be attainable next November or December.

Guest post written and submitted by Heather P. If you’re on Twitter, you can follow Heather P, and engage with her and fellow Hush Hush fans and Twilight book fans.

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Paying For College – College Financial Aid and Student Loans

Lin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:00:48 +0000

Figuring out Financial Aid is one of the scariest things that students get to look forward to when it comes to schools and colleges. Not only do you have to figure out what school/college you want to pursue your education at, but you also have to figure out how to pay for college.

When I was first introduced to Financial Aid and filling out my FAFSA I broke down and decided, “Neh. I’ll be ok.” My sister had tried talking to me about it and tried to make it less scary for me, but I still wasn’t getting it. I had waited for 2 years before I decided it was time to give it another shot.

Of course I went through the whole process of looking into schools and seeing what they had to offer, see what I wanted to go to college for and how much it costs per semester/credit hours. None of the “bigger name” schools had what I wanted, so I had to look elsewhere. DeVry was recommended to me by my sister’s documentary producer because of someone she knew who went there and loved it; so I checked it out.

When it came time to actually fill out the FAFSA for school, I was told that I needed my tax returns for 2010 to complete it. I tried to go online, myself, and fill it out but I kept getting confused about some of the questions (non-tax related) so I stopped and did something else. I went back to it and just answered it to the best that I possibly could.

The one thing that had confused me the most was that I knew that filling out the FAFSA was a free process, so it confused the heck out of me when I was asked to pay $80 to have someone look it over. I didn’t submit any money to have someone look over it, when I could just simply go to the school and have someone look it over with me; which is EXACTLY what I did.

When I had talked to my Financial Aid advisor about the $80 thing, he had asked me if I had gone to www.fafsa.GOV or if I went to www.fafsa.COM. I didn’t remember which site I had gone to, since both of them had the same questions and generally the same layout. Well, basically www.fafsa.COM is a scam website where you have to spend $80 to have someone look over your FAFSA application BEFORE IT GETS SUBMITTED. It’s a FREE SERVICE! So make sure you go to www.fafsa.GOV (the REAL, LEGIT website!)

Once we got that squared away and got my school code added to my FAFSA and submitted it, it was just a matter of waiting for the school to receive it and “package” my application with my Financial Aid to see how much exactly I would be given in grants and student loans compared to how much the actual cost of each semester was going to be.

What I thought was super cool was that DeVry has each new student complete an “entry counseling” quiz, which is basically just going over the different kinds of loans (there’s like 4), how long they give you to pay it all back and everything in between. There’s a lot of information to read in there (16 sections worth) but luckily it answers basically every question that you could possibly think of.

My Financial Aid adviser even went one step further and provided me with a website (www.finaid.org) that would help talk about Financial Aid in basic English so that way if I still didn’t understand what I was reading or ended up having a question later, I can always go to that website and see what they say.

www.Finaid.org discusses scholarships, loans, savings plans, military aid and even more options. They give tips on how to fill out the FAFSA online and how to maximize what you’ll get for financial aid, calculators on determining cost, savings, loan payments etc. They even have people available and on standby waiting to answer your questions should you need further assistance. I, myself, haven’t looked at everything on the website, but it’s nice to know that I have another resource to answer my questions instead of bugging my Financial Aid advisor constantly.

To new students like me, I don’t think there’s really anything MORE SCARY than Financial Aid, and fully understanding all of my options to be able to afford to go to school. Most people think that if you go to Big Name University like Columbia, or Texas Tech that your education is going to be more superior to that of a “specialty school” like Triton or DeVry.

Most people also start at a community college to get their prerequisites out of the way and then transfer to a huge university. I didn’t want to be one of those people who spent two years just learning about math, English and science before it actually got me anywhere. I wanted to learn what I had to learn; I wanted to get in and get out and start working on my career.

A “specialty school” doesn’t necessarily cost more than a community college or a University, a specialty school is there for people like me whose life is whizzing by and need to get an education as fast as possible to be able to provide for your family. Cost of college should be the main deciding factor for which school you go to, not which college will “look better on a resume” because ultimately it doesn’t matter what school you went to to get your education, what matters is what you do with the education you received.

So go to a school you can AFFORD to go to, and make sure you understand ALL of your Financial Aid options before you dive into a school and drop out, and then get stuck with some odd number of debts because you didn’t finish. Don’t let Financial Aid scare you, it’s meant to HELP you.

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Getting Into College After College Placement Exams

Lin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:00:21 +0000

After my rant of the ridiculousness of college placement exams, I can now say that I am officially a college student. It was a little easier than I expected it to be, since the hardest thing I had to do was study my butt off for the placement exam, and then actually pass it!

Getting enrolled into college, although is a step-by-step process, is actually quite simple – if you know what you want to study. I knew for a few months now that I wanted to go to school for Web Design (Web Graphic Design), so it was a matter of finding a school that would allow me to take online classes, and that even had the course I wanted to take.

I did some looking around at the big name colleges, like DePaul University and Columbia Chicago, but none of them had Web Design. They had Web Design as a Certificate course, but I wanted an actual DEGREE. So I had to keep looking. I looked at UIC, St. Xavier’s, Triton, DeVry and quite a few others. Although Triton had Web Graphic Design, the campus was too far away (if I needed to take onsite classes), so ultimately it left me with DeVry.

DeVry was recommended to me by my older sister’s documentary producer, who had a friend that graduated from there. I looked into it to see what courses they offered and whether online was an option, on top of where the closest campus would be. Luckily the campus is only a 30 minute drive south so, it’s close enough that if I needed to take onsite classes, I won’t have to wake up BEFORE the roosters just to make it to class on time. The next step was to request some information from the campus, and wait for someone to either call me or email me.

I don’t know how long exactly I waited for someone to contact me, (since I usually don’t answer numbers I don’t recognize) but once I decided to answer the phone to see who was bugging me, it was DeVry wanting to set up an appointment for me to come in and speak to an admissions advisor. I set up the appointment for the following week and was all jittery with excitement that I was actually doing what I’ve been telling myself to do. I had procrastinated on looking for a school to go to, for two years and with a little encouragement and motivation from my boyfriend, I was making it a reality.

We talked about Web Graphic Design (Associates Degree) and the possibility of just going straight to Multimedia Design and Development (Bachelor’s Degree for Web Graphic Design). If I just went straight for a Bachelor’s Degree I would be able to bypass a couple “prerequisite” classes, because they wouldn’t be necessary in getting a Bachelor’s Degree. Although it sounds like a good idea, I stuck with just getting an Associate’s Degree. Despite getting a Bachelor’s Degree being a good idea, I wanted to make sure I was spending my time doing something that I like. I mean, I like being able to make websites and stuff, but I just want to make sure that what I’m going to school for, is going to be what I think it is.

We discussed whether I wanted to do online classes, onsite classes, or both. I know that because of the fact that I have a 2 year old, I want to be able to do online classes so that way I can spend as much time with my daughter as I can and work around her, instead of the other way around. I can also do onsite classes at the same time, and only be at the campus once or twice a week, which is no big deal. I don’t want to spend all my time at the campus, and barely any time with my daughter. To make things a little more complicated, I’m pregnant again with child number two, so I don’t want to have to try to plan my pregnancy around school too. Luckily the semesters are short, so I can do onsite classes NOW, and when it gets closer to birth-time, I can switch to purely online classes no big deal.

What I didn’t know, was that for first year students, because they/we don’t know how to navigate the online class stuff yet, they require that the first semester be attended at the campus so that way they can teach us HOW to navigate the online stuff. Each semester is only 8 weeks long, so I’ll be done with my first semester at the end of February. Then once March comes along, I can switch to online classes for that semester and the next. It’ll give me time to adjust to having another baby in the house, and I won’t have to worry about taking time off school. I can still do what I have to do with the baby (and toddler) and be able to study at the same time, which is a huge plus.

Next was to talk to a financial aid representative and see what my options were for getting financial aid and figuring out how much I would be getting, compared to how much each semester costs. Lucky for me, the amount of financial aid I’ll be getting THIS semester is actually MORE than what I need, so I won’t have to pay for anything out of pocket (which is a huge relief). What’s really great about the people in the Student Services office is that everyone is really nice and extremely helpful in answering all my questions, since I’m totally incompetent when it comes to financial aid and that whole process. My financial aid advisor was able to break it all down for me in a way that I could understand what he was talking about and what I had to do to pay back whatever financial aid I had to pay back.

Next was to actually apply, take the placement test, and the ultimately get my schedule. My admissions rep kept telling me that he wished he could waive my application fee, but because I didn’t have previous college credits he wouldn’t be able to. Lucky me there was an engineering expo that happened 2 days prior and he was able to waive that application fee anyways! I studied for the placement test for a solid week and went unit by unit studying my butt off for the test! Ultimately I passed it my first shot with an almost perfect Reading Comprehension score, a perfect Writing score and high math scores for both Arithmetic and Algebra.

Determining my schedule was the best part of it all. I’m only signed up for 2 classes this semester (math and some other one) but I’ll get 7 credit hours right away for these 2 classes. What made my day that much better, was that I don’t have to keep up with the class – I can actually speed up and go BEYOND everyone else! Since the classes aren’t being lectured (which is my understanding) I can do my homework and quizzes online and then come in the next school day and take my test and then proceed to go even further.

If I finish my one math class before the 8 weeks are done, I can actually start the next math course no big deal! If I don’t finish it within the first set of 8 weeks, it doesn’t really matter since I didn’t sign up for 2 math classes. Once the next semester starts, I can just pick up where I left off and if I finish that one early, then SWEET!

I have my school Orientation on the 20th, and my first day of school starts January 2nd. As weird as it is for me to be back in school after 2 years, I know it’s the best thing I can do for myself and my family. So thanks Danny for helping to motivate me and keep me encouraged!

Guest post written and submitted by Heather P. If you’re on Twitter, you can follow Heather P, and engage with her and fellow Hush Hush fans and Twilight book fans.

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