Back to School

So I've started classes. And yes, it was *exactly* as scary as I thought it would be. I've forgotten how to go to school. Forgotten how to take notes, forgotten how to do the entire class experience.

I'm taking 2 courses. Biology 201 and Political Science 101 (American Government) The government class is self-study, so I just need to read the book and take tests. I hope to jam right through that class so I have it off my mind and can focus on Biology.

So for Biology, my schedule worked out that I had Lab before I ever had leture. I was surprised. I thought the lab would closely follow the lecture, but it is like taking a completely different course. The instructor is different, even. I'm taking Lab from Heidi Hawkins, and we used to climb with her and her husband, "long ago". Long enough ago that she didn't remember me, and I had to remind her.

I managed to be 5 minutes late for class. Way to go CJ, late for the first lab! Long story. I actually got to the college 1/2 hour before lab started, but the line in financial aid was about 4 miles long with all the secretaries out to lunch or something. I know, excuses excuses.

And I got roped into a group project. Our "project" for the semester is to do a simple experiment using the Scientific Method. We can do it on our own, or with a group. The table I was sitting at had 4 people, and I made the ...well, I wouldn't call it a "mistake", really...but it's ended up that we will probably do the project together. I think I'd probably prefer to do it on my own. We're going to be testing the assertion that Dreamfield's pasta does not spike blood sugar levels like regular pasta does. One of the people at my table kept trying to "modify" my experiment, so I finally said that this was the experiment I was doing, they could do it or not if they wanted. It looks like they want. Which is OK, really. I need to learn to do group projects. At least the paper we write is not a group thing...we all must write our own lab reports.

That's scary in and of itself. I've never written a lab report, and my writing skills are not what you'd call great. I made it into the Honor's English program at Graceland, simply on my ACT/SAT scores, but I've never had good luck in a College English class. All the instructors want me to see these deep meanings in boring stories, and I'm afraid the deep meanings they want me to see are simply not there. And I certainly can't write about them. I can't even manage to fake it well enough.

SO, I'm hoping that writing a lab report will be easier, since it's suppposedly based on fact. We'll see. For Tuesday's lab, I'm supposed to have the topic and hypothesis of my lab report done. Easy. I can do that. If I remember, I'll try and put up my assignmnets here.

Lab Lecture scared me to death. The instructor is wonderful. She's cute and funny and interesting. And so far the information is nothing I haven't had before in either high school biology, or in the bio100 I took at Graceland. BUT, when the instructor walks in and says "This is Biology 1. This is a class for Science majors. This is a hard class. This class has [something like] a 50% drop rate", someone who hasn't gone to school for almost a decade has a heart attack. That would be me. Heart attack.

Anyway, I'm stuck now. Bought my $250 worth of books, and took them out of their wrappers, so they're non-refundable.