Sept 1 is drawing near

I'm knee-deep in articles for capstone. I still have no idea which direction my paper will run, but I need to figure it out soon since abstracts are due in a month. If I'm going to present at the conference, everything needs to be wrapped up and finalized in about 8 weeks. Four pages a week won't be bad to pump out, but still... I need to have a some sort of basis.

Applications are available on Sept 1. I am in the process of drafting my personal statement. I'm excited to get this next step underway. Closer and closer to law school....

I got the syllabus for American Corrections. Seems straightforward enough; much like the syllabus for criminology. Reading, assignment, quiz. I should be able to pull an "easy" A (not that the course is easy, just that the format is.)

First Run

Well, having been to all of my classes at least once so far (not bad for day 2), it looks like this semester will be interesting, to say the least. It's a huge help that I know someone in every single class; in one class alone I'm in there with 4 people I have taken classes with before. I love that about UPB. I remember going to classes at the school that I transferred from (a looong time ago) and having class in an auditorium with 200 other people. I'll definitely miss my tiny 30-person classes.

I ended up getting the unabridged audiobook for Uncle Tom's Cabin, which I listen to while I read the book. It makes the "gullah" dialect SO much easier to understand and read.

Constitutional Law class has a great new adjunct who is just hilarious. Definitely makes the class livelier, and since there are 8 or 9 aspiring attorneys in class, he is running it like Law School Light. We're writing case notes, discussing issues, doing a load of reading, and arguing a case in front of a mock Supreme Court (where everyone has a role!)

Two of my classes have group projects, which are okay, but gives me a fair amount of anxiety that everyone isn't going to pull their weight and the others have to suffer for it grade-wise. I'm hopeful that my group people will want to get an A on the projects at hand.

So far, my snooziest class is World Regional Geography, but I've only had one class. I've started the term project assignment, so I'm 1/10th the way finished with that.

On the homefront, I have plans for spring break, mostly involving visiting Widener Law and Dickenson Law, then spending a couple of days in DC hitting museums with Nanne (and maybe another law school. ssh.)

Another term bites the dust!

Grades are all in and I still made the Dean's List, and my overall GPA is still in honors. Not too bad for missing almost 3 weeks of class thanks to the flu.

I emailed my professors regarding next term's booklists; I'm getting a head start on the reading with Uncle Tom's Cabin for Civil War and Reconstruction.

Definitely on my January buying list is a microcassette recorder. My carpal tunnel is killing me of late.

Winding Down...

The last week of classes is always a whirlwind of (usually) hurried activity, for nearly everyone I know. In addition to "regular" coursework, I'm wrapping up papers, getting essays written and memorized for 18th C., figuring out my presentation in Criminal Law, and trying to absorb the information that I learned from Leadership Training Day.

I'm currently listening to Motivational Monday (once again, part of the Society of Leadership and Success... and yes, I am fully away it happens to be Tuesday).

Dr. Thomas is away in Germany for the rest of the week (Godspeed!) and that means we don't have class for the rest of the week. This works out for me in a great way, since I can finish up my extra credit paper for his class.

I have a schedule for the week, and will be busting my hind end to get it all finished and read and studied for. If anyone else out there is struggling, my best advice would be to make a schedule you can adhere to, put in some time to blow off stress (snow angels anyone?) and forge ahead! The semester is almost over!!!

Breathing Room...

It's Thanksgiving, which is good. Three days off of class is always good.

I'm not big on turkey, and the kids are not spending this holiday with me, so I'm hanging out writing papers. Well, writing *a* paper, and doing some research on an extra credit paper for 18th Century, since I have a B in there, and I really need to pull an A. Kind of difficult to explain to law school admissions why you can't seem to pull an A in a freshman-level class.

I am also considering pushing back my graduation date to spring of 2011, since I won't be taking summer classes, as I had originally planned. Overall, I just need to have some time to think out a plan... but not this break. Maybe after finals. Well, I have much reading to get done for my criminal law paper.

Enjoy the holiday!

And so it goes...

We are full-on in the swing of it. I'm still attempting to get caught up with my reading after having had 2 weeks of the flu (ick). I'm midway into the first round of tests; already had one in International Relations and in Law & the Courts... I don't have grades on either, so I'm a bit anxious to see how they turned out. This coming week, I have a test in Drugs & Society, then the following week, in Criminal Law. I know I'll be having a test in 18th C, since we got essay questions already (oh my).

I'm not going to go into the papers. There are a few of them. I'm already working on them. I should be in the library right now, but it's my weekend with the kids.

It is Alumni and Family weekend, so we might stop in to check that out. Maybe. I might decide to read instead.

It is also almost time to register for spring classes again. I hate the balancing of trying to make sure that class times don't overlap and making sure I'm home in time to get the kids off of the bus, and making sure classes don't start until they're at school. It's a narrow window... doesn't sound like it, but it is. Nothing before 9 am, nothing after 3 pm... and preferably no more than 1 night class a semester... though, that usually runs into 2 night classes.

I love the fact that we have adjunct professors who take time out of their real life to teach college students. How lucky is it that I have a district attorney teaching me criminal law and a judge teaching me law & the courts? It's flipping awesome.. I just wish I didn't have to get a sitter twice a week.

Okay, I'm off. Going to listen to Dr. Soriano's class lecture from this past week.

In the Swing of It....

Wow... this semester is in full swing already. I have papers in every class but one, and I've already started preliminary research on three of them.

So far.. I'm loving 18th C. Europe with Dr. Thomas the best. The man is just so dynamic, it makes your head spin.. in a good way. "Think, people!"

That's all I've got for now. Criminal Law tonight... need to read up.

And so.. it begins

I had my first two classes today... 18th C. and International Affairs. Needless to say, I have quite a lot of reading to do tonight in order to prep for Wednesday (and an article summary and opinion.)

If today is indicative of the rest of the semester, I don't think I'll be sleeping very often at all.

Fall Semester Starts TOMORROW!

I'm really glad my classes are spaced pretty well throughout the week, though, I can't say I'm very thrilled to have to go to two night classes again this semester. Not bad now.. but come winter, it's going to suck, because my mom comes over from Smethport to watch the kids, and she hates driving in the snow. Needless to say... I should probably buy her studded tires.

What is on this semester's menu? Lets see:

Europe in the 18th Century
International Politics
Early American History
Criminal Law and Procedure
Drugs & Society w/ Lab
Tennis

There you have it. Schedule wise, other than night classes, it's a dream. In at 9 am, out by 2:30 pm. Couple of hours inbetween to study in the library or by a fireplace (not telling where, because then you'll know where my secret study spot is)....

Pre-Vacation Blitz

Do you know that sheer, abject panic that you have before you people come stay at your house? Like you somehow think that they're going to lay on the floor and look under your baseboards to make sure that you've vacuumed under there? That's what I have going on today. I have irrational cleaning issues, I suppose. I actually thought about recaulking my shower because the caulk that is there just doesn't look white enough.

And on Thursday, we leave to go camping. We won't be at Cayuga Lake as originally planned (had a little fiasco trying to make changes to the reservation, which got scooped up in the interim), so I'll be on the shores of Lake Ontario, between Buffalo and Rochester. This might mean that we spend a day at the Niagara Falls State Park, hiking about and whatnot. Either way, it'll be fun. I'm so looking forward to a break!

This is my last week of my Criminology class. My internship is so much fun, but I'm always exhausted by the end of the day. It's not physical by any means (unless you count all of the stairs we go up and down every day), but it can be emotionally draining with the amount of information we go through. I'm currently working on a research project dealing with the juvenile justice system in Pennsylvania, since so many changes are being made to the way things are done here, especially in the aftermath of the Luzerne County cases. I love it though. It's a great group of people to work with, and now there's another intern (who also attends UPB) so I get to discuss things with him as well.

Well, I'm off to mop floors, do laundry, and organize equipment!

Sunday Morning Lazy

I have six more chapters to cover in Criminology (four of which will be wrapped up today, thank you very much.) It is currently raining after a week of gorgeous weather (with a thunderstorm thrown in here and there), and I still haven't mowed my lawn. Given the weather forecast for the next few days, it doesn't look like it'll get mowed at all.

I now have no idea if I'm going camping this weekend, as I had a big, wicked argument with the boyfriend, and we are pretty much no longer together... but we're working on it and might salvage our relationship. Overnight, though, it's like I lost my best friend. That just sucks. If we don't get back together, I'm still taking the weekend off and driving to my friend's house outside of Baltimore, MD (a 5.5 hour drive) and maybe hitting some museums in DC for the holiday. Fireworks on the Mall might be in order.

Slowing down...

So, how sweet is it that I have only two weeks left of class? VERY! The shop is in full-swing, I have a giveaway contest running (if you knit, check out http://raffle.pigmintyarns.com), my work at the District Attorney's office is going swimmingly (legal research is somewhat daunting at first, but once you get the hang of where to find things, it's all good.)

Next week, I'm off for a camping trip in the NY Fingerlakes region (Cayuga Lake, to be specific). It's only a three-hour drive to where I'm going, and that's because of the scenic route I take (I could pop on I-86 and head to Corning then up through Watkins Glen and whatnot if I wanted to make it faster.) The boyfriend and I are going to hike around the Montezuma Wildlife Preserve and we will likely explore the Fingerlakes wine trail as well. I'm SO excited to have a break!

*Yawn*

I do not recommend waiting until the last day to get a week's worth of summer course stuff done.

Really.

I've been busy with the shop and with battling the plague.

Finally... one down, two to go!

Intro to Criminal Justice is done (I think I got an A), and today starts Criminology. I emailed Professor Meyers to see what the book was, so I could rent it through Chegg.com. I've contracted some sort of head cold, which is migrating to my lungs, so I'm just happy I don't have to actually attend a class in person this week. Web classes rock!

I've been ordering inventory for the shop, which will be debuting online soon. I've decided to incorporate a monthly giveaway not only to generate buzz for the online version of the store, but also to get a solid marketing list to work with. I might look into the Entrepreneur Club at UPB to see if I can get some good marketing or other business strategy ideas, since every little thing to generate some sort of income helps.

For now though.. it's time to take a nap. I was going to do extra credit for environmental science (I have an 87 average in there, which I guess is pretty good)... I'm just more interested in sleeping and getting well again.

Summer

And here you thought summer was for kicking back and lounging around. Well, it is, but not so much when you take summer courses. There's nothing quite like cramming in 16 weeks or so of class into 4 or 6 weeks, depending on which courses you take. This summer, I'm taking Intro to Criminal Justice (which ends next week!), Intro to Environmental Science, and Criminology. I figure that summer is a good time to work on my minor (criminal justice) while fulfilling the general ed requirements of matriculation.

Since I'll be a junior at the beginning of July, so I need to start thinking about when I'm going to take the LSAT, the law school entrance exam. October seems like a good bet, but I'm almost maxed out on credits this fall, so I'm hoping I'll have time to prepare for them.

Well, back to the books. I have an env sci test Friday night.