Finals week started yesterday, and 2 of my four finals were scheduled for yesterday. I definitely wouldn't have taken them on the first day of finals if I had the choice, so it's probably a good thing. It's nice to have them - both of my audiology classes - out of the way.
The only grade I have back so far is the lab portion of audiology 1, and I got an 85% on that. I'm not sure how I messed up the things I did, because it's just a matter of following procedure, but whatever. It's a lot better than last semester.
The two finals I have left are speech (which I can take in the testing center anytime) and family history (a take-home final due Tuesday afternoon). I'd like to get the speech final out of the way before tackling family history, so I'm working on studying for that one now.
Family history is, surprisingly, the class I'm finishing the worst in. If I were to do the class again, I would visit the TA for office hours every week to keep me on track with my research and assignments. I got way distracted pursuing a couple research questions, and then I got busy with other classes and dropped the ball completely on getting anything done for this class. I really do think that the class would be better (for me, at least) with one hour of lecture and one lab hour per week instead of just the single lecture hour, as it is now. Then we could have a little more hands-on research guidance with the professor and TA in our individual families that we research. My family was at all the wrong places at all the wrong times to avoid documentation, it seems. I hope that the final itself - a case study - won't be too difficult, but I haven't started any work on it yet.
I'm kind of stressed when I think about graduation plans for this coming week. People have a lot of different opinions about what they would prefer to participate in, and everybody's willing to do whatever we decide on, so making decisions and plans has been hard. For now, I'm avoiding making any decisions until I finish with finals. That will probably have to change though. Some of the family will get in town tomorrow, and the rest on Wednesday night. So much planning and so many things to do in the next couple weeks. I just hope I can keep up with it.
Also, I'm trying to get back in the habit of daily scripture study. I'm starting with reading Isaiah because I like those writings, and also because in the Book of Mormon, Christ and prophets hold Isaiah in high regard for his prophecies and understanding of Christ. I need to get to know Christ again, so this seems like a good place to get started. It's been mixed so far: I'm left with ambivalent feelings of both peace and "I need to repent." I'll just keep chugging along and try to do better. Being optimistic and having faith that Christ can and wants to take care of me is hard sometimes. I feel flawed and broken and like I'm imprisoned by my flaws for the rest of eternity, but God is the spirit of hope, not fear. That's why I need to reacquaint myself with Jesus Christ, because He wants me to be happy, and He will show me how it can be done.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Friday, April 12, 2013
Week 15
Good school news this week!
I met with the TA for the audiology class that I'm behind in. It was SO helpful! I really just needed someone to walk through the labs with me, make sure I'm doing it right, and fill in the gaps where I've forgotten things. She wasn't judgmental, she was patient, and she was good at explaining things. After meeting with her I was able to submit one lab right away, finish a second lab that day or the next, and I've got a third lab I'm working on and feel confident finishing. I don't know how much credit I'll get for them because all three of those are late, but I'll get everything turned in! Much better than last semester.
Family history is still dismal. I'm very behind and haven't made much progress since meeting with the TA for this class (mostly because I've been focusing on audiology). I don't know if I'll get everything turned in by the end of the semester (at least it's a one-credit class). Thankfully I've already done some of the research and just need to format it for the assignments, but some of the new research is really confusing--I either can't find records, or the ones I can find are ambiguous and can't definitively say "this is my guy." It's been a little frustrating throughout the semester.
The second audiology class is going fine. All that's left is the final in a week, so it might be good to start studying for that. Me + studying early = doesn't usually happen, but it's worth a try if I can pull it off.
Speech has been good, I think. I haven't missed any assignments since the beginning of the semester. I didn't do as well on the last midterm as I wanted, so I especially want to do well on the final. This final is unscheduled, but optimally, it would be great if I could study for it early and take it in about a week. It's kinda nice to want to do well at the end of the semester, not just avoid failing (which is where I usually, frantically, end up).
I also signed up for my writing class this summer: I'll be taking "Communication in Organizational Settings." It's from a professor that a couple of my friends have had before, and sounds like it's practical and not as writing-heavy (I love writing, but not deadlines or research). I'd like to meet the professor before the semester starts, get to know each other, and prepare myself for the semester (like getting the syllabus early so I can schedule time for homework). That will also give me a better idea of how much time I'll need to devote to the writing class so I can add shifts at work or other classes that I'd like to take before graduating.
I was feeling really trapped by school earlier this week, but getting help from the TA's (particularly for audiology) has made a positive difference. I've still got work to do before the end of the semester, but I feel less intimidated by it. It's really liberating, and I feel more like I'm choosing to do it, and like I can enjoy it more. Less pressure is better. I'm hoping that this time around, my end-of-the-semester experience is much happier, less stressful, and more successful than it has been before. My husband reminded me of the saying, "Success breeds success," and I can see that having some degree of success in school gives me more confidence, which enables more future successes. Having some success feels really good.
I met with the TA for the audiology class that I'm behind in. It was SO helpful! I really just needed someone to walk through the labs with me, make sure I'm doing it right, and fill in the gaps where I've forgotten things. She wasn't judgmental, she was patient, and she was good at explaining things. After meeting with her I was able to submit one lab right away, finish a second lab that day or the next, and I've got a third lab I'm working on and feel confident finishing. I don't know how much credit I'll get for them because all three of those are late, but I'll get everything turned in! Much better than last semester.
Family history is still dismal. I'm very behind and haven't made much progress since meeting with the TA for this class (mostly because I've been focusing on audiology). I don't know if I'll get everything turned in by the end of the semester (at least it's a one-credit class). Thankfully I've already done some of the research and just need to format it for the assignments, but some of the new research is really confusing--I either can't find records, or the ones I can find are ambiguous and can't definitively say "this is my guy." It's been a little frustrating throughout the semester.
The second audiology class is going fine. All that's left is the final in a week, so it might be good to start studying for that. Me + studying early = doesn't usually happen, but it's worth a try if I can pull it off.
Speech has been good, I think. I haven't missed any assignments since the beginning of the semester. I didn't do as well on the last midterm as I wanted, so I especially want to do well on the final. This final is unscheduled, but optimally, it would be great if I could study for it early and take it in about a week. It's kinda nice to want to do well at the end of the semester, not just avoid failing (which is where I usually, frantically, end up).
I also signed up for my writing class this summer: I'll be taking "Communication in Organizational Settings." It's from a professor that a couple of my friends have had before, and sounds like it's practical and not as writing-heavy (I love writing, but not deadlines or research). I'd like to meet the professor before the semester starts, get to know each other, and prepare myself for the semester (like getting the syllabus early so I can schedule time for homework). That will also give me a better idea of how much time I'll need to devote to the writing class so I can add shifts at work or other classes that I'd like to take before graduating.
I was feeling really trapped by school earlier this week, but getting help from the TA's (particularly for audiology) has made a positive difference. I've still got work to do before the end of the semester, but I feel less intimidated by it. It's really liberating, and I feel more like I'm choosing to do it, and like I can enjoy it more. Less pressure is better. I'm hoping that this time around, my end-of-the-semester experience is much happier, less stressful, and more successful than it has been before. My husband reminded me of the saying, "Success breeds success," and I can see that having some degree of success in school gives me more confidence, which enables more future successes. Having some success feels really good.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Inspiration
This past weekend was a fabulous one. We went up to visit one of my grandmas-in-law on Saturday to watch LDS General Conference with her. It was fun to spend time with family, and it was especially fun because I got to learn a bit about sewing!
I've enjoyed sewing since I was pretty young, but haven't known how to use a machine very well. Sewing by hand takes forever, so that also limited the size of my projects. I also didn't use patterns much and would just make things up.
Grandma really likes quilting, so I learned a basic "stack and slash" quilt that I think she learned back in school. Purple is definitely one of my favorite colors (of the 12 fabrics I used, 4 were purple, about 4 were blue, 3 were yellow or orange, and one was pink). The quilt blocks in the picture aren't ordered in any particular way.
My cousin is having a baby shower later this month, so I bought a pack of onesies and plan to dress them up as my gift. Grandma and one of the aunts helped me put the skirt on this one. I've got a couple ideas for other cute ones; I'm so excited to see what I can do and how they turn out.
The great fun with sewing this weekend reminded me how much I enjoy this brand of creative work and inspired me to think about how I can progress in this area. Quilting is cool, but I like the functionality and versatility of working with clothes (or at least, how I envision working on clothes, considering my limited experience with either). No reason I can't do both, but now I need to figure out how and where I can learn more about sewing.
Listening to the messages during General Conference was really good too. There were a couple talks that I really identified with and appreciated. They touched my heart in a way that gave me peace and hope, and I do hope that it continues. We had my brother and a friend come over for a big, loud dinner last night with lots of Asian food and dirty dishes that got cleaned up at an impressive pace, which was a lot of fun.
The weekend is past and now it's Monday, and the flashes of inspiration have started to dull already. It's back to the grind with school, and I'm still afraid and feel inadequate when I think about all there is to do. I just hope that I can hold onto hope and begin to exercise a little faith that it'll all be ok.
I've enjoyed sewing since I was pretty young, but haven't known how to use a machine very well. Sewing by hand takes forever, so that also limited the size of my projects. I also didn't use patterns much and would just make things up.
Grandma really likes quilting, so I learned a basic "stack and slash" quilt that I think she learned back in school. Purple is definitely one of my favorite colors (of the 12 fabrics I used, 4 were purple, about 4 were blue, 3 were yellow or orange, and one was pink). The quilt blocks in the picture aren't ordered in any particular way.My cousin is having a baby shower later this month, so I bought a pack of onesies and plan to dress them up as my gift. Grandma and one of the aunts helped me put the skirt on this one. I've got a couple ideas for other cute ones; I'm so excited to see what I can do and how they turn out.
The great fun with sewing this weekend reminded me how much I enjoy this brand of creative work and inspired me to think about how I can progress in this area. Quilting is cool, but I like the functionality and versatility of working with clothes (or at least, how I envision working on clothes, considering my limited experience with either). No reason I can't do both, but now I need to figure out how and where I can learn more about sewing.Listening to the messages during General Conference was really good too. There were a couple talks that I really identified with and appreciated. They touched my heart in a way that gave me peace and hope, and I do hope that it continues. We had my brother and a friend come over for a big, loud dinner last night with lots of Asian food and dirty dishes that got cleaned up at an impressive pace, which was a lot of fun.
The weekend is past and now it's Monday, and the flashes of inspiration have started to dull already. It's back to the grind with school, and I'm still afraid and feel inadequate when I think about all there is to do. I just hope that I can hold onto hope and begin to exercise a little faith that it'll all be ok.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Week 14 - So Close!
I'm getting worn out thinking about the semester. School is so time-consuming! If I were spending as much time on schoolwork as I should be, I wouldn't have time for much else. And now that it's nearing the end of the semester, I'm increasingly aware of how much work there is. Combined with the rest of life's obligations, it's really easy to feel overwhelmed.
I've got a lot of labs I need to catch up on for my audiology class. That's frustrating because I'm not sure how to do some of the tasks required for them, the TA isn't available when I need her help, and I felt pretty stupid when I asked the professor about some of these basic things I've forgotten. Hopefully the TA will be able to help me next week...
My other scholastic stressor is my family history class. I got way behind in those assignments, and while I have some of the research already done, some of it wasn't good enough yet, and the volume of work for this class is also intimidating.
Dangit. I made such good progress at the beginning of the semester, and held out longer than usual. At this point in the semester, I'm still doing better than I've done in previous semesters. But every time, every semester, it's never enough! The semester ends in less than 2 weeks, and I'm behind in the work and afraid again! I'm never good enough to finish a semester strong. Every semester feels like another failure.
Looking ahead, I'm asking my peers about suggestions for my writing class that I need to take. I've gotten a lot of feedback, so I started asking for advice with specific classes. I would like to meet with my old English teacher and solicit her advice as well. If I can, I might try to talk to the actual teachers for the spring classes to learn more about their class and teaching style. Unfortunately, the class that's being so highly praised has a waitlist, and I don't know if I'll be able to get into it. So I'm trying to learn more about the various options and hopefully be prepared. This would probably be something really good to pray about.
I've got other responsibilities and things going on in life besides school, and it's hard to keep track of everything sometimes. I'm afraid that I might have to put everything else on hold for the next two weeks while I try to keep my school act together. I'm just glad that I have an amazingly supportive husband and that God sends little tender mercies that make a difference in my week.
I've got a lot of labs I need to catch up on for my audiology class. That's frustrating because I'm not sure how to do some of the tasks required for them, the TA isn't available when I need her help, and I felt pretty stupid when I asked the professor about some of these basic things I've forgotten. Hopefully the TA will be able to help me next week...
My other scholastic stressor is my family history class. I got way behind in those assignments, and while I have some of the research already done, some of it wasn't good enough yet, and the volume of work for this class is also intimidating.
Dangit. I made such good progress at the beginning of the semester, and held out longer than usual. At this point in the semester, I'm still doing better than I've done in previous semesters. But every time, every semester, it's never enough! The semester ends in less than 2 weeks, and I'm behind in the work and afraid again! I'm never good enough to finish a semester strong. Every semester feels like another failure.
Looking ahead, I'm asking my peers about suggestions for my writing class that I need to take. I've gotten a lot of feedback, so I started asking for advice with specific classes. I would like to meet with my old English teacher and solicit her advice as well. If I can, I might try to talk to the actual teachers for the spring classes to learn more about their class and teaching style. Unfortunately, the class that's being so highly praised has a waitlist, and I don't know if I'll be able to get into it. So I'm trying to learn more about the various options and hopefully be prepared. This would probably be something really good to pray about.
I've got other responsibilities and things going on in life besides school, and it's hard to keep track of everything sometimes. I'm afraid that I might have to put everything else on hold for the next two weeks while I try to keep my school act together. I'm just glad that I have an amazingly supportive husband and that God sends little tender mercies that make a difference in my week.
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