#that’s the gen ed requirement it’s fulfilling anyways

[wuwubean]

almost halfway through the semester and i still don’t understand the point of this online class im taking. last week were watching a movie that cited the communist manifesto multiple times, and this week im trying to not start an email fight with my professor over the sapir-whorf hypothesis (which has been debunked for YEARS btw)

[francisforever2014]

okayyyy guys here’s the situation i really love my class schedule this year and am so happy since switching majors . EXCEPT this one fuckass class i’m taking that’s required for my gen eds. it’s a 100 level anthropology course that is actually mind numbing and i could definitely do it without going to class but attendance is required :| i’m considering switching to a fully online class to fulfill this requirement but all of those suck too (the gen ed is natural science and it’s just not interesting to me especially not at the 100 level like even subjects that i find interesting otherwise are dumbed down for these gen eds and it’s infuriating) anyways i’m trying to figure out whether i should stick it out or switch to a different boring class that i at least wouldn’t have to go in for?? considerations are that i HATE online learning with a passion but i would basically just be doing that anyways bc i’m def not paying attention even if i go… also this subject is at least mildly interesting to me (it’s a human diversity anthro class) and the fully online options are even LESS interesting. i really don’t know like it sucks either way

[retourpresdetoi]

okay. chat. a full time employment opportunity has fallen into my lap. but i would have to leave (in-person) college for the time being

[supercantaloupe]

You said you're in grad school for musicology once, right? I'm curious as to what that's like and how you got there, since I wanted to major in something like musicology or music history for my undergrad but there's almost no programs for either on an undergrad level in my area (Except for one school) and I'm kinda loathing the idea of doing another 4 years of performance but I'm willing to do it as a means to an end (please disregard this ask if I was wrong abt your major btw )

under the cut for long answer ⬇

i think i understand where you're coming from. there were a lot of factors that went into where i chose to attend for undergrad but a chief factor among them was i wanted a liberal arts college with a music school, NOT a conservatory, because i knew if i put myself in the environment of a conservatory and spent 100% of my time working for performance i would burnout and quit. i wanted a school where i could balance music and other studies, which was important to me because when i started college i actually didn't know if i wanted to major in music. i started out as a music major but that was almost a placeholder at the beginning; i didn't know what ELSE i would study, but i figured it would start out in this music thing and i could switch majors later if i wanted. it turns out i didn't want to switch, and i ended up graduating four years later with a music degree, and 99% of the time i don't regret it. (the 1% is my standard built-in neurosis that makes me doubt everything i do all the time. it's whatever.)

but i will also add that i have a bachelor of arts, not a bachelor of music. so my BA program, while definitely music-forward (especially in my junior and senior years), was not quite as intense music wise as as a BM; i wasn't required to take private instrument lessons after three years, i wasn't required to do a junior or senior recital, i wasn't required to play in a major ensemble for all four years. (some of these things i did anyway for various other reasons, but they weren't required to graduate.) and i had more liberal arts (non-music) gen ed requirements to fulfill.

one other thing i'll mention is that even within the BA music program there were different concentrations/tracks. i was actually no emphasis/general, while i think every other BA music student in my year was performance emphasis. so me doing the general/no emphasis concentration within BA music changed some of my requirements as well (the performance emphasis track i think required that senior recital as well as some extra ear training classes i skipped). in hindsight if i could go back and change anything about my undergrad degree, i would go back and do BA music with a music history and literature emphasis, and/or pick up a music theory minor, but neither of these options were made known to me until it was too late to fulfill the requirements before graduation. so it goes. (i'm not even totally sure if these programs still exist given the current state of my university's music school but i digress.)

anyway, i went into undergrad not knowing what i wanted to do, even if i wanted to stick with music as a degree in the first place, and i came out the other end enrolled in grad school for musicology. i'll say that it took me until like. junior year to have a clue what musicology as a graduate program is, and it wasn't until my senior year that i actually realized it's what i wanted to pursue (and that there are ways to apply a background in musicology without necessarily becoming a full time researcher or professor, which is not my goal). i'm actually not just studying musicology right now, i'm in a dual degree program for musicology and library science, on paper i'm studying music librarianship but in effect i'm doing a lot more than just that. the musicology stuff is what i'm especially passionate about (especially history and public musicology) but the library science stuff brings with it a lot of practical skills that i think will be useful once i'm done with this whole school thing. plus my dual degree program doesn't require a thesis, so, win.

since i'm only halfway through my first semester of what will most likely be a three year program, it's hard to say so far anything actionable about musicology as a grad program. for one thing my school is kind of....struggling, in a lot of ways, and musicology as a graduate program area is actually shut down now; music history and theory courses will still exist, of course, because students in other programs still need to take them too, but there will be no more musicology masters or phd students after me, which is more than a bit of a bummer, tbh. and we were a small program in a small school to begin with. at any rate, i've been enjoying my musicology classes so far, with the exception of my analytical techniques class which is the most mind numbingly boring weekly three hour lecture i've ever had to suffer through (why does it take ninety whole minutes to explain what an imitation mass is?? come on). but course offerings and program requirements vary from school to school.

now i don't have a clue what your options or limitations are when it comes to picking a college. i had my own list and i ended up pretty happy with my choice in the end, but no doubt we have different lists. knowing that, i guess if i had to give you some actionable advice, it'd be this:

it's okay to go in undecided and pick a major later, or to start with one major and change it. undergrad is the time for you to figure out what you want to do with your life and career, and you find that out by trying stuff out.

so i suppose my next point of advice is "try stuff out." even if it seems wacky. i did one semester of composition lessons. taught me that i am Not a composer, lol. but if something seems interesting and the opportunity is there, i recommend taking it. by senior year i'd figured out that i loved music history but i'd already completed all the undergrad course offerings in the subject, so they let me into one of the grad classes. in the end that actually helped me get accepted into my master's program now.

don't limit your search for schools that have a major specifically in "music history" or "musicology," especially in undergrad. maybe a couple of schools will have one, but that's pretty specific for a bachelor's degree. but while every school is different in how they structure their degree programs, i'm willing to bet a lot of them offer a similar emphasis/concentration system like mine did, and/or minors. poke around on the websites of schools that interest you, or contact someone in the department who works there via email (there's almost always a contact listed for the department heads and/or dean of enrollment), try to see if any of them have concentrations in what you're interested in if not a highly specific major.

but also, if this is what you really want to study and there are truly no schools that offer programs that you like nearby, you may have to consider the possibility of expanding your search radius. i got lucky with the fact that the school i liked best was close to home, which was important to me. but there are schools with programs that are just as good if not better halfway across the country (and i did consider them when it came time for grad school). basically, start with a large list of potential options first, you can narrow them down later as you go along with the process of college searching. it's a big decision, so you should take your time with it.

if you're not totally set on doing four years of performance, i don't recommend trying to do that as a means to an end. that path leads quickly to burnout if you aren't careful. even if "BM [instrument] performance" sounds more prestigious on paper than "BA music", in the end it doesn't actually make much of a difference. if you decide halfway through undergrad you want to switch to performance, you can, talk to your advisor about it. if you decide after graduating you want to focus on performance, you can do a DMA program somewhere for grad school. hell, there's no shame even in starting out as BM performance and then switching to BA music or something completely different later. keep your options open, but i don't recommend trying to pigeonhole yourself just yet, especially with something that's just a "means to an end." for me, the bottom line with playing music is that i enjoy doing it, and while getting play alongside or as a portion of my education was important to me, if it was the only thing i would've quit years ago, which is not a thought i like to think about.

[vulpinesaint]

what if i cried over having to take this stupid fucking rhetoric class again

[lvllns]

enrolled in classes and i already love my advisor for cwu

[sarahisatotalgeek]

somebody help me, I had the terrible (and likely slightly manic) idea that I should fail one of my classes on purpose because it will make my next three weeks of Christmas concert/finals hell so very much smoother

I took the class thinking it would fulfill one of my gen ed requirements, but it turned out it doesn't, so I'm basically taking the class for nothing

it's a film studies class that requires ~10 hours of movie watching + readings every week, plus a huge paper due tomorrow night that i haven't even started (guess who still isn't diagnosed or medicated for adhd 🙃)

I will likely not pass the class anyway (or will scrape by with a D) because I failed my most recent test and likely won't do well on the final. I am *this* close to just calling it quits and not showing up or doing any of the work.

I've also calculated that my GPA will likely be fine, as long as I do well in my other finals (and I'm sure I will, they're all music classes).

I'm *this* close. can a responsible adult please weigh this decision with me lololololol

[amberlynnmurdock]

Lost and Found (A Peter Parker Love Story)

Summary: New York University was a big school. New York City was an even bigger place to be. A year after the events on the Statue of Liberty, there is finally peace in New York. Spider-Man protects this city, while you get your degree at NYU. One day, a guy named Peter Parker comes into your place of work. And from there, it's a lost and found love story.

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader 

Genre: Fluff, angst 

CHAPTER 1: Coffee Shop 

A/N: OKAY IDK WHAT IT IS WITH ME AND COLLEGE FICS BUT HERE'S ANOTHER ONE. After seeing No Way Home for a third time, the idea of this fic came to me like a light bulb moment and I had to get to writing. I am super excited for this one because I've never written for Peter Parker before!!! Tom Holland is ADORABLE and his portrayal of Peter even more so. I hope you enjoy the first chapter of this story... I can't wait til you see where this goes!

Archive of Our Own LINK 

The local coffee shop right off of Union Square wasn’t your ideal place of work, but it was the only place that was within the campus of New York University, and if you wanted to make it to class on time while making extra money, you didn’t have much of a choice.

So, at the start of your first semester here at NYU, you took the job. It wasn’t time-consuming, it didn’t have much work to it, so you figured it was the best option while you were working on getting your degree in English at one of the best programs for English in the country. You were on your way to fulfilling your dream of becoming an English professor. From Sylvia Plath to Hemingway, you loved everything about your language.

It’s your third day on the job and the third day of classes. It was a miracle you were able to work around your school schedule. Before going back out to your counter, you fixed your hair in the bathroom and adjusted the collar on your white shirt.

The apron you had to wear was pink–it wasn’t your color, but you didn’t mind anyway. Your name tag was slightly crooked so you fixed the magnet holding it. You adjusted the heart-shaped charm of your necklace so it wasn’t tied between your hair and shirt. This necklace was so beautiful, so delicately crafted. It was a tiny heart inside of a bigger heart. You remember you rediscovered it one day while unpacking in your dorm. You almost forgot you had it.

Satisfied with your look, you step out of the bathroom and into the coffee shop that smelled like fresh pastries and blueberry coffee. It was only 10 am. Your first class of the day wasn’t until 1 pm. You didn’t care for it since it wasn’t part of your major. It was more for filling the gen-ed requirement. Chemistry with Dr. Connors.

It wasn’t busy the first hour. People came in and out. Hardly anyone gave you a hard time on their orders. You had served somewhere before in your hometown of Queens and had dealt with way more aggressive people on their way to work. Perhaps lower Manhattan had more respectable people, you thought.

You’re cleaning out the coffee brewer and putting in a fresh scoop of a coffee blend called “Maple Pumpkin” for an older man who had ordered it. He was reading The Daily Bugle at the counter.

The front-page news was about Spider-Man causing wreckage in the Bronx last week. You didn’t see it that way. It’s been a year since the fight that happened at the Statue of Liberty. Spider-Man hadn’t got into anything as big as that since then. Even then, you cheered him on. You thought it was unfair how the media treated him. You were thankful that whoever he was, he was keeping crime at an all-time low around the city. You felt safer with him watching over the city, especially as a young freshman in college.

You don’t think about it much more than that.

You bring the old man his cup of coffee and smile.

“Here you are, sir. How’s the paper looking?” You ask him.

“Ridiculous,” he grumbles. “I cannot believe they haven’t caught that web-slinger even after a year. He ruined Cap’s shield on the Statue of Liberty. And no one knows who he is! Back in my day, the cops did their jobs and cracked criminals immediately.”

You can’t help but chuckle. “Perhaps he’s not a criminal as the Bugle says.”

“You kids don’t know anything about crime. You’re lucky!” The man raises his finger at you and goes back to reading.

Walking away from his spot at the counter, you turn to see someone else waiting to order. It’s a young man, with light brown hair and eyes. His smile is warm. And when his eyes meet yours, you feel a chill. It’s not every day a cute guy walks in here. You hadn’t seen him before. He’s wearing a brown jacket over a blue sweater and white-collar shirt. He almost looks like he may be a student.

“Hi, how are you today?” You greet him casually. He smiles softly.

“Hello, um,” he stumbles, “can I get whatever coffee you just gave that old man to-go?”

“Sure. It’s maple pumpkin,” you tell him. “What size?”

He holds your gaze for a moment and you blush. “Medium. With cream, please,” he says.

“And a name for the order?” You ask.

“Peter Parker,” Peter Parker says.

“Okay, coming right up Peter,” you smile.

Okay. He is really, really cute.

You pour his coffee and add the cream in carefully. Placing a lid on the cup, you turn around to see he has not moved an inch from where he was standing. A smile is on his face.

“Thanks,” he says, dropping a 5 dollar bill on the counter, “gotta perk up before class, ya know?”

“Oh, I know,” you reply, “do you go to NYU?”

“Yeah, I just started,” Peter says. “Do you?”

“Yeah, I did, too,” you reply. This was becoming too perfect for you.

“Maybe I’ll see you around then, ___,” Peter calls your name. You’re startled, wondering how he knew, but then realize you are wearing a name tag with your uniform.

“Maybe,” you smile. And with that, Peter Parker leaves the coffee shop.

~ 

You were almost late to your chem class with Dr. Connors, but you didn’t care. Again, this was just a gen-ed requirement that needed to be filled. It wasn’t a priority for you.

You brought a change of clothes because you didn’t want to smell like coffee walking in. September was gloomy today. You threw on a red sweater and jeans.

The class was held at a tan brick building right around the corner from the coffee shop. Walking in the doors, you found the room number and walk inside. A few students were already there, notebooks out and laptops open. Soon, the entire class was filled.

You found an empty seat near the back. The room was like an auditorium, there were levels to the seating. At the bottom is where Dr. Connors sits, prepping his lesson for today. Behind him, a chalkboard. To the side, cylinders and bottles and… science-y stuff.

“Alright, class. Assuming you’ve all got your textbook, please turn to page 31,” Dr. Connors announces. You pull your textbook from your bag and turn to page 31.

Suddenly, the door to the room opens in a rush. In comes the guy you served at the coffee shop before–Peter Parker.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he rushes his words, “I’m late.”

“And on the first day, Mr…..” Dr. Connors puts his hands in his pockets and waits for Peter to introduce himself.

“Parker. Peter Parker. I’m sorry, sir, uh–Doctor,” Peter scratches his head.

“Take a seat, Parker. Don’t be late again.”

In an instant, Peter turns his head and locks eyes with you. You blush and wave. You notice he still has his cup of coffee. In seconds, Peter is making his way towards you.

“This seat taken?” Peter asks as he sets his shoulder bag down.

“Not at all,” you reply.

Perhaps chemistry wouldn’t be so bad to take after all.

[mddesignjournal]

Week 1 - About me

Hello! I’m Malique, and I’m currently a sophomore looking to transfer into one of UWM’s computer science programs (though my major is still technically undecided as of right now). I primarily took this class to fulfill a gen ed requirement, but I’m also interested in learning about design itself. As a person who plays video games, watches movies, and reads manga, I’ve always been a fan of good art. Colorful and flashy stuff is great, but I like looking at art with calmer vibes too. I took a few drawing courses throughout high school that I really enjoyed. While I’m no artist, I can’t deny that I find art to be very comforting. I know next to nothing about design, but I do like to look at any unique architecture that I come across, and I find the designs behind many modern technologies (like game consoles and PCs) to be appealing as well. I’m also inspired by weather phenomena like rain, snow, and colorful skies, all of which calm me down when I’m stressed. Art and design almost serve as a temporary escape from everything. Even during the worst times of my life, I’ve found that aesthetically appealing sights can pull me away to my happy place. Something I purchased somewhat recently that involved a comparison between designs was my phone. I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 9, and this device stood out to me due to its inclusion of a built in stylus called the S-Pen. I was interested in this device because of its unique variation of note taking. Sketching stuff on my phone whenever I was bored seemed like a great idea. Hilariously enough, I actually rarely use the S-Pen. Such is life, I guess. Anyways, I’m looking forward to taking this class. I hope to learn a lot about design over the course of this semester!

[howelljenkins]

hii!! i was wondering what classes you've taken/are taking in college so far? asking cuz im a senior in hs n also considering cs/english (which i think u mentioned ur majoring in? idk ignore this if im wrong LMAO) anyway thank u !! :)

oh yeah i am studying those!! (although looking into switching from CS to IS.....) 

I came into college with a few prerequisites and departmental credits fulfilled by APs and dual enrollment, so I didn’t have to take required classes like gen chem, the lower level english requirement and Calc 1 and 2. also have some credits in english, science, psych, and a few other departments but not worth mentioning since they dont really affect the courses I have to take for my major

Each college is different and you really just have to go online and take note of all the requirements, which is what I did when I was choosing courses. My logic when picking out courses was to mix in distribution requirements with major/minor requirements to balance out semesters while also having fun with what flexibility my requirements gave and deliberately choosing courses that interest me while simultaneously filling requirements (flexibility is mostly just english lol since cs is pretty cut and dry) HOWEVER I know some people who prefer not to mix things up each semester so it depends on you as a student but I personally enjoy having as well rounded of a semester as I can.

ok raw data lol here’s the classes themselves in order of when i took them: required entry level coding class, intro to poetry class (eng req), history (concerning capitalism in literature, I took this one for fun and for gen ed), multivariable calc aka calc 3 (not required for my major, just gen ed and i suffered and only passed bc he gave me a pity C LMAO) / 1 credit course about personal finances (took for myself, gen ed), discrete math (major req..... I FAILED LMFAOO), required intro english class to declare, a sociology course about race and ethnicity (gen ed, took it bc it interests me) / and this semester I’m taking a science gen ed, the next level coding course (major req), a upper level english poetry course, another english course about modernism and the novel (both fulfill english reqs), and a sociology course about the welfare state (gen ed)

[7-wonders]

Not to be incredibly sappy, but do you believe that the relationship (or whatever it is!) with professor!Duncan would continue past taking his class or graduation? Would he ever want to go home with her to meet her family during Thanksgiving or Winter break? 🥦 (I'm going to start signing off with that emoji since I'm constantly spamming you anyways with asks lol, would that be ok?)

Oh my gosh, do I have my own anon now? That’s such an honor! You can spam me with asks at anytime, I literally squealed when I got this.

As for Duncan and (Y/N), you both are scared that the other is just using you for their own gain. For Duncan, he’s sure that you’re just using him to get good grades, a fear that’s unfounded when he remembers that you’ve had some of the highest grades in his class even before this arrangement began. You, however, think that this is just some fun little tryst for Duncan, a box to check off on his ‘perpetual bachelor’ bucket list.

The conversation happens after your first fight. Duncan, who had made good on his promise to “fuck the brat right out of you,” has you resting against his chest, his hand lazily carding through your hair as you both remain silent. It had been a petty fight, one instigated by you after he got unnecessarily jealous upon seeing you and your friends in the student union.

(“They’re just my friends! I don’t understand why seeing me have a social life is such a big deal.”

“Because I can’t be a part of it, (Y/N),” Duncan had explained.

“What would you have done, anyways? Come over and sit down right next to me? We can barely say more than ‘hi’ to each other in public because we’re both so afraid of somebody finding out what’s happening between us! Maybe this just isn’t working, Duncan. After all, I’m nothing more than an easy fuck to you.”

Duncan had stalked towards you, grabbing your chin and roughly yanking it up. “Maybe I need to fuck the brat right out of you, hmm?”)

“Duncan?” Your voice is hoarse, throat sore from the enthusiastic yelling and moaning that you had put it through.

“Yeah?”

“What...what’s gonna happen to us after the semester’s over? I mean, we’ll both leave for Winter Break, and then what? I was only ever supposed to take just one of your classes to fulfill my gen ed requirement, so we won’t have excuses to see each other anymore. I still have at least a year until I graduate, and it’s not like you’re going to wait for me to graduate. This was never going to work, and we--”

“Hey, shh,” Duncan soothes, kissing your head and rubbing your arm until you stop. “There’s no need to cry, sweetheart.”

“I’m not crying?” You’re shocked when he wipes tears off of your cheeks with the pad of his thumb, not aware that you were so upset about this.

“I think,” Duncan pauses, careful in choosing his words, “I think that we both know that this has evolved into something more than either of us thought it would ever become. So, right now we take it day by day. We’re here together, and that’s all that matters right now.”

“But what about--”

“We’ll figure it out. But I do know that I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you in my life.”

“You would?” you squeak out.

“(Y/N), certainly you’ve realized by now that you’re the only woman to have ever seen where I live?”

“Yeah, but I thought that was just a necessity.”

“If you truly were ‘just an easy fuck,’ than this relationship wouldn’t have even become something resembling a relationship.”

“I’ll fight for you, if you’ll fight for me.” You’ve never been more sure of anything than you are of this statement.

“I’ll fight for you, if you’ll fight for me,” he repeats.

[academla]

how many courses did u take per sem for psych? ik it varies person to person but what would u recommend if u could?

Okay, so I figured that the best way to do it would just be to show you the classes I’ve taken thus far! I don’t have my updated official transcript yet so I just used a screenshot from my school portal for spring 2019. Hopefully it will help you get a feel for what type of classes and courseload you might be looking at as a psych major. Bear in mind that I can only speak for my school and you will be limited by your degree requirements, so what classes you end up taking will be mostly up to your advisor and your specific university requirements.

I do hope seeing that I’ve only taken 4 classes some semesters will make you see that you don’t have to take 5-6 classes and be super stressed to be on time with your degree, though! Online classes are a great option if you’re concerned about fitting your credits/requirements in but feel overwhelmed by attending 5-6 classes every week. They can be more expensive, but if you do community college first, you’ll save lots. Taking online classes enabled me to take 5 classes a semester during my sophomore year, which got a lot of credits out of the way (and I wouldn’t have been able to do that if I’d had to take 5 classes on campus as well as work two part-time jobs). 

This is going to be long considering I haven’t even gotten to my course history yet lol so I put a read more for everybody’s sake!

Okay, so your first year is typically going to be focused on gen eds. I got my English, language, and math requirements out of the way. You’ll obviously take intro your first semester, and I opted to take social psych second semester, but abnormal would probably be the natural sequence. I’m in the honors program so I also have honors-specific requirements (both English classes and my Ethics & Society seminar were honors courses, and I have to take two honors classes at my university as well as my honors thesis).

My second year, which was the last one before getting my Associates degree in psychology, was also spent completing my gen eds, but I took two psychology classes each semester instead of just one. The most common ones to take during the first half of your degree are intro, abnormal, social, child, and personality psych. Research methods and statistics are also two major requirements, pretty much everywhere as far as I know. I took statistics first semester (though many people don’t take it til their second year) and research methods my last semester before getting my first degree. Note: both of my history classes as well as my child psych class were online, which is possibly the only reason I could actually handle 5 classes at a time. There’s no way I could’ve taken 5 classes on campus!

When I transferred, all of the classes I’d taken at community college transferred over and I was able to slide right in as a junior without having to make up any classes. By that point, your remaining requirements will pretty much be psych-specific and you will get to choose electives. Typically, you’ll still have to take a neuroscience-type class and a cognitive science class. My PSYCH 392 class (junior year writing) is also a psychology-specific requirement. Second semester, I took two electives (the PSYCH 391s), a required cognitive psych class (learn & think), and since I fulfilled my major requirements for the most part and am just racking up credits, I opted for a 4-credit sociology class. The Prac-Research that you see is also from working at a child development lab, which you can also get credit for so that’s pretty cool!

Anyway, I hope that was at least minorly helpful. Basically, talk to your advisors constantly, if you ever have a question, if you’re ever concerned, etc. I replicated my own spreadsheet because the degree audit at my university was a lot more confusing than the one at community college, but use your student portal! If it’s confusing, reach out to your advisor! As long as you are proactive, keep on track, and ask questions as soon as they come up, you’ll definitely take whatever classes you need to take.

One last note for all majors: do your research on professors. Profs make or break the class. My friends have erred many times taking a class without reading reviews beforehand, and then going back after and finding out that the professor had like a 2.0 on RateMyProfessors. I always read reviews (but make sure they’re recent and preferably the class you’re considering) and if two course options seem good, I’ll always go for whichever has the best professor. And there’s no info on the professor, just go with the later class ;)

[jmkraus]

Journal Entry 1

Hi. My name is Jarrett Kraus. I am 19 year old sophomore. I am currently pursuing a major in Information Technology or SOIS as it is also called at UWM. I am hoping to get a career in cyber security or in data administration. I ended up taking this class mainly to fulfill the gen ed requirement but also because I do have some background in design. 

In high school I took both design and digital design. I had some interest with art and design in early high school and actually wanted to pursue a career in digital design but ended up losing interest in it. I stopped drawing and taking the classes in high school and started becoming interested in IT and computer engineering classes. I still sketch from time to time and use topics that I am into at the time to inspire me. 

Something that I would say I have purchased because of the design would probably be both of my tattoos. Although it is not a tangible object, they still were chosen based on my love for the American and Japanese traditional design styles of tattoos. They have no special meaning to me in anyway, I just believe this design style is timeless and just appeals to me more.

[studyingwithkayson]

barnard vs Columbia?

I really hope you weren’t trying to troll here. I’m going to be really honest, but before I do that, I just want to emphasize that this is all just my opinion and what’s true for me is not true for everyone. I also want to say that I don’t have a lot of friends who go to Columbia, so most of my observations are observations I’ve made being on the Columbia University campus and taking classes with Columbia students. 

With that being said, I’m really happy at Barnard and I think I’m much happier here at Barnard than I would have been at Columbia. When I was accepted to Barnard, I was really hesitant to go there because Columbia had been my first choice school. I’d heard a lot of stories of people who went to Barnard only because of its relationship with Columbia, but I wanted to go to Barnard because of all of its advantages. There are a few big reasons why I think this is true. 

Firstly, The Core. I thought I really liked the idea of having a Core Curriculum, which Columbia offers. But the Core Curriculum is a (in my opinion) ridiculously large number of classes (18 if you counted each semester individually and considered PE). For Columbia’s gen ed requirements, you have to take four (!) semesters of a language. You also have to take a swim test (I know how to swim, but I would definitely be one of those seniors who waits until like two weeks before graduation to finish it). By comparison, Barnard’s gen ed requirements are 3 classes + 8 distribution requirements and 6 “modes of thinking” requirements which can double count for distribution requirements/modes of thinking/major requirements. Barnard’s Foundations requirement is also a lot more flexible in the sense that dozens of classes can be used to fulfill each requirement, whereas the Core has very specific classes (e.g., Art Humanities) you have to take to fulfill a requirement. 

Second, I personally like that Barnard is a much smaller school than Columbia. Everything is kind of six degrees of separation at Barnard. Sometimes, it can feel like that in the larger Columbia University undergrad community, but it definitely feels relatively small at Barnard. That’s a really personal thing and not for everyone, but coming from a high school where the total student body was around 150, I really enjoy the small size of Barnard. 

Another thing I really like about Barnard which can probably be attributed to its small size is the amount of interaction you have with professors. Plug for the Barnard history department: everyone there is amazing. I haven’t taken a lot of classes over at Columbia (besides language classes, which are typically capped at 15-20 students anyway, so it’s always a small class), so this is more speculation than anything else. One thing I will say in comparison with Columbia here is that Barnard has the guarantee that your class will be taught by a professor, not a TA, including for your first year classes. (I believe most of Columbia’s classes are also taught by professors, but I also know that many of their first-year writing courses are taught by graduate students.) I also just want to add that there is an added level of…security (not sure that’s the word I’m looking for but it’s the best I can come up with rn) knowing that your professors are hired to teach at a women’s college. 

Which brings me to my last favorite thing about Barnard I wouldn’t get at Columbia–it’s a women’s college. Yes, not every student at Barnard or in every Barnard class is a woman, but it’s really nice to know that the institution has, since its inception, been an institution for people who have not been underrepresented and marginalized by academia in the past. I’ll leave it at this: When Barack Obama graduated from Columbia College in 1983, it was still an all-male institution. (EDIT 12/2: my lovely friend Sarah saw this and pointed out my typo lol this is what I meant)

[haydenstudiesblog-blog]

Not all advisors in college are helpful, I know this from personal experience. But I did learn one valuable thing from my advisor: Making a Plan of Study (P.O.S.) is crucial to your academic success, even if you haven’t been very successful in this area in the past.

This post is going to provide the basics of creating your OWN P.O.S. WITHOUT your advisor. [Disclaimer: I still recommend meeting with your advisor regularly in college, even if they are relatively worthless like mine. You can always look into switching advisors to find someone more helpful as well.]

First: Find Your (Unofficial) Transcripts

While I won’t can’t show you my unofficial transcripts freshly printed out with all of my academic information on them, what I can show you is what I did with them. It’s always a great idea to check your transcripts regularly. Everyone university/college is different, but I find mine by going to my profile and clicking on “Unofficial Transcripts.” It’s great to check them, it’s even better to print them out every semester or ever year just to keep them up-to-date. This is NOT required, just a helpful tip.

As you can see in the picture below, I created a Google Sheet and put in everything on my transcripts (well, not everything: the classes I’ve received credit for & taken and the grade I received beside it). The color-coding has to do with the college I took the classes at; the red tables are classes I’ve taken at my local community college, and the yellow tables are classes I’ve taken at my university so far (I based these colors off of the school’s colors). The stars next to certain classes indicate ones I have retaken (for example, I retook Humanities I this summer through my community college as a Western Civ class, so they both have 2 stars to indicate they go together).

(I’m sorry if these photos are poor quality, they were taken with my iPhone 7, but you’ll still get the gist!)

Second: Look Up Your Requirements

If you don’t already know these or have them handy, you’ll need to look up your gen ed requirements at your college. If you don’t already know what gen eds are (or use a different term where you’re from and don’t know what I’m talking about), these are all of the basic classes you have to take. For example, at my university we have to take a certain amount of physical & life science classes, art classes, humanities, a personal health lecture along with a physical lab (more or less physical education), etc. These are the classes you are required to take that are not required for your major, but required to graduate. 

You’ll need to know these because these are the classes you use to fill up your schedule when you can’t get into any more classes for your major, or if you are still deciding and don’t have any classes to take for a major yet. It’s crucial to keep track of these classes so you know what requirements you have fulfilled and what still needs to be done; the same concept as keeping track of your major.

So find these and print them off. You may be able to find these on your school profile, so check there first. At my university, you can find them all on your school profile and it will list for you what requirements you have fulfilled and what classes you used to fulfill them, and it will show you what requirements you still need to fulfill and you can look at the options for classes you can take to do so.

After finding your gen ed requirements, look up requirements for any majors and minors you have (if any). If you are thinking about transferring to a different school (this doesn’t have to be set in stone, if you’re just weighing your options it’s still important and I’ll show why in this next picture).

Do the same as you did with your unofficial transcripts, except without grades since you don’t have any yet. Look over the requirements and make notes of how many credits you need of anything. This isn’t going to be 100% accurate, because there are always ways for classes to count for multiple requirements. For example, I have a major and two minors right now. Most of my minor classes can count for my major as well. BUT, since I don’t have my advisor’s help at the moment, I can’t be as specific as I’d like to be when putting classes into my Google Sheet.

Once again, I separated each school by color (I’m thinking about transferring in a year). My school’s colors are purple and gold, and the school I would like to attend is black and gold, so I used those colors in my sheet. Again, not required, just makes it nicer to look at in my opinion.

I included the classes I am going to be taking in the next coming semester and I tried my best to organize a plan for myself for future semesters. 

I also looked up the classes and any additional programs I want to take at the other school and I made tables for them as well. Again, this isn’t going to be totally accurate, but it will give you a general idea of where you’re at and if you are still on track to graduate.

By making myself a P.O.S., I was able to see that I need to take some overloads in order to graduate on time at the school I am currently at. It also showed me that if I transfer, I will be graduating a year later than what is considered the “norm” in my country (4 years is the norm, I will be taking 5 years). 

Third: Email Your Advisor

Did you really not see this coming?

HA! I know the point of this post was to be able to do this on your own, but let’s be realistic: this is college. If you want to get shit done, you need to talk to your advisor. If your advisor is relatively worthless (and by worthless I mean: missing appointments, not responding to emails, not giving real answers when you ask them important questions, or not knowing what your meeting is even about when you show up), then seriously switch advisors. I haven’t had to do this yet, but if I plan on staying at my current university then I’m going to be switching. My advisor sucks, honestly. BUT since I’m thinking about transferring anyway, I’m not worried about that yet.

I’ve told you the absolute basics on how you can create your own P.O.S., and by no means is any of this information wrong, I promise. Get your transcripts, get your requirements, make your own Google Sheets and put everything in. But you should still talk to your advisor, because they can help you out with the specifics.

Your advisor is the one who can tell if certain classes can count for multiple requirements (my minor classes fulfilling major requirements). And if you need to retake any classes, they can help you figure out solutions. They are there to help you. Some may not be helpful, but I promise there are others who are.

So make your P.O.S. Make it look great. Have your previous classes and future classes handy as you email your advisor asking if you can schedule a meeting to create a plan of study. When it comes time to meet with them, bring your binder filled with everything you just printed: your transcripts, your gen ed requirements, your major & minor requirements, any information on possible other options, and your Google Sheets you spent so much time making. Hole punch everything and put it in a binder so it’s all together and bring that with you. Plop that thing down on your advisor’s desk and get down to business.

College can be hard, or it can be easy. A huge part of your journey depends on organization and how on top of everything you are. Creating a P.O.S. is a HUGE step to success, especially if you haven’t been as successful as you would’ve liked thus far (like myself-- I promise you’re not alone!).

xx Hayden

[privateplates4u]

Ferrari 488 GTB is the 2017 Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car

When a car is as good as the Ferrari 458 Italia that won Best Driver’s Car in 2011, you don’t need to change much. Ferrari did anyway, and it produced the even more impressive 488 GTB. Although much of the front half of the car has been reused, it’s all been tweaked. The new bodywork has been designed with slavish devotion to aerodynamics, and the 488 features both an electronically controlled drag-reduction system in the rear diffuser and a Formula 1–inspired blown diffuser in the rear bodywork. The new 3.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 makes a staggering 661 hp and 561 lb-ft of torque and carefully controls boost levels at lower engine speeds to keep the turbos spooled and the acceleration linear. The second-gen Side Slip Control vehicle dynamics system now controls the adaptive dampers, the traction control, the stability control, and the electronically controlled limited-slip differential. The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, your only choice, receives new ratios and shifts quicker. The rear suspension, meanwhile, is wider than ever. It’s Best Driver’s Car week! Don’t miss the incredible story of how we chose the 2017 Best Driver’s Car right here, and stay tuned for the World’s Greatest Drag Race, coming soon. With 661 horsepower and only 3,412 pounds of carbon fiber to move, the 488 GTB screams to 60 mph in just 2.7 seconds and past the quarter mile in a stunning 10.6 seconds at 135.2 mph. Let it loose on the figure eight, and it’ll post a 22.6-second lap time at 0.99 average g. In steady-state cornering on the skidpad, it’ll pull 1.02 g. Stopping from 60 mph takes just 94 feet. We Say “Wow. That’s a super car. Ferrari proves here and now why it’s the gold standard. The speed is absolutely incredible. It’s so incredibly powerful and yet so linear. It’s a force of nature, like being picked up by a tornado. There’s zero turbo lag. Even still, it’s easily modulated. The ESC is magic. I see the light blinking, but I have no idea what it’s doing. Completely invisible. I know from the figure eight it’ll snap sideways left to its own, but not in Race mode. The handling is perfect. It flows like whitewater rapids through the corners. The weight transfer is just enough to make you feel like you’re pushing it (you’re not, really), the grip is unending, and yet it’s so light and responsive. The steering is fantastic. You think. It goes. You almost don’t have to think. Instinct happens, and the car responds. My only complaint is the brakes. They’re very strong, but they feel very wooden to me. If you need to scrub a lot of speed, you need to stand on them like you’re trying to break the pedal off.” – Scott Evans “Holy crap. How can a car this powerful be this easy to drive? It has the most horsepower in this group, and it takes some bravery to floor it for the first time. This thing has limits way beyond what I’m capable of, but that doesn’t make it any less fun at lower limits. This is a car that makes you feel like a superhero. Part of that is in how usable every single one of its 661 horsepower is. True to exotic form, responses are heightened everywhere but not dramatically so. The steering is quick with no dead spot at center—just a consistent flow of alacrity lock to lock. The transmission is even more telepathic than Porsche’s PDK, intuitively anticipating all upshifts and downshifts. “The drive up 198 was literally a blur. I was going so fast. Only after I rounded the last corner coming down 198 did I realize I had been holding my breath.” – Derek Powell Read about other 2017 Best Driver’s Car contenders: Porsche 911 Turbo S Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE Porsche 718 Cayman S Lexus LC 500 Mercedes-AMG GT R Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Aston Martin DB11 Nissan GT-R NISMO Mazda MX-5 Miata RF McLaren 570GT “I got a couple of instances of bump steer, but otherwise it was glued to the ground. The steering is very lively and requires constant attention (this car needs me), if only to keep it pointed where I want to go, but it does go there with obedience and authority. The engine is brilliant … everywhere in the rev range, and the brakes were unflappable and the soundtrack was intoxicating. This is one of those cars, one of those drives, one of those moments that will forever be seared into my synapses as an epic moment—when all that is good in the world was heightened/bristling for the 4.2 miles up and then down the hill. A true deus ex machina experience that I will add to four other ones in my life.” – Chris Walton “This is what every teenager’s fantasy is when they think of Ferrari. Sometimes in the past, Ferraris have been more about image and beauty and grace and style, but the performance has been just OK. The 488 is razor sharp, blisteringly quick, and finely tuned. The engine note is simply animalistic. This fulfills the complete list of needs, from extreme exotic to dauntless touring car. On Highway 198 it immediately became clear there is only one true supercar in this batch. There is immortality in its forgiveness in going at least 10 mph quicker around corners than its nearest competitors. How you can wad up this car is unknowable. Downhill, the brakes seem like they were a bit softer than I would assume a really fast Ferrari would have, but you get used to them. Besides if you grab a shorter gear, the engine braking is phenomenal.” – Mark Rechtin “This is one that forces you to keep both hands on the wheel and your foot on the gas (or brake) at all times—no fancy lane following/departure stuff. In that sense, at the most basic level of car control, it demands that your full attention. But that doesn’t mean it’s hard to drive—it’s effortless at very high speeds, completely poised yet responsive. A flat attitude and fingertip control while cornering at speeds 10-15-mph faster than other vehicles is difficult to achieve—as is the same, if not greater confidence heading down 198 as up. Only this 488 and the 911 Turbo S gave me that exhilarating feeling of invincibility (I had no issues with the brakes), and I only give the 488 the nod over the Turbo S because the V-8 twin turbo wail at WOT sounds more lurvly.” – Ed Loh “Faster than everything else by 10 mph, at least, in every situation. Blazing speed. In love with it? No. Not as satisfying to drive as some of the others, even in Race mode. But in terms of athleticism, a benchmark. As Randy said, it’s more like a Moto GP bike than a car. Also, I did not trust the brakes. “I understand the intoxication of the 488. It’s an out-and-out supercar that within 3 seconds of behind-the-wheel time, you’re able to confidently take to your limit. Perhaps that’s really what makes a Best Driver’s Car: a machine that not only makes you confident, but one that does so almost instantly.” – Jonny Lieberman Randy Says “Whoa, that’s a thrill. Entering a corner, the front is very strong and turns in really hard. And then through the middle of the corner, I think the stability controls are doing things. I found that if I went to an early maintenance throttle, it didn’t like that. It would create quite a bit of understeer, and I’d be pushing enough that I couldn’t go to power. So I realized the best strategy was to stay off the power longer and let it get turned more for a really late apex, so I could straighten up and just shoot down that next straightaway because it gains speed with amazing rapidity. “Its engine is absolutely a delight. It’s so fantastic. There’s no turbo lag on the track, it just feels like a very powerful engine with a fat torque curve, and it’s not very picky about the shift point because the torque curve is so fat. “I felt what I think was like traction control or stability control coming in, and it was very smooth. It allowed a lot of slip angle in the tire, and that got to be quite a lot of fun. Especially the last time I went out, when I kind of figured it out. Things were all happening so fast. This was a car where it was not easy to go fast in right away because it took so much getting used to. “I was not real happy with the brakes. I didn’t get that initial bite, you know, not like the Corvette. You know good old GM? It’s just so good at designing brakes right now. With the Ferrari, I had to push really hard, and after a point pushing harder didn’t cause the brakes to be better, they made them worse. A couple times I started thinking about explaining to these guys how I got in the wall, and I think I was braking early enough. I really was. But there was not a linear relationship between pedal pressure and brake force. And there was not a lot of bite. It took a lot of pedal effort, and it didn’t get a lot better as you pushed harder. So I found myself having to brake what felt early, like real early. “The car is relatively soft to me. It feels compliant, and if I still had a lot of weight on the nose when I turned, I could feel it roll. It wasn’t terrible but it rolled in there. It would rotate, the rear would move out a little bit, but it was best to let it do that and not go to throttle. Have the entry speed, slow hands, a little bit of brake maybe or at least off-throttle, and be patient and get it pointed way down at the late apex because then when you go it was amazing how it just pinned me back in the seat. It just felt so good, like if you could take the seatbelt right out of the car then it wouldn’t matter while your accelerating because you’re pinned to the seat. It feels really, really good. The engine is an absolute home run—it’s just unbelievable.”   2016 Ferrari 488 GTB POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Mid-engine, RWD ENGINE TYPE Twin-turbo 90-deg V-8, alum block/heads VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DISPLACEMENT 238.1 cu in/3,902 cc COMPRESSION RATIO 9.4:1 POWER (SAE NET) 661 hp @ 8,000 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 561 lb-ft @ 3,000 rpm REDLINE 8,000 rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 5.2 lb/hp TRANSMISSION 7-speed twin-clutch auto AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 4.38:1/2.81:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Control arms, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 11.9:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 1.9 BRAKES, F; R 15.7-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc; 14.2-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc, ABS WHEELS, F;R 9.0 x 20-in; 11.0 x 20-in, forged aluminum TIRES, F;R 245/35R20 91Y; 305/30R20 103Y Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 K1 (Tread 180) DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 104.3 in TRACK, F/R 66.1/64.8 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 179.8 x 76.9 x 47.8 in TURNING CIRCLE 38.7 ft CURB WEIGHT 3,412 lb WEIGHT DIST, F/R 41/59% SEATING CAPACITY 2 HEADROOM, F/R n.a./— in LEGROOM, F/R n.a./— in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R n.a./— in CARGO VOLUME 8.1 cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 1.2 sec 0-40 1.7 0-50 2.2 0-60 2.7 0-70 3.4 0-80 4.2 0-90 5.0 0-100 6.0 0-100-0 9.7 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.2 QUARTER MILE 10.6 sec @ 135.2 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 94 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.02 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 22.6 sec @ 0.99 g (avg) 2.2-MI ROAD COURSE LAP 1:31.68 sec TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,600 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $249,150 PRICE AS TESTED $365,793 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes AIRBAGS 4: Dual front, front side/head BASIC WARRANTY 3 yrs/Unlimited miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 3 yrs/Unlimited miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 3 yrs/Unlimited miles FUEL CAPACITY 20.6 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 15/22/18 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 225/153 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.11 lb/mile RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium The post Ferrari 488 GTB is the 2017 Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car appeared first on Motor Trend.

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