College is a Weird Weird Thing

Hoooo boy. It's been too long.

A few things have come up since my last update. I've been using Khan Academy's website to learn more about math. I finished The Odyssey, and now I'm reading Romeo and Juliet. I visited Haverford College with some of the other teens of PFS.

There's a reason I went with Romeo and Juliet. According to a friend, colleges really like it when they find that you've studied Shakespeare. Luckily the school has a collection of Shakespeare's plays into which I'm diving.

I signed up to visit Haverford to get an idea of what college is really like. My conclusion? It's a built-in community. Some of the classes are more casual than others, and smaller too. College administrators will try to sell you on the school, but they're not to be trusted. They will stretch the truth as far as they possibly can and mix in a few full-on lies.

That doesn't mean college isn't a good thing. It is, but it's not perfect, not like they want you to think.

Short Update

Guess who needs to brush up on her math skills in order to stand a chance at passing the SATs? Here's a hint: it's the same person who runs this blog.

I took a few practice tests and found that most of the problems they expect me to solve are Greek to me. Luckily there are plenty of websites which offer lessons and sample problems, so it shouldn't be too hard to prepare myself. It seems I've lost my touch with Biology as well, but I have a better grip on that than on the math.

I Like Trains

I've learned some new things about Rutgers' requirements. The page I referenced in my previous post doesn't specify where I need to take my two year courses. I could save all that stuff for community college and still stand a chance of getting in. In fact, that's probably better than scrambling to get this stuff done in high school, since even a community college is higher education.

Before I came to this conclusion, I sent an e-mail to the director of undergraduate biology at Rutgers. In my message, I explained my unusual education and the non-system I'm in. I then asked if he considered my independent studies a valid background which would fit the requirements. He hasn't responded yet, but if he gets back to me I'll take what he says into consideration. Most likely, I'll blend what he says with my community college plan.

On a semi-related note, I've come to realize I should learn how public transportation works. Where I'm from there's never any need for it - you can walk to most places, or drive - but now that I sometimes need to take the train to and from school, and may need to continue doing this when I start going to triple C, it's become increasingly obvious that I'm not as train literate as I should be. Luckily, my mom uses the speedline quite a bit for her acting, and my dad used to ride the train twice daily to and from work, so I'm not at all short on information.

College is Confusing

It turns out this college thing's going to be harder than I expected.

Before I can even consider applying to Rutgers, I have to complete several academic courses. I need to get two more years of English courses, an algebra II course, two years of language courses, and five other subjects. It would be helpful for me to take the SATs and ACTs this year, as the people at Rutgers will want to see the scores. It seems they also want to see a personal essay. The wording on that page makes it seem like the parameters of this essay change each year, but as of today the page reads:

"Rutgers requires that you provide a short essay that is your original work. Please reflect on what you consider to be an important personal experience related to your talents, interests, or commitments. Using this experience, please tell us what you learned about yourself. How will this experience prepare you for success at Rutgers?"

 It's moments like this that make me glad I have this blog.

Incidentally, I've changed my mind about my major. I'm now planning on a Bio major as opposed to a Journalism major, and I will attend the Camden campus.

When I spoke with some other people about the issue of grades, I learned I can take a GED course off-campus. Another student is currently doing this, and I intend to speak with him about it. Unfortunately I cannot do that today because he isn't here.

Time to get my stupid butt in gear.

Driving Myself Crazy

The latent lack of updates is due to two things: The computers are in use most of the day, and I'm lazy. This past week has not been productive for me. I'm disappointed with myself. I spent most of last week working on or listening to music in one way or another. It seems I've lost track of what I should be doing.

On the bright side, I am still reading The Odyssey, and I've been studying to become a better writer. My musical studies have not been for nothing. My skills on the piano have improved some, and I'm learning to sing a new song.

My parents think I'm jumping the gun a bit with all this talk of college. I've decided to put that on hold and focus more on enrolling in a driver's ed course so I can get my learner's permit, and ultimately, earn my license. I've found two locations close by where I can take courses: Maxwell's Driving School in Westmont, and the Cherry Hill Driving School Inc, which is oddly listed as a school in Pennsauken. Now that I have names, I can look into the schools and enroll in a course.

Maxwell's seems to be the best option. CHDS doesn't have a website of its own and all the reviews are terrible.

Tonight

I'm proud of myself. Today I did the usual - I read the next chapter of The Odyssey, attempted to master the piano, attempted to focus on more college questions, but found I couldn't properly absorb the information. Another day, perhaps. I still need to talk to my parents about this learner's permit business.

The accomplishment I'm so proud of is a mashup of the songs A Thousand Miles and Hey Soul Sister. I've gotten through the first verse on Garage Band. The editing isn't perfect and I'll definitely revise it in the near future, but I'm off to a great start. As you may have guessed, I call the mashup "Tonight." Updates coming soon.

The Arts

Another day primarily focused on personal interests. I read the fourth chapter of The Odyssey along with a writing skills handbook. So far all it's taught me is basic planning and proofreading, but that's still something I could use. Maybe I'll start looking at my posts that way. I did some more work on the piano, and I'm thinking of writing a song. We'll see how that goes.

Better Late Than Never

I was unable to write yesterday because another student was using the computer for the entire school day. To balance this out, I'm writing this post as a make-up article. Later today I will write today's entry.

Yesterday was mainly an interest day; I played music on the piano and read a chapter of The Odyssey. However, I also indulged in a more practical interest; American Sign Language. I read through an ASL dictionary and, after practicing the alphabet a few times, learned some A words. I've not memorized many, so I'll likely review them today, but I remember some of them. Some examples: acquire, accomplish, abbreviate, abhor, accompany, accuse. Not exactly an extensive vocabulary, but it's something.

College and Money and Transport, Oh My!

Remember what I said about not knowing where I would go to college? Today I made some progress solving that problem. I'll most likely apply to Camden County College initially, then move on to Rutgers to get my degree. Unfortunately I can't go to the campus I was hoping for, as the journalism course is only offered in New Brunswick, which is a full hour's drive from where I live. I still need to research the dorm situation, as it looks like I'll be boarding there.

CCC offers a career prep course which can help me get a job. I'm going to use this course - and the money I earn from the job(s?) I get - to save up, and eventually purchase a car. My aim is to have this car in time to leave for Rutgers, since I can't use the family van while living an hour away.

The problem with that, however, is that I don't have a permit yet. This website says I need to take a driver's education course first. This is something to speak with my parents about.

Further Research

Today, I found a website which will help me improve my money skills. The site contains a high school level lesson plan about budgeting. I was able to complete the first lessons easily, but the lesson to do with college is daunting, to say the least. I don't yet know where I'm going for college. I have yet to settle on a community college that's right for me, and while I had originally planned on moving on to Rutger's after community, I discovered through research that in order to get a degree from Rutger's in journalism, I must first acquire degrees from other fields. I was not prepared for this discovery.

In other news, I'm contemplating taking the PSAT when I can. I'm unsure of my ability to perform well at such a test, so further research is required.

Agenda?

Hello again. As promised, I'll now expand on my personal beliefs, interests, and agenda(?) for the next two or three years.

My thesis must answer two questions; What is a successful adult, and how will I become one? The way I see it, to be a successful adult I must find what I'm good at and use my skills to contribute to society. As for self care, I'll need to acquire practical skills such as cooking, cleaning, getting and keeping a job, and I'll need to understand economics much better than I currently do. That is, I have to know how banks work, how to do taxes, how to pay bills, etc.

I already know more or less what my skills are. I can read and write fairly decently. I can sing well and am learning to play the piano and the violin, but that's more of a hobby than a promising career. As for my interests, I'd like to learn ASL and Italian. I'd like to travel. You can already tell I'm a music lover. I also have an affinity for photography, though I don't have very good equipment for such an endeavor.

I've thought of a career for myself which would make good use of my writing and photography skills, while simultaneously satisfying my desire to get out and see the world; Investigative journalism. Journalists, particularly reporters, are tasked with going out to places where big things are happening and providing news coverage. This would be perfect for me.

When I graduate, I'm going to take a year or so at a community college, and transfer to real college when I'm ready. I will get my Bachelor's degree in journalism, and apply for an internship somewhere. I don't know where yet, but that's something to be worked out. With enough experience, I'll be able to become a true employee of a journalistic organization.

Of course, as of today my job is figuring out how to do the things I want to do. As I haven't been attending PFS for very long, I don't yet have all of that sorted. What I do know is, there's an ASL dictionary here from which I can study, this blog will help me improve my writing skills with practice, and I have many resources at my disposal if I should ever need them.

There's also the question of what happens if I fail my graduation essay. I have a backup plan. I will study hard in a variety of areas and obtain a GED, which as far as colleges are concerned is almost as good as a diploma. PFS has a variety of books which should help me learn the material.

This is how I will reach my destination of stability.

A Cotton Eyed Joe Question

Here it is; the first of many posts to come. I suppose I should get a few things out of the way. First of all, my name is Bella. I'm sixteen, and yesterday I was officially enrolled in the Philly Free School. Currently I'm undergoing a trial period which I'm told will conclude in five days' time, at which point I'll be contractually obligated to stay for at least this year. This was decided at my admissions meeting yesterday.

Incidentally, the meeting was where I learned that graduation works differently here. Rather than completing a test, or simply lasting out a few more years, I will write a paper detailing my definition of a successful, functioning adult. I will explain how I plan to turn myself into someone befitting of such a title, and I will do it eloquently and professionally. Additionally I will submit information about my life before, during, and after PFS, highlighting where I came from and where I plan on going, sort of like that Cotton Eyed Joe song.

You might be wondering where this blog fits into the picture. This is a bit like a web journal. You see, I'm  not entirely sure where I'm going or how to get there. Now is the time to figure that out, and seeing as a big chunk of my thesis must be about what I do here, I thought it would be helpful to take notes. I'll hop on a computer every so often and post updates about my situation, things I've done, lessons I've learned.

There's a bit more to cover, such as my interests and the vaguely compiled skeleton of a plan I have for the school year and life after graduation, but that's another post entirely. I'll most likely get around to adding that information later today, but it's time for my lunch now. Here's where this post comes to a close.