Routine Uncertainties

I spoke with Reb yesterday about my desire to return to public school. He said that it's understandable that I'd struggle now, and that it takes time to adjust to the free school environment. He also said that I don't have to sign the forms anytime soon, and I could go ahead and attend public school if I wanted. If I get tired of that, PFS's doors are always open. That's a comfort.

For the past couple weeks I've been following a study routine. Three days a week I practice for the main SAT - that's the reading & math portion - and during my free time those days and the whole day the other days, I study for the Biology Subject Test. I'm still worried about my performance there, but I took a practice test for the main one and got 1310 out of 1600, so that's good.

I intend to keep this routine up until the test, for which I'm now officially registered. I'm to take it at the public school in town, which will give me an opportunity to familiarize myself with the location.

Do I stay, do I dare?

Next year's enrollment forms came in the mail this morning. I don't know if I want to sign them.

I've long believed that I can't go back to the public school in my district because it's not a welcoming environment and because I couldn't handle the workload. However, a friend of mine who was unpopular like me when we went to sixth grade together has since moved up the social ladder at least enough not to be the target of bullying. Maybe I could do that too. As for the workload, college will have an even larger workload than public high school. If I think I can prepare for that, then I should be able to handle it next year.

I may need to repeat 11th grade, but that may happen here too, so it's not a gamble. I still want to go to community college after graduation, just to make sure I have all my bases covered.

There is, of course, the matter of this blog. If I go back to district, this blog's original purpose will become obsolete. I will not write an essay about my life plans on graduation day. I will not need my blog as a reference tool. It will no longer matter. Even so, I think I'll keep writing here when I can, for my own sake. It's comforting to have a written record and a plan.

RD Update

Rutgers finally delivered on that update.  The events listed are a mix of educational tours and talks, games, and projects. There's food too, but it's not free. I'm interested in a stress management program which is aptly named, "Got Stress?" I want to visit the Department of Biology, though the program only lists one event there - The Rutgers Files. It looks like it's aimed at young children. The activity involves investigating a mock crime scene to deduce what happened to some stolen snacks.

Honestly, I'm much more excited at the prospect of visiting Rutgers than the activities themselves.

Rutgers Day and Registration

I finally buckled down and registered for the SATs. I decided to take the SAT with the essay, along with the Biology subject test. Even if I don't end up using that, it's good to have. Since I can take another test next year, I can always take a different subject test that time around. I'm starting to get the hang of some of the math, finally, so I'm going to spend the rest of the month concentrating on Biology.

Today I learned Rutgers is having a public all-ages event on the thirtieth, known as Rutgers Day.  As the page states, this is an event intended for those seeking to explore the college, whether it be alumni, a current student, or a prospective student such as myself. I intend to take advantage of this. Who knows? Maybe I'll get something for my application out of it.

There's supposed to be a program booklet here, but it's not there as of this moment. It's supposed to turn up sometime today, though, so I'll keep checking and update soon.