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I am probably certifiably insane.
Sep. 27th, 2003 04:25 pmEarly in the semester i determined that i am learning approximately 4 languages this semester.
1) Spanish
Okay, so i already knew Spanish fairly well (hence being in a 366) but i haven't used it in a while. Like the one other Spanish lit class i took at Smith, this one is fairly intense in terms of literary analysis, so while sometimes i read just for the basic gist dspite wanting to improve my vocabulary due to time restraints, i often have to make the time to look up words because i'm going to need to understand almost every word come classtime.
2) newspaper editorials
Each week, 650-750 words of sociopolitical commentary with a Smith focus (so that it is now my job to keep up with the news and the Jolt) but not being bitchy or preachy, this is hard enough, but there is the added bonus of the fact that i have never worked in the editorial format before, so Cate gets to say such things as "I know you're a great writer. However, I don't think this week's submission shows that." My analogy is that it is like dumping an Italian speaker in Argentina.
3) Logic
Logic is math and philosophy. Symbolic logic makes my brain hurt, and it annoys me that we seem to do a lot of homework stuff that yes technically is in the book but that isn't really important in the grand scheme and that we won't ever really use (e.g. Polish Sentential), but the stuff that really relates to learning how to argue stretches my brain in a good way.
4) Economics
Doing the math diagnostic for Intro Micro i could really feel that i was reaching back years to remember how to graph equations and such. Nothing we've done so far has been too hard, but i haven't seriously used the math part of my brain in over two years, so it's an effort to really make myself understand it well enough to be able to do it myself though i mostly understand it when i'm watching it in class.
Additionally, i am involved in Tangent (formerly trans-committee), Spectrum (formerly LBTA), and Bodywise, and eventually i may start going back to the YWCA on Thursday evenings.
And being a house SAA (Student Academic Advisor) combined with a door almost always ajar at the head of the second floor stairs means that i get asked about everything.
But i'm learning lots of interesting things in my classes (and am collecting amusing anecdotes as well) and sometimes i even say really intelligent things, and i really care about the stuff i'm involved in, and i really like being helpful, so i don't really want to change anything, i just need to get better at focusing on really doing my work.
I'm torn between wanting to write up all this interesting stuff (i have an Entry of Doom half-finished) and feeling incredibly overwhelemed at just how much there is and knowing my time would be better spent doing actual schoolwork.
1) Spanish
Okay, so i already knew Spanish fairly well (hence being in a 366) but i haven't used it in a while. Like the one other Spanish lit class i took at Smith, this one is fairly intense in terms of literary analysis, so while sometimes i read just for the basic gist dspite wanting to improve my vocabulary due to time restraints, i often have to make the time to look up words because i'm going to need to understand almost every word come classtime.
2) newspaper editorials
Each week, 650-750 words of sociopolitical commentary with a Smith focus (so that it is now my job to keep up with the news and the Jolt) but not being bitchy or preachy, this is hard enough, but there is the added bonus of the fact that i have never worked in the editorial format before, so Cate gets to say such things as "I know you're a great writer. However, I don't think this week's submission shows that." My analogy is that it is like dumping an Italian speaker in Argentina.
3) Logic
Logic is math and philosophy. Symbolic logic makes my brain hurt, and it annoys me that we seem to do a lot of homework stuff that yes technically is in the book but that isn't really important in the grand scheme and that we won't ever really use (e.g. Polish Sentential), but the stuff that really relates to learning how to argue stretches my brain in a good way.
4) Economics
Doing the math diagnostic for Intro Micro i could really feel that i was reaching back years to remember how to graph equations and such. Nothing we've done so far has been too hard, but i haven't seriously used the math part of my brain in over two years, so it's an effort to really make myself understand it well enough to be able to do it myself though i mostly understand it when i'm watching it in class.
Additionally, i am involved in Tangent (formerly trans-committee), Spectrum (formerly LBTA), and Bodywise, and eventually i may start going back to the YWCA on Thursday evenings.
And being a house SAA (Student Academic Advisor) combined with a door almost always ajar at the head of the second floor stairs means that i get asked about everything.
But i'm learning lots of interesting things in my classes (and am collecting amusing anecdotes as well) and sometimes i even say really intelligent things, and i really care about the stuff i'm involved in, and i really like being helpful, so i don't really want to change anything, i just need to get better at focusing on really doing my work.
I'm torn between wanting to write up all this interesting stuff (i have an Entry of Doom half-finished) and feeling incredibly overwhelemed at just how much there is and knowing my time would be better spent doing actual schoolwork.