Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Hi Ho, Hi Ho... Back to School I go!


After a wonderful three- week- long summer vacation complete with trips to D.C & NYC, Mommy back at College is, well, back at college!  I sit here now, between classes on my fist day of the fall semester and am amazed at the difference in the “feel” of the place.  The summer campus was quiet, my classes had far fewer students, and things just seemed a bit more relaxed.  Today, I could not help but smile in my 8:30 a.m. class, as about 100 students poured in.   The campus is packed and buzzing with excitement.  There are newly uniformed crossing guards to direct traffic; the bookstore is festooned with bright balloons, and (gasp!) there is a line at my favorite place to get my morning cuppa tea.
 In retrospect, I can see now that starting my new journey at college during a spring/summer semester was, as Martha would say, a “good thing”.  I felt comfortable, was surprised that there were actually other students my age, and developed a very nice rapport with all of my professors.  I made it through my first semester successfully (with grades that would have even made my parents proud), and am happy to say that I am starting this semester as a member of the Honors College.  I do not recommend taking a years worth of college in 12 weeks, (which is what I did last semester- 25 credits), but it worked for me, as it allowed me to get a lot of the General Education credits out of the way.   I have 4 fewer credits this semester, so in theory, things should lighten up a bit.
 My children and husband adjusted quickly to me being out of the home, and I was able to still make it to their “big” summer events, like Little League Championships and swim finals.  We still enjoyed about the same number of family nights with friends, and even made it to a few of the Tigers games.  The house and yard (albeit somewhat neglected), did survive, and none of the neighbors reported us to the local authorities for weeds, long grass or overall blight.
This semester, like the last one, is filled with mostly Liberal Arts general education classes.  (Thankfully this will be the LAST semester of that!)  My first class this morning was Geology, or “rocks for jocks”, as it is commonly referred to, as it meets the University requirement for a Physical Science, and most of the non-science majors would prefer this to Chemistry or Physics. As I looked around the class I could not help but smile as I realized that most of the class was young.  REALLY young.  Brand new freshmen type young.  I could not help but to look at them through my “mommy” lens, as I noticed new jeans and backpacks, freshly highlighted hair, and nervous excitement.  While waiting for the professor to arrive (who was 5 minutes late) a few of them glanced at me, as if I might be the professor, and had seated myself in the middle of them.  As I sat there, (trying to be impervious to the glances), I made a mental list of all I would tell them if I could, using (of course) my infinite Mommy wisdom…
1.     Come to class.  Today is proof that you obviously CAN get here! Please try to do so for the rest of the semester! Your parents have paid their hard earned money for you to be here- they could take an AWESOME vacation with this $$- but no- they chose to spend it on YOU.
2.     Buy the Textbook and read it.  The Prof made it perfectly clear that 100% of the exam questions are from the text and lectures. 
3.     That guy sitting next to you is NOT worth the effort.  Seriously.  At age 18 all men are stupid idiots. (With acne no less!) Smile, be nice, and get on with your studies.  It you need sex, buy a vibrator and use it when your roommate has her I-pod plugged into her ears. You won’t get pregnant, STD’s, or fail a class because of your relationship with your vibrator.
4.     If you don’t like your roommate, MOVE NOW, (its NOT going to get any better.) If she is a drinker, partier, or disorganized slob now, she will be that way the rest of the semester. Get out and make a move while you can!
5.     Do not drink lattes, eat from the vending machines, or eat meals while studying. I did it my first semester and gained TWENTY –TWO pounds.  Yes, 22 lbs! Now I have the stress of being a mommy with 21 credits AND having to lose 22 lbs.  NOT GOOD. At my age, losing 22 lbs takes a year or more of constant work. Not to mention, most of you are pouring yourself into skinny jeans or leggings from PINK with a muffin top hanging over the waist, your butt crack showing, and wearing tank tops with bras that do not fit you. It looks AWEFUL.  Tatts and nose piercing do not make it look better.  Nor do suede Uggs on the 31st of August.   I do however, like that big tortoise shell eyeglasses are back in style.  Going to get me some of those…

That was all I had time to think about before the Geology Prof came in…… I’m sure I will think of more as the semester goes on.  Off to English class I go! 

1 comment:

  1. Sheeeees back...... OMG Aims, you showed your age by going on a mommy like rant at the end. Too funny!!! Let it go...they are kids.... Haha

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