Life in the Slow Lane

"Keep right except to pass." How many times have I seen that sign as I zoomed down the freeway in the left lane? Plenty. Now, however, I am in the right lane, the slow lane. And it feels great! Life in the fast lane is exhilarating - for a while. But it gets old.

Now I am enjoying a slower pace of life - but only because it's summer. I know once fall semester starts up, I'll have to jump back into hyperspace. But this fall semester is going to be different because I will be on campus during the day - all day. I haven't done that in quite some time.

I have been keeping busy by researching my senior thesis, hanging out with friends, and training a new puppy. Yes. We got a new puppy from the animal shelter over the weekend. His name is Riley and he's a Houndatian - hound/Dalmatian. He should get his spots sometime in the next six months. Jack (my other dog) is already teaching him some bad habits. (Sigh)

I can look out my office windows and see the library, the Joe Johnson Pedestrian Mall and the Humanities buildings. I'm within walking distance of the gym and The Strip (the main drag through campus with all the restaurants). Even though it is summer here at UT, there is still quite a bit of activity - summer school, freshman orientation, Governor's School, and cheerleading and sports camps. I never realized a college campus could be such a hub of activity. Which leads me to my next observation.

Are you a new on-campus nontrad? Have you registered for the fall semester yet? Has a heard of butterflies camped out in your stomach? Now is the time to familiarize yourself with your campus - when there are fewer people around. If you're already registered, or have not registered but know what classes you want to take, make a list of your (potential) classes. The list should include the building and room number of the class (should be available on the class or course listing).

Now, take your list and a map of campus and find out where your classes are going to be. Go on a "photographic scavenger hunt". Take a picture of each building and (if the building is open), each classroom that you will have a class in. Take a picture of the bookstore and the Student Center. This will familiarize you with where you need to go that first day of class. New students are nervous enough without having to worry about where their classes are and where the nearest bathroom is! Taking the time to familiarize yourself with your surroundings (if you haven't already), will be a great advantage to you. Have you visited your advisor? Chances are, he/she is out for the summer. But you can still find out where his/her office is.

Use summer to your advantage - to familiarize yourself with campus, to get supplies together, to save up for books (groan - that's a whole different subject!) and to scout out who has the best food and free wi fi for those non-library study sessions. I am all about making life easier when possible. Familiarization with your surroundings definitely makes life easier!

As I cruise along in the slow lane, I am thinking of things to share with other nontrads, making a list of questions for my advisor (who will also be mentoring my senior thesis), and enjoying a less stressful pace of life - for the time being. All is well. Stay tuned . . .

What if I Don't Do Summer School?

That's the question I asked my advisor when I first started back to school. She told me, "Well, then, you just have to spend more time in school." Drat! Looks I'll be doing that. Had to drop my summer school classes due to financial constraints in this economy (sound familiar?). However, that does not mean I am at home couch-potatoing it. No. I am knee deep in research for my senior thesis.

A while back, I posted a blog on what to do if you can't afford to go back to school. The main thing is that to keep your brain active and used to the researching, reading, and studying so it won't be as difficult to get back into the swing of things when you do return to school. The research is keeping my brain active.

I will be bischooling it again in the fall. Fun. If all goes as planned, I will be taking 15 hours. Wow! Now that is some serious full-time school! It will be a challenge, but challenges are good.

Part of being a nontrad is the myriad of challenges it represents. Older student returning to school, having to remember how to take notes, study, etc. I understand that challenging the aging brain is a good thing. Don't let that brain just sit on a park bench somewhere this summer! If you're not summer schooling, do something to challenge your brain! My mom used to make us do our multiplication tables during the summer so we'd be all geared up and "smart", ready for school to start at the end of August.

Fall semester is about 6 weeks away. I know that time will go fast! Stay tuned . . .

Gearing Up for Summer School

Whew! Seems like I just finished with one semester and summer school is right around the corner. Luckily, I am not scheduled until second session which starts July 6 and goes until August 7. That will be one intense month! My son starts summer school at the community college in three weeks. Both of us need to get prepared now. What do we need to do?

Getting Geared up For Summer School:
1. If this is your first summer at summer school, make sure all your records are in order - transcript from previous school, immunization records, etc. Different schools require different records, but most require transcripts and application. Don't wait until the last minute, even if you're unsure about your attendance.
2. Make sure you confirm your attendance for summer school. Some schools have this option in their online registration window. If you don't confirm your attendance, you'll be dropped.
3. Work out any financial aid or deferred payment plans. Neglect in this as well will cause your schedule to be dropped.
4. Watch for sales on school supplies or reuse supplies from last semester. If you still have half a notebook and a few pens left, use them up! You know the old saying, "Use it up, wear it out; Make it do, do without."
5. Get in the right mindset. Summer school is like running a sprint for 4-8 weeks - get ready for it. The regular semester is a marathon - you have more time. Not so in summer school. Psych yourself up to move fast, read quickly and study HARD! Invest in a Starbucks gift card for yourself.
6. Remember - IT'S WORTH IT! Summer school is for those classes you can't stomach for 16 weeks but could possibly tolerate for 4-8 weeks.

Forget the sandals, we're going to need a good pair of running shoes for summer school. You with me?? Let's go! Stay tuned . . . .

Staying Focused During Summer School

Ray of Sunshine wrote me and asked, "How do you stay focused enough for summer school?" It's not easy! The primary way I stay focused is to keep that goal in sight - my degree. I thought about some practical ideas and the following is what I came up with. If anyone has anything else they'd like to add from their summer school experience, jump right in!

How to Stay Focused During Summer School:

1. Keep the goal in sight: What is your goal? It is to finish your education and get your degree!
2. Commiserate with classmates: Form a study group and meet out on the lawn in the school quad or at an outside table at a local cafe.
3. Study outdoors: You'll feel deprived if you spend the whole summer in the library and then you'll become resentful of your goal.
4. Declare one room in your house a "study free zone" where no schoolbooks are allowed, but chillaxing is always welcome!
5. Remember that there are at least 8-12 other people in the classroom with you as well as the teacher/prof. You're all in this together.
6. Remember that summer school is a short-term commitment. This, too, shall pass.

The Good Things About Summer School:

1. No tan line.
2. You don't smell like sunscreen.
3. You don't need to wear a hat.
4. That Philosophy class you were dreading is only 6 weeks long.
5. Not as much homework.
6. No sand in your bikini bottoms.
7. You can wear your Birkenstocks and Bermuda shorts and fit right in.
8. Smaller classes.
9. The teacher has "office hours" at Starbucks.
10. It's ok to take your shoes off.

Yes, summer school is a whole different beast. Used to be when I was growing up that summer school was for the bad kids who didn't pass the classes during the regular school year. Now, summer school is for the serious kids (like me) who want to get in there and git'er done!

A toast to all of us who will be braving the wilds of summer school this year (again). May our grades be hot and our classes be cool!

Stay tuned . . .