I've officially survived my first full semester of post-grad life. 3 classes and 2 jobs later, I'm still not quite sure how I managed, but I did it! And, with a 4.0 in all classes, thankyouverymuch. :-)
I think the one question I've heard the most over the last few months has been: "Do you like being back in school?" My first responses is always yes, because it's true - I'm a nerd at heart and I have always generally enjoyed school. And I usually stop there because no one really wants to hear me keep babbling, but honestly it has been a more complicated question to answer.
For many reasons, it has been very different than the last time around. For one, even though it's only been 5 years since I graduated, technology has already changed for students. Renting books was just beginning to be a thing back then, so I didn't rent nor did I know anyone who did. Holy crap does it save money! Also, it was pretty rare that anyone had a smart phone - I didn't have one until several months after I graduated. I was talking about studying for an exam with a fellow student one day and mentioned I made myself note cards - his response was something like - "Oh I have an app to make note cards on my phone." It didn't even occur to me that would exist!
Secondly, community college students are very different than the students I encountered at the University of Michigan. There is definitely a stigma about community college students that is negative - students who weren't smart or motivated enough to get into 4-year universities. But I saw so much more there. Yes, there are always going to be a few kids who fit the stereotype. I did encounter one such student who told me he wasn't getting very good grades on the exams and seemed pretty bummed out about it, but then proceeded to tell me he never studied. Yea. But it seemed the biggest demographic was actually students planning to transfer to four year schools. It's really apparent that these students are working really hard and generally care about their education. I think it's encouraging and it's what college students should be like, rather than some of the students at Michigan who let's face it, barely had to work hard in their life, had their tuition paid for by their parents, and took their college education for granted. Though the students that encourage me the most are the ones like me - the older students, both those returning for further education and some going to school for the first time. It's just great to see people bettering their lives and chasing their dreams.
Another thing I've noticed that is different is the teaching style of the professors. On one hand, they are really encouraging and helpful to students, which is of course great since most of the students are really trying to do well and move on to other schools. On the other, I have to wonder if some of their techniques are hurting rather than helping. In two of my classes, I actually ended up with well over 100% grades because of the absolutely insane amount of extra credit. The one I didn't was taught by a professor who mainly teaches at a four-year university and did not offer as much extra credit. Two of my classes also dropped the lowest quiz and lab grades. I didn't take a lot of classes at UM with quizzes and labs (instead lots of papers and only midterm/final exams) so I don't really know if that's common at other schools, but I never remember having the opportunity for so much extra credit. So I have to wonder if this grade-padding is really helping the students or just the teachers.
Finally, and maybe most significantly, I have never felt so lonely in my life than over this semester. This is not the same lonely as some sad "no one understands me" teenager. To me it's not really that sad either, most of the time, because I know it will pass. The reason I feel so lonely is I am constantly surrounded by people who are different than I. I live in a building with college freshman. I go to class with primarily young students right out of high school. The older ones I mentioned are usually much older than me, closer to middle aged. All my friends have full-time 9-5 jobs, like I formally had. I don't really know any of my coworkers at the agency where I work part-time, because I work on contract-type work alone and am only there twice a week. At my other job, most of my coworkers are either younger college and high school students, or much older women aged 50+. There is truly no one I know that can 100% relate to my situation. Yes, I do have an amazingly supportive husband who did some career-changing of his own in the past few years, and is working on his second master's right now! He keeps me sane for sure, and of course having him and my adorable little dog means I'm not literally alone. But again, having no one to relate to can be tough sometimes. And it gets really tricky to make plans with my friends and family when you work weekends and they work weekdays. This semester I went several weeks at a time without seeing either of our families, which we usually make a habit to see at least a few times a month. Most of my friends have been really understanding and supportive, but there are also those who don't seem to understand why I can't go out spontaneously on a Saturday night or take a weekend off for a trip.
So that's how my first semester went. Whew. Now for a few much-needed weeks off! And a favorite quote from my favorite fellow lover of school:
I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could have been all killed -- or worse, expelled.
- Hermione Granger
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