A group journal for adult students

[Dennis]

I know I'm not the only one here who is going to school, so here's a group journal to talk about it. If anyone can come up with a better title, please suggest it :)

[Jessica]

I'm a student too. I'm in my last semester of school for my MBA.

[Dennis]

I want to become a physician assistant so I have been taking prereqs since last January. I'll have enough of them finished so I can apply to the PA program this summer. If I get in, I'll start next summer.

I'm currently taking Physiology and it's the first classroom class I've had to take, the others have been on-line. It's three nights a week so it's putting a bit of stress on everyone. I'm at the halfway point so it's downhill from here, I hope.

[Dennis]

Jessica, how often do you have class? And when do you find time to study?

I find that I get the most done on my lunch hour. I go to the library a few days every week. And fortunately the kids go to sleep pretty early so I can get some stuff done after they're in bed.

[Jessica]

I am taking two classes at a time, and they each meet for 2.5 hours once a week, so I'm in class two nights a week.

I also do a lot of my homework/reading on my lunch hour. That's when I get the most done. If I have a paper to write or additional work to do, I'll work on it at home after dinner. I find that more disruptive though, because it's not as quiet, and there are a million other things I'd rather be doing.

[Melissa]

:wavey: I'm here!

I'm in the middle of my master's of music education degree from Boston University, completely online. I'm about half-way through right now. The hardest class in the series is coming up next.

I find time to study while Katie is in pre-school and after she goes to bed. The class load is supposed to be around 15-20 hours a week, some classes have been more (thank goodness the 40 hour week class was this summer!) and this past one was only 2 credits so it was around 10 hours a week.

We have discussion questions that we have to answer weekly, plus replying to a fellow student's answer. That is on top of each week's assignment. The assignments vary depending on the class. Since it is a music program, we have practical classes like theory, orchestration where we are writing music. Then we have psychology and sociology classes dealing with music.

[Kimberly]

I'm here! I am finishing my first quarter of my Ph.D. in early childhood education right now. Only three weeks to go in this class. I can't wait until the next quarter starts up and I am finished with this class!

I'll have to come back and post more later.

[Dennis]

Melissa, my on-line classes had discussion questions like that. We got 2 points for posing our own answer, 2 points for replying to someone else, and 1 point for quoting a source. I think 90% of the sources were from wikipedia :)

This phyisiology class is really interesting but it's kicking my ass. At least spring break is the week after next so I'll get a week off. If I can get the class I want for the summer it will be online. But since I'm a non-degree student, I'm last in line to register, so hopefully it won't fill up.

[Melissa]

Our discussion question weights vary by class. For example, in a music theory class that is heavily based on being able to write music, asking a question about a specific chord isn't as important as being able to identify it and then write it in a progression correctly with correct voice leading. Oh it is just as fun as it sounds! Soduku for musicians seriously!

However, in a sociology or psychology, our discussion questions had more weight to them because it is necessary and much easier to have a discussion about the topics in that class.

Dennis, I hope you get your online course! At first I didn't know if I would enjoy taking the entire master's program online, but I really love working at my own speed and timetable. Our classes are 7 weeks long and one class I had all the work completed by the end of week 5.

I'm surprised that your school allows wikipedia. It is heavily frowned upon by our professors. We do have access to JSTOR and ERIC though.

[Dennis]

Even the professor for my current class - which is an upper level - likes wikipedia.

Online classes do have their own challenges, that's for sure. The ones I've taken have had a pretty strict schedule so it keeps you on track. And it's so nice to not actually have to go to class. My current class is downtown so I end up spending an hour and a half in travel time on top of the class time.

[Melissa]

We do have our classes broken down into weeks, I meant that I could get my work done on day 3 of the week vs. day 7 and have the rest of the week free, or begin the next week's work. So there are plenty of due dates to keep us on track but for those of us that like to work ahead, it works for us as well.

I personally love wiki, but I guess some places just don't give it the clout that other encyclopedias have. When I do have a research topic though, I'll use wiki as a jumping off point, I'll read the bibliography on the page and then go to those places for further research.

[Melissa]

For anyone else taking online classes, do you ever get a "live classroom" setting, meaning there is a instant messenger portion, question and answer with your professor or faciliators (teacher's assistant)? Also, do you miss out on the classroom experience?

We had one using a program called live classroom, it is similar to other types of networking software like live meeting, where you can hear other people, and the person running the meeting can enable students to speak at certain times. That was fantastic in this class and I wish all of my classes had offered it.

There are times that I miss the classroom experience, especially the socialization. After class, when I was in the upper classes of undergrad work, many of us would continue the classroom discussions in one of the music department's hangout areas. The online music ed program has it's own "off campus" blog through yahoo groups, and there is a lot of venting, comparing, discussion on there, but it isn't the same as when it happens face to face.

[Dennis]

The online classes I've taken didn't have any kind of live chat - just discussion boards and e-mail. You definitely miss out on the classroom experience. I took two biology lab classes on-line, and it would have been really nice to have someone there to explain things.

And I agree about the socialization aspect. It is nice in this class to talk to other students before and after class and during labs.

[Dennis]

I got a 96 on my lab test so I'm feeling much better about my grade right now. Of course we have the next lecture exam on Wed. and there's a ton of material to cover for it.

Do you guys ever take time off work to study? I'm taking Monday afternoon off because I don't think I'll have enough time otherwise.

[Melissa]

Do you guys ever take time off work to study? I'm taking Monday afternoon off because I don't think I'll have enough time otherwise.
Absolutely! There have been days where I put Katie in front of a movie so I can work! :shuffle:

We just found out that BU is changing their online course grading policy. In order to get a 4.0, you need to earn a 96-100 in a given class. 90 and above is a 3.7. :sigh:

[Dennis]

That sucks Melissa. The school where I'm taking my class has pluses and minuses on their grades. I think it sucks, but what can you do.

[Dennis]

How do you guys deal with the stress? I have another test tomorrow night and I'm totally stressing out about it. It's really weird because I've never worried about tests before, but then I never really cared that much about my grades. But I really need to get a good grade in this class, plus it's my only chance to get a recommendation from a professor. The PA program said they like to see one of the letters from a prof. He said he'll write one if you get a B- or higher and he gets to know you a bit by going to his office hours.

At least next week is spring break, and then there are only 6 weeks left.

[Jessica]

I deal with school stress pretty well. If anything, school has kind of been my stress relief...I've moved several times, planned a wedding, and bought a house while in school, so it's sort of my escape from everything else. When I have a big project ahead of me, I sort of break it down to avoid stressing about it. I had a midterm due the night before I settled on my new house. I broke it down question by question, and did a little at a time. I tried to just focus on the part I was working on, without worrying about the next question. I have a huge paper due on Monday, and I've been looking at it and breaking it down into more managable parts which I'll work on one at a time instead of worrying about churning out a big paper with all kinds of attachments.

Good luck on your test, Dennis!

[Nadine]

Good luck with the test, Dennis!

I am joining you guys - maybe only for a while though.
I have an MA in English Literature. I work as technical writer (8 hrs a day, Fridays and Saturdays are off but then i am busy with kids/household chores etc).

Now I am contemplating whether or not to take a 4-month long course in Import/Export and start my own business. The classes would be on Fridays from 8:30-13:00. That means I'd have to find an arrangement for Moriah and DH would have to pick up the kids at noon and look after them until 2:30 pm. That in itself is doable. The problem is... since we are observant Jews, Friday is the only day I have for chores, cleaning, having a CL over... you name it.
I know it is only 4 months (20 Fridays) but I am afraid it would be too much for me.
On the other hand, I think this could be VERY interesting and useful and I have been playing with the idea for a few month now.
What do you think?

[Dennis]

Nadine, if you really want to do it, then go for it! It doesn't sound like you'd have too much trouble working out the details. And it's only 20 Fridays.

[Melissa]

Nadine, I agree with Dennis. Is there anyone that can help you with the cleaning etc? That way you won't feel like you are letting your house go so you can go back to school. Of course, I should look at my own house :shuffle: :lol:

Dennis, I stress about my grades much more than I did as an undergraduate. I've become a perfectionist on my assignments and take every assignment very seriously. I'm especially nervous about the class that just started yesterday and after looking it over, I'm even more so! It is a method of analyzing music that I've never experienced before.

When I find myself getting too stressed out, I exercise and take some time off, then go back at it later.

[Dennis]

Well, I think I did well on the test, but I thought that about the last one and I got a 78, so we'll see. I was a bit annoyed that a bunch of stuff wasn't even on the test. If I had known that, I could've saved a lot of time studying it :)

[Nadine]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll wait until I get a new job and then I'll see how I'll handle things.

Dennis - Sorry about so much stuff not being on the test. I hope you did well!

[Dennis]

I'm on spring break this week, which is a nice break. I was home on a monday for the first time in about 10 weeks.

I'm getting worried about summer registration now. I need to take an upper level biology class in order to meet the prereqs for the PA program so I can apply this year. If I don't get one this summer, I'll have to wait until next year to apply. I'm hoping to take an on-line cell biology class, but registration started last week and it's already down to 17 open spots (out of 27). Since I'm a non-degree student, I get to register last - next Tuesday. I think they were still on seniors today and juniors start tomorrow. Since it's an upper level class, I think if it gets through the juniors I'll be okay. But it's really going to suck if I don't get this class, because there is only one other upper level course that I can take this summer, and I don't really have the prereqs for it, if I can even get into it. Ugh. We'll see what happens.

[Jayne]

Dennis, I know that when I was in school I could petition the proffessor of the class if I didn't get in. Lots of times they would hold 5 open spots because many will drop the class within the first week. I hope you get in!

[Nadine]

I hope you get in, Dennis!

[Melissa]

Dennis, I know that when I was in school I could petition the proffessor of the class if I didn't get in. Lots of times they would hold 5 open spots because many will drop the class within the first week. I hope you get in!
I agree! Good luck! :crossfing

I'm in the second week of the hardest class and from what I can see, they changed the class quite a bit from last year (or so the people who have already taken the class say). But I have the professor as my facilitator which means I should expect harder grading from him. The upside of that is he's really on top of things and responds quickly! :up:

I know this isn't school related, but we found out that Reed didn't get his promotion. The good part of that is, he can drop his retirement any day now. :woo: Right now he's planning on putting in his paperwork in June, that way he'll be retired by next June and we can settle in to our new home next summer.

[Dennis]

Dennis, I know that when I was in school I could petition the proffessor of the class if I didn't get in. Lots of times they would hold 5 open spots because many will drop the class within the first week. I hope you get in!

Jayne, they do have a wait list that I can get on if I can't get in. And they might always add spots - they did that for my current class because it was in high demand. So we'll see.

[Dennis]

Melissa, what class is it?

That's too bad Reed didn't get the promotion, but that's good he can retire now!

[Melissa]

It is Analyzing Music Techniques. What we are doing is breaking a major piece of music into its very small portions and then putting them back together to analyze the phrase structure, the basic melodic and harmonic lines that outline the music. It is a lot of time consuming, brain numbing work to look at a melodic line and say, "well did the composer really just want a very simple lyrical line and decided to add 4 sixteenth notes to make it more exciting. Which of those sixteenth notes are part of the basic line vs. non-harmonic tones that just make it sound nice."

Then we have to write essays on why composers made the music sound the way that they did.

I do have to say it is somewhat interesting because I've never had a class like this and it is a different way of looking at music, but it is very technical and sometimes reduces music to math which just takes the art out of it.

[Dennis]

Melissa that does sound really tedious and I can see how it totally takes the art out of it. Although the math geek in me thinks it would be kind of interesting.

[Melissa]

I agree it is interesting work, but it is like reducing a Picasso to paint by number. Which is fun in its own right, but, well you see where I'm going.

[Dennis]

The class I want filled up today. I can get on the wait list, but who knows if I'll get in because I'll get low priority there too. Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll add more spots or something.

There's one other class I can take that would be two nights a week (the one I want is online) and that still has spots so hopefully I'll get in. I need to take an upper level bio class this summer or I can't apply this year. So I've been spending a lot of time trying to find an online class somewhere, but there aren't many upper level bio ones offered online. We'll see what happens. Ugh.

[Melissa]

Good luck! I hope a spot opens for you!

[Dennis]

I got a 91.5 on my test! I got one question and the rest of the points were the prof being nitpicky, IMO.

As for the summer registration, I can finally register tomorrow morning and the in-person class is full now. I think people coming back from spring break over the weekend filled it up. But I found an on-line class at Idaho State that I registered for. I need to verify with the PA program that it's acceptable, but I don't see why it won't be. It's a bit expensive because it's 4 credits instead of 3 and I'm paying out of state tuition, but it's still cheaper than the class I'm taking this semester because I don't have to pay a ton of fees.

[Melissa]

That's great Dennis. I have a nitpicky professor as well, I got an 88 on my first assignment, I'm a little more confident about week two's work, and I'm working on week 3 right now which after taking the theory review class last semester should be a breeze.

[Dennis]

Melissa, the trick is figuring out what they want :) It sounds like you're doing well so far.

[Melissa]

I am not happy right now. We have a partnered assignment, I had to write about a piece of music and my partner has to read my assessment and give me advice on how to improve, I had to do that same for my partner and her assessment of a piece. Since it is Easter weekend, I posted my assessment on Thursday afternoon (it wasn't due until Friday). She posted hers on Friday night, and I assessed her assignment by late morning on Saturday. She still has to assess my assignment. :sigh: Our assignments are due by midnight tonight.

I looked at our next few weeks of assignments and I know it is going to be pretty rough. A number of my classmates are already on first name basis with their local liquor store clerks. :lol:

[Dennis]

That's sucks Melissa. I hate group projects. I actually have one for this class but we can do most it by e-mail so it shouldn't be too bad.

My gripe right now is with how ridiculously overpriced the university of colorado is. They added a section of the the on-line class I wanted to take this summer. But on top of regular tuition, they charge a $100 on-line class fee, and you still have to pay all the other fees even if you aren't taking an on-campus course (like the computing fee, the health center fee, and so on). So it will cost about $1300 if I take this class. The Idaho State class is $850. And I'm trying to get into a class at Northern Arizona that's only $700. It's ridiculous that out of state classes are so much cheaper than in-state ones.

[Melissa]

Are you sitting down? I pay about $2000 for a 4 credit class. We do have to pay $400 technology fee each class, but we aren't stuck with all of the "on campus fees." I do think that is ridiculous that they are charging online students those charges.

[Dennis]

Yikes! I know graduate level tuition is higher, but $2000 for an online class? My class tihs semester is $1600 (4 credits) and I thought that was bad.

[Melissa]

I just looked up my fees for the first summer session and that is $2300, that's a lot, but it is a good program and I'm hoping to become a facilitator after I graduate, so I can pay some of that back quick. Plus, there are very few music education graduate programs online right now and no programs in a local college, so I had to do what I had to do. There is an online program out of Hawaii but you have to actually go to the college for a few things. That's a big bill in and of itself (although it would be terrific!)

[Dennis]

Yup, you do what you have to do.

[Melissa]

Just look at my siggy, that says it all.

[Dennis]

What's going on?

[Melissa]

They are trying to cram decades worth of information into one week. We're given a piece to analyze that doesn't follow the normal structure, key areas, and are just told to run with it. And the next two weeks are harder. Even the people that have a lot more theory experience than me is the doctoral program are having problems (we have courses together, with the same assignments).

Our final project is a piece of music (that I haven't even started looking at) and we're supposed to write 8-10 pages using all the "relevant information from this course."
:panic:

Did I mention our professor seems to be MIA this week?

[Dennis]

Of course, he takes off when you need him the most.

I went to school early yesterday to see my prof at his office hours. I asked him about a recommendation letter and he said he'd write one for me, so that's good. Now I just need to get through the class. We have the lab exam next Thursday than a regular exam the following Monday, and then the final is 2 weeks after that. And in the middle of this we have to do this stupid poster presentation where we make a poster to expain a journal article. I'll be so happy when this class is over.

[Melissa]

A poster presentation? In college? Is it a graphics design class?

I will say that this class is interesting, we are learning 5 or 6 different ways of analyzing music. Then we have to take what we learned each week and analyze a piece according to that method. Like looking at a painting and analyzing because it is blue, or modern, or brush strokes. However, I'm realizing that each piece we read out, the analysts "lived" with these pieces for a long time before writing their papers on them. We're given a week to learn the style of analyzing and then analyze a piece according to that style. A week isn't very long to live with a piece, no matter how short it is.

Plus, truly learning the analyzing styles typically takes years of practice, especially the method we are learning this week.

Soooo... I'm taking Katie to a local play center, dropping her in there and heading for the tables so I can get some work done while she plays. I'd take her to a playground but we got a good amount of rain last night and I'm sure everything is wet.

[Dennis]

It's a physiology class. The poster is to present a journal article. We have to take an article, and make a presentation out of it and then everyone presents them the last class. It's a group thing, so it's not that much work, more annoying than anything.

Melissa, that sounds like a ton of work to have to do that stuff so quickly.

[Melissa]

Two weeks left of this class!!! :woo: x 100000000000000000000

I just handed in the hardest assignment I've ever done for school. Our professor ended up holding a "Live Classroom." If you have a microphone you can talk in the class, or you can just text your questions and then listen in. Unfortunately, he didn't give any hints, clues, or even hot or cold areas. :gah: So none of us were better off for attending the class.

This week seems to be quite straightforward. Still a bit of work, but not as ambiguous and confusing as last week.

My next class is American Music, we're going to study the history of music in America. Starting with colonial music up to jazz and the blues I think. From the students that have taken this course before, it is the best course in the program. The lectures are terrific, the homework is reasonable, and you learn a lot! I can't wait! Especially since it promises to talk about Ives (from my hometown), Copeland (one of my favorite composers) and other American composers that I've heard about, but never studied.

[Jayne]

Just stopping in to wish you all a lot of luck! Melissa that History of American music sounds awesome. I too love Copeland. Ives is a bit out there for me but still great to study. I took a class similar to that a few years back. I wish you lots of luck with it!!!


I called YSU on Thursday because I knew that the Summer was scheduling and I wasn't sure if I was to apply to graduate then or later. Thankfully I acutally got ahold of the Dean of General studies and she said that I will get a letter in June at the Start of Summer Session. We graduate in August. I just didn't want to take any chances and mess things up!

[Melissa]

Jayne, thanks!!! I've played a number of Ives pieces (especially since he was from Danbury, CT where I grew up) and while they are out there, I usually ended up enjoying quite a bit. When I was in college I had the chance to play Copeland, I always loved his Simple Gifts. I get chills whenever the basses and tubas enter. One of my favorite musical moments. :nod:

In my undergrad experience, we sent the majority of our time on the history of Western music, not really studying American music specifically. The closest we got was when we learned music for use in the classroom pre-k through 6th grade, folk music, etc...

[Melissa]

I called YSU on Thursday because I knew that the Summer was scheduling and I wasn't sure if I was to apply to graduate then or later. Thankfully I actually got ahold of the Dean of General studies and she said that I will get a letter in June at the Start of Summer Session. We graduate in August. I just didn't want to take any chances and mess things up!
:woo: :bliss: that's wonderful!!!!

[Dennis]

Jayne, that's great!

Melissa, the next class sounds like fun!

I have my lab exam on Thursday then the final lecture exam on Monday, and then the final is 2 weeks after that.

[Melissa]

Good luck on Thursday!

[Melissa]

Dennis, your finals should be coming up right?

I am DONE with this frustrating class. D-O-N-E I found out on the homework that was so frustrating, well I got my paper back and got a 100 on it. :faint: I was in SHOCK!!! I figured out my grade for the course so far, I have to get a 95 or above on the final to keep my 4.0. It sucks being so close. :sigh:

I have a month off between classes. Tomorrow we're going to Busch Gardens.

[Dennis]

Melissa, that's awesome you got 100 on it! Hopefully you'll get the 95 on the final!

I got a 93 on my lab test. I had the last regular exam last week and I'll get it back Monday. I just have 2 more classes this week (we're done with labs) and then the final next week. Wednesday we're doing the poster presentation thing so I need to print out everything for that. It's a group thing but since I have a color printer at work I am printing everything. I'm still around an 87-88 for the class. I'm hoping to pull it up to 90 to get an A-, but we'll see. I'll just be happy when this is done and I don't have to go downtown anymore.

My next class is online through Idaho State and it starts May 14, so I don't get much of a break. It's scheduled for just 5 weeks, but the teacher said she gives everyone through the end of July to finish it. I'm hoping to get it done on schedule so I can get another class done this summer, but we'll see.

[Melissa]

Is there at least parking for you? I remember trying to park in Downtown Denver and it was awful. Or do you hop a bus?

Good luck on your presentation!

[Dennis]

I take the light rail down. It stops right at school so it's not bad (and it's free because I get a pass from work that I never use otherwise). They have parking there but you have to pay, and the campus is right next to the Pepsi Center so traffic usually sucks.

[Melissa]

:faint: I got a 98 on my final!!!! I NEVER thought I would really keep my 4.0 with this class and the change in grading criteria. :faint: Seriously :faint: Coupled with that I have the professor as my facilitator! :faint:

Good luck on your finals Dennis!!!

[Dennis]

That's awesome Melissa!

I got a 99 on my last test! And we got 50 out of 50 on our poster presentation. So I'm at about a 91 going into the final on Wed. I don't think I can get up to a full A even with a perfect scored, but I'm in solid A- territory.

[Melissa]

Dennis that is wonderful!!! :woo:

[Dennis]

I took the final tonight so I'm done!!! We all survived the class - I'm not sure if it was harder on Mary or me. I thought I did well, but I wasn't sure on a couple of questions. I think I held on to my A-.

Now I get 4 days off and start pathophysiology on Monday, if I ever get the info for logging on to the course. I e-mailed the registrar the other day and she forwarded it on to the teacher. The teacher replied that she would be sending out the info yesterday, and I haven't received anything yet. I'll e-mail her Friday if I haven't heard anything by then. I did get my book the other day and it's huge - 1,500 pages!

[Melissa]

:woo: :bliss: Enjoy your four days off.

[Dennis]

I got 140 out of 150 on my final! The final grades aren't in yet, but I should hold my A-.

I dropped my class that was starting today. I was looking over the syllabus and everything yesterday and I realized I was in way over my head. So I'm going to take the cell biology class through Colorado, even though it's going to cost a bit more. But it's more important that I do well. I also registered for an independent study genetics class through BYU. I have a year to get it done, but I'm hoping I can get it done this summer so it will be in when I apply so I can boost my GPA a little more. But I don't need to get it done until I would start (if I get in).

[Melissa]

Great job Dennis!!!! Yikes about that pathophysiology class. Its a good thing to drop it before you tried it for a few weeks and then found out it was going to drop your GPA.

[Dennis]

Melissa, because it was scheduled as a 6 week class, I had to drop it by the end of the first day to get a full refund. Not that I had actually paid yet, but if I tried it and dropped it later, I'd have been on the hook for a lot of money.

And I sold three textbooks yesterday - my physiology book and the two I bought for the class I dropped. If we had Amazon when I was in college I would've saved so much money on books, and gotten more back for selling them.

[Jessica]

Great job on the finals, Melissa and Dennis!


I finished classes two weeks ago, and I graduate with my MBA this weekend!!! It took four years, but it really flew by!

[Dennis]

Congratulations Jessica!

[Melissa]

Congratulations Jessica!!!!!