School update and pre-employment recon
School seems to be off to a pretty good start. I got a 95 on my first algebra test. It was actually a pretest to determine if we were performing at the appropriate level to stay in this class. The algebra prof told me I could pretest for the intermediate class and move up a level if I wanted to. I’m still thinking that since it’s been so long since I’ve done this kind of math it would be better to stay here to be sure I have a strong foundation moving forward. I’m just happy that all my previous math skills from high school are still in my head somewhere and don’t seem too reluctant to rise to the surface. This still puts me on schedule to take College Algebra in the fall or maybe second summer session if I can squeeze it in. As long as I finish it this fall, it’s still on time for the radiology application next spring. Plus, it will be nice to have this easy math class this semester so that I can focus on anatomy and physiology which is quite involved.
I think I mentioned before that I really love my anatomy professor. This class is going well, although we’ve just started doing anything active in the lab. Unfortunately, because of the scheduling, we’re always a little rushed in lab. Yesterday we had three experiments on diffusion and osmosis. Because of the time crunch, he suggested that different members of the group set up and start the different experiments. So I started on the first one with the girl next to me, the perky cheerleader girl started on the second one and then there was the boy… One guy added this class, so now we are up to two token males. The new guy is in my lab group. I don’t want to make the call that he’s stupid yet, just that he doesn’t seem to pay attention to detail. He interchanged the words beaker and test tube from the directions and added Benedicts solution to the beaker rather than to one of the two test tubes with a sample from the beaker, as he should have done. This would have tainted all the results, so we decided to start over. Only one problem, we had used most of our glucose solution for the initial set up and the lab had no more glucose prepared. Prof Wayne said it was no big deal and that we should just get the data from someone else. It was nice that he wasn’t all hard on us for screwing up one of our first lab exercises. Still, we weren’t about to give up, so one of the girls in my group went around the lab and scrounged the leftover glucose from the rest of the groups (we needed 10ml and had originally been provided about 12.5ml, probably to account for spillage). We were able to come up with the necessary 10ml, but didn’t have enough time for it to set and get the appropriate results. We’ll still have to get the data from one of the other groups, but something good did come out of this.
One of the reasons I like this professor aside from his lecture style is his grading style. The first day of class he said that attendance isn’t strictly mandatory in that he doesn’t officially take roll or anything. He stressed that it would be difficult to pass without attending, but that if any of us felt that confident attendance was at our own discretion. However, he also said that he does notice attendance and participation, and that for anyone who ends the semester on the cusp of a higher grade, those would be the factors that would entice him to bump up a letter. I was delighted with that philosophy. I still remember my first college semester. I almost had a 4.0 and was horrified when I discovered that there is no difference between an 80 and an 89; a B is a B. Anyway, as we were scrounging for leftover glucose solution from the other groups he came by our table and said that our determination impressed him. One week in and we’ve already gotten noticed in a positive way, which takes the sting out of the screw-up, and may also come in handy if I find myself with another 89 near the end.
After school, I decided to do some recon at Barnes & Noble. I’ve been considering trying to get a part-time job there. I have now decided against this. My reasoning is somewhat shallow, but in my opinion valid nonetheless. The recon mission was to get an idea of the employee dress code. After about twenty minutes of browsing and asking about a book at the info counter (so I could sneakily peer over the counter for a waist-down view) it became clear. B&N dress code appears to be business casual – slacks or skirts, loaferish shoes, blouses, or dressy sweaters (though mostly blouses since it is Texas – see previous post). Call me crazy, but I don’t want a job where I can’t wear jeans, tennis shoes, and a nice T-shirt or knit top. If it was a high paying career job it would be a different story, but for a pt while in school barely above minimum wage job, I refuse to spend the equivalent of a paycheck or more on a wardrobe that I’d only wear to work and will require ironing. In fact, part of the reason (among other more carefully considered reasons) that I’ve chosen radiology as my future real job is that I think I’d be cute and comfy in scrubs. So I guess this means that I’m still looking for reasonable pt work. I hate looking for work, but not nearly as much as I hate ironing and/or wearing slacks. Don’t even get me started on pantyhose and heels!
