Monday, October 10, 2011

Benched

I've been fighting off flu-like symptoms (sore throat, productive coughing and non, stuffed up sinuses and general feeling of ill-health) since Friday evening and have had to accept that I am not well enough to spend the day on campus. It's raining and is supposed to keep raining for the next 3 days. It's chilly. It does not seem prudent for me to be out and about all day.

Unless I feel much worse this afternoon, I'm planning on attending my two afternoon classes. I especially can't afford to miss Algebra unless I am totally bedridden. Fortunately, those two classes are in adjacent buildings and have close parking available. That means minimal walking in the rain.

I am surprised at how sad I am that I am missing class.

Thursday, October 06, 2011

A-


I know all two of you have been waiting with bated breath wondering how I did on my dreaded Algebra test. I scored a 92 and would have had a 97 except for a major brain fart on one simple problem. So I just recently stopped slamming my head against a fence post for that major miscue and am now enjoying a happy sense of accomplishment. I worked my ass off and it paid off. Note to self: Do that always.

So this week we started a new chapter and, quite frankly it's seeming like a bit of a breeze. If this continues, considering the relative cushiness of my other classes, this quarter might end up being a nice easing into of the whole return to the academic environment. That would be nice. Next quarter will almost certainly be more challenging, what with taking Biology and Chemistry, both of which include labs. If nothing else, those two classes will take up a ton of my time. But that's next quarter.

While I'm writing this I am also doing my Music History homework by listening to Paganini violin concertos. Life is good.

Speaking of Music History, one of our options for extra credit is to attend a live performance of classical music and write a short report. I learned Tuesday that if you show up at an Oregon Symphony concert two hours before showtime with $10 and your student I.D., you can purchase the best available seat in the house. Very nice. I am going to try to nab tickets for performances of Mozart's Jupiter symphony and Beethoven's one and only violin concerto. Years ago I had a cassette recording of the latter and played it until it finally broke. Stoked I am.

For those monitoring the shedding of pounds I've experienced since changing the way I eat: I am just under 128 lbs. (down from 167 about 4 months ago - I lost over 23% of my previous body weight), wearing 28" jeans (tiny bit loose), and feeling great. I am beginning the process of stabilization by starting to add some carbs back into my diet.

Today I am turning in first writing assignment that counts for English Comp. and tomorrow we have our first quiz that counts for Music History. I guess we are rolling now!

Monday, October 03, 2011

First Test Day

This afternoon I have a test in Algebra. It's not that big of a deal, but it is the first time in 16 years that I've taken a test in an academic environment. So I am a skoche nervous.

Yesterday I spent over 6 hours doing over 100 problems so I am as prepared as I can be. Later this morning I will take a few minutes to take one more look at factoring trinomials with a leading coefficient other than 1*, but other than that, it's about being very deliberate and double-checking everything.

I am reminded of learning to play golf. When I used to play, I had my mantras I would repeat as I was addressing the ball. "Head down... arm straight...", etc. Now it's "No such thing as sum of squares... SIGNS!!... keep going (with the factoring)...", etc.

I don't believe I'm going to be stumped on anything unless I have a brain fart. I should get a B and an A is well within reach. My coach suggested a non-A is perfectly acceptable and not to beat myself up if the result is something besides that. I think I agree. Mostly.

Honestly? I am a little bit excited.

*It may sound like I'm showing off with the tech speak (and maybe I am a little bit), but anyone reading this who is familiar with math will be giggling right about now. I'm pretty sure the stuff I'm being tested on is equivalent to the ABC's in writing.

Saturday, October 01, 2011

Week 1 Update

The first week of the PA Project is in the books, so to speak. It was good. Let's get started with some unfinished business.

Men's Health - Before the first class met, I read some in the textbook and, besides seeing it was ten years old, found it dry and unenlightening to say the least. So my expectations were low for this class. Much to my delight, I found the instructor to be one cool dude. One of the first things he said was we won't be needing the book. Winning!

The class is all guys except for one brave female. There might be one or two besides me who are older than 23. It became apparent early on that this was not going to be your father's men's health class. There is going to be very little writing. One of our assignments is to get a rather thorough health screening and discuss it in class. Another is to go out and do something physical that you've never tried before, e.g. rock climbing, yoga, frisbee golf, etc.

One week we will be researching cancer - signs, risk factors, treatment, etc. During the class, the instructor said if anyone has or has had cancer to please see him during break. So I went and saw him. (If anyone hasn't read this blog before, I've had cancer.) He told me that my assignment is to write something about my experience and if I am willing, to stand up in front of the class and relate that experience. He said that for someone to get up and share their personal experience is worth infinitely more than for these guys to read something out of a book or on some website. He's probably right. I'm going to do it.

   Analysis - Another fun, rewarding class with another swell instructor. (He is so cool he even dropped a couple of F-bombs during the class.) Say it with me: Easy A for me if I put in the time.

The other three classes are going as predicted. Every class has been challenging and rewarding. Algebra is kicking my ass, but I expected that and even this particular ass-kicking has been rewarding. To go through the agony of feeling helpless to solve the problem, then plowing through and getting the hang of it, feels triumphant. This feeling of triumph will be either validated or crushed on Monday when we have our first test. I am in the process of doing every problem available in the textbook then doing them over again.

--------------
Since I am intending to enroll at WSU-V for next autumn's classes there, I have been in contact with their advising department. Their responses have been helpful but it took some time to get to the person who actually has the goods. She shared with me what is up as far as what to expect and suggestions on actions that I can take now to prepare me for next autumn.

In addition I found out that the minimum number of credits required to get financial aid is 6; I was under the impression it was 12. That means that, for that quarter, I can take those 6 credits and the 10 credit EMT course (for which financial doesn't pay) I am intending to take without killing myself. I was going to try to take a total of 22 credits in one quarter; now I don't have to dread that.

She also informed me that I should be able to finish my BS in four quarters, provided the credits from my AS degree from Clark are in order, which they will be. This means that, even if I take only 6 credits that autumn, I can fill in those missing credits with summer classes that year and still graduate in time to qualify to apply to PA programs at the end of May 2014.

In short, this is extreme good news. I was trying not to fret about that 22 credit quarter next autumn. Now it seems it will not be an issue. The master plan, is still in effect.

Time to get back to solving for zero.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Back to School

I tried to get to blogging about the first day back to school, but because I'm back in school I didn't have enough time. I've a bit of free time at the moment so we'll see how far we get.

So far, everything overall has been mostly positive. The negatives are so few and so distinct, I can easily relate them quickly.

Parking is crazy limited in the morning. I have had to park off campus when I arrive after nine, but in the afternoon the situation improves dramatically. So it may end up that I will move after lunch and deal with the walking in the morning. I don't see it being a problem.

Schedule/time management. Not so much a negative as getting into a streamlined routine. Most days, my first class is at 10a and my last class ends at 5p. In the intervals between those classes, are two breaks - first one of 3 hours, second of 1 hour. Then on Tuesday, I add to that a class that starts at 7p and ends at 9:30p. That's a long day.

Hard to say this early, but it's apparent that it is going to be a major challenge to grab any free time, at least during the week. Fortunately, I have the one 10a class on Friday and that's it. I hope to do as much work as I can evenings and Friday so I don't have to spend a major chunk of time "working" on the weekend. I am probably dreaming, I know.

Bottom line on the time thing is that I had become accustomed to having negligible time obligations and have now gone straight to having major commitments. I will have to adapt and I shall.

I'll run through my impressions of the classes I've attended so far. (Still waiting to see what Men's Health is going to be like. That's tonight.)

Music History (Classical/Romantic periods) - What a fabulous way to start the academic day! This class is going to be a joy. The professor obviously loves the material and her opportunity to share her enthusiasm with her students. She told us we should budget 15-17 hours a week to the class. At first that sounds like a lot, but when you consider she is including the 5 hours of class time and 5 hours of listening to music from my favorite periods (oh NO!), then it doesn't seem bad at all.

   Analysis - Easy A for me if I put in the time. No problem. No clock-watching in this class!

English Composition - This looks like it's going to be another almost effortless class. The instructor is great fun - young guy who loves the material and loves being in front of an audience. Smart, funny and very kinetic. I'm wondering if he isn't auditioning for Brad Pitt's part in Twelve Monkeys. Very amusing watching his gesticulations.

   Analysis - This class will probably take more time, but maybe not. The major task is going to be a 1700-1900 word paper. But even that isn't that worrisome. I gotta give this the same "easy A if I put in the time" category.

Intermediate Algebra - Let's start with this is not - I repeat not - going to be an easy A, no matter how much time I put into it. It is going to be an A but I will have to work my ass off. Not only is the material tough, but we are going to be plowing through it very quickly. Little time to absorb things before moving on to the next mountain.

Since I already covered the analysis... The instructor is straightforward and seems like a cool guy. He seems up to the task of getting us through without crushing us. Lot of smart kids in this class.

So there you have it. I am still extremely optimistic, maybe even moreso than I was 3 days ago. Unless this Men's Health this evening is a nightmare, I have no reason to think that this quarter will be OK. I had significant anxiety that 17 credits was going to turn out to be impossible. I no longer think that.

I am feeling grateful that I have this opportunity. Not much more to say beyond that. I am happy.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Reality Check

I've written here about my eagerness to avoid driving my by taking advantage of cheap bus and free bicycle travel. As romantic as that sounds, I've accepted the fact that it is not an option. I really don't know what I was thinking.

Every one of my classes has a textbook. I have at least three classes a day, sometimes four. I am going to be at school, at the minimum, from 10a through 5p. I can't leave my laptop at home, since I will using it in breaks between classes to study.

In addition, I need to find a way to eat at some point during that time. The way I eat, I need to keep things cold. There is no way I know of to do that at school other than to keep food on ice in my car.

Considering all that, riding the bicycle is unthinkable. Riding the bus might be physically possible but extremely impractical. So I will be driving my car every day back and forth to school. This means an increase in expense but as a trade-off, I will have a home base during the day, meaning I won't have to lug everything around throughout the day.

I will have to find other excuses to ride my bike.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Music or Women?

You may ask, "Jeffrey, why can't you have both?" Let me explain.

Yesterday I learned how simple it is to drop a class and register for a different class (when I dropped the hard algebra class and added the not-so-hard algebra class). So today I was talking with my dad telling him about the classes I currently have on tap for this quarter.

To recap: English Composition - feeling good about this one, Intermediate Algebra - feeling better about this one than I did, Women's Studies - I took this because it was available, Men's Health - ditto.

After my dad and I got off the phone, it occurred to me that a lot of students have been dropping and adding classes since I first registered and maybe some of the classes I really wanted to take might now be available.

Women's Studies fulfills a Humanities requirement and when I registered, it was the only think left that worked. What I really wanted to take was something like music or art history. Not that I have anything against Women's Studies. I read some in the textbook and it indeed seems like it would be interesting. But music history? That is in my wheelhouse. That is the kind of textbook I would read for leisure reading.

So, armed with my new-found skill at dropping/adding, I went to see if anything had changed with regard to availability. Sure enough, there were 16 spots available in a class called Music History - Classical & Romance. So I pulled the trigger and now, instead of studying Clare Booth Luce and Andrea Dworkin, I'll be chillin' with Brahms and Beethoven. I can't wait.

This change did affect my schedule a little. The music class meets M-F for an hour at 10a, which means I now have one class on Friday where before I did not. This change also means that I now have only one evening class where before I had three. So for me, that seems like a fairly even exchange as far as the time factor. It was not a hard decision at all since it means I get credit for studying something I love. (Plus, we all know that you can get away with skipping the occasional Friday class if you have to. ;))

This evening I was reading in the textbook for my English Comp class. I'm liking it. The typical view of early college writing is to talk about different types of writing, e.g. descriptive, narrative, compare and contrast. These authors instead believe that all writing  is a part of some form of conversation and when the writer picks up her "pen", she enters that conversation. I'm liking that model. If the instructor stays pretty close to this book, I believe I might enjoy this class.

I was worried that with all the returning and exchanging of textbooks, it would cost me more money. It turns out I will actually be spending about $10 less than before. Plus I get a brand new textbook instead of a used one.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Aaaaaaggggghh!

I have been waiting patiently to see how much my financial aid award is going to be. I received an award letter a month or so ago telling me I would probably get somewhere around X amount for fall quarter. That includes two grants and two loans. That sounded pretty OK, but there was a big "probably" in there. Until I actually see the deposit hit my account, I won't know.

Yesterday morning I received an email with the subject line "Your Federal Direct Loan Disclosure Statements". I wasn't expecting to find anything out until the actual disbursements are sent out next week. But I thought, "Hmmmm, this could be interesting." So I followed the link and downloaded the document. The first thing I see is a line showing the amount I will be getting each quarter. My heart sank about as far as it could go.

It appeared that the X amount I was expecting was being split up into 3 quarters - fall, winter, spring. This was unfathomably disheartening. I immediately went into "gotta keep my shit together" mode. I was sure I was going to have to work, which seemed impossible to do when taking 17 credits. But I was determined that this "road bump" was not going to be insurmountable.

I called the financial aid office at school to see if they had any ideas. I got a message saying they were too busy to take my call and to try back later.

I called my credit union to see if I could get a personal loan or a secured loan on my car. They laughed. (Not really but they might as well have.)

I got started on re-building my resume - a daunting task in itself, but what am I going to do?

The preceding events took place over the course of about an hour and a half. I decided to try the financial aid office again. Then I thought I better have the money document in front of me for the call. I pulled it up and realized I hadn't scrolled down at all. So I did and, lo and behold, there was another line! This document was regarding the two loans. The line I had been freaking out about was regarding only one of the loans... and it was the smaller of the two!!

So after a few moments of careful review, I concluded that these two loans amounted to 3/4 of X. Assuming the grants are what I was told they would be, the final amount will total more than X. In other words, I am likely to be in a better financial situation than I imagined myself before the freak-out earlier in the morning.

The sense of overwhelming relief when I realized this literally left me breathless. I was hyperventilating with relief. I had, in my mind, begun bracing myself for an insanely - maybe impossibly - challenging situation. So when I learned that my prospects were not just "not as bad as I thought they were" but even better than I had previously imagined, I was duly overjoyed.

So... what a day, right? Dodged a bullet and came out better than before. THAT doesn't happen very often, right?

Let me tell you about today. First a bit of background leading up to today.

I registered for Algebra 111 which is called College Algebra. I registered for it because, when I took the placement tests, they said I was smart enough for it. When I saw the results, I told the guy I wasn't sure about this one but he assured me I'd be fine. I should mention that this course is one of the requirements for the degree I am pursuing.

A couple weeks ago I got an email from the math dept letting me know they were holding sessions so that people in that class would be prepared to succeed. I thought that was pretty darn nice of them... to care so much. So I eagerly signed up for the sessions - two days with one three-hour session each day.

I arrived at the first session this morning a few minutes before nine. There was a room full of people who must be just out of high school. I saw one person who might not be in that category but I think she was closer to their age than mine. There was a nice folder on the table in front of me. This is gonna be great!

The professor in charge opened his remarks by saying one of his main purposes today was to scare us out of taking this class. Hahahahaha! Boy, did that get a laugh. He said, seriously, if you're in the wrong class, better to find out now.

He spent the first 45 minutes going through the topics and chapters in the textbook and acquainting us with various study tools on the web that were available to us. This was when I started to get a little nervous. I bought the textbook weeks ago and had looked at the early warm-up sections and, while things looked challenging, I had no doubt I could manage it. But some of the things he was going over today looked mildly alarmingly unfamiliar.

During the second hour he had us work on a couple sheets filled with problems. He said he was giving us about 10 minutes. At first I seriously thought he meant 10 minutes to work on the first problem. Then I realized he meant to try to work through over a dozen problems in that time. Then I blacked out.

Seriously... the first problem, under normal circumstances, I could have figured out in a couple minutes. Under these current circumstances, I couldn't even get that one right. It's not like I was completely unfamiliar with material. I know how to factor polynomials. I know about coordinates. Hell, I got an A in college calculus 20 years ago. But this was like a language I had long forgotten how to use. I recognized the letters but was no longer able to remember how those letters formed words and how the words were used to form sentences. (If there are paragraphs in this language, I don't want to know about them.)

At the end of the second hour, I went to his desk and stated, "I am in the wrong class." We talked a minute or so and agreed that I probably was.

Did I mention this class is required for the degree I am pursuing?

So here I am in panic mode for the second time in two days. This development puts a major wrench in my finely crafted master plan. It means I have to take a lower Algebra class to prepare for 111. It means adding 5 more credits to an already treacherous load. It means that my carefully thought-out course sequences no longer fit.

Long story short, it looked like I was going to have to push my enrollment in WSU back a quarter and since they go on the semester system, I was going to be behind a full semester instead of just a quarter. And THAT would mean that I was almost certainly going to miss the deadline to apply for the physician assistant program on time.

By adding this one class, I was looking at the probability of adding another year to my master plan, plus spending more money. I'm not so concerned about the money, but at the age I am at, one year in the master plan is a long time.

I am certain I had no choice but to add the lower level course. Trying to take Algebra 111 without it would have been a certain failure and I am not ready for that yet.

So after bailing on the sessions, I beat feet up to the admin building to see if I could talk to my advisor - the one with whom I have spent literally hours coming up with the master plan. Of course today was orientation day for incoming freshman, which meant no advisors would be around until 3 pm and that was three and a half hours off.

So I drove home planning to return at 2:30 and, in the meantime, try to figure out a configuration of classes that might miraculously work but nothing did. I decided to go ahead and drop 111 and register for the lower level class (095). Not only was the class still available, but it was available at the exact time that the 111 class had occupied in my weekly schedule. Same time, same days. At least that was something positive.

At one point I decided I would forego the trip back to school to try to see the advisor. After all, once I had dropped and registered, there really was nothing to be done that couldn't be done later. I figured I had had enough for one day. Then on second thought, I said "Fuck it. (Sorry, that is what I actually said.) I'm going to go back anyway." I realized that, if nothing else, it would give me peace of mind. I usually go to great lengths to not leave things unsettled if I don't have to. So I went back.

I got in line to check in to see my advisor. After half an hour or so, I was nearing the front of the line (3rd) when those of us remaining in line were told that we would be given a number since they had already checked in the number of students that would be assured of seeing an advisor today. Nice. So I got a number and waited another hour.

Finally, Traci called my number. (It was #5 if you're keeping score.) I had never met Traci. I had always worked with Kira. I like Kira. Kira was the one that worked so hard to help me devise the master plan. And now I get to work with Traci. A complete stranger. A stranger who is holding my future in her hands.

Traci told me she had looked at Kira's notes and was a little familiar with my case. I quickly tried to fill in the blanks and she started poring over the master plan and how this addition of the extra class was going to affect it. She agreed that things looked grim. Then she went to work.

She furrowed her brow. She looked back and forth at her screen and pieces of paper. I think she cast some special advisory runes. At one point she came this close to telling me to STFU. Then she said, "I see what Kira was doing here. I think I've got it." Then I wet myself.

She did indeed have it. Another long story short, I had 6 credits tucked away in general electives that I didn't need. It was a calculus course for life science students (of which I am one) that would have been a nice addition, but it is not required. So we replaced that class with the new one and... problem solved.

I wanted to hug Traci but instead I told her she was almost as good as Kira. I was walkin' on sunshine coming out of that office. I wasn't hyperventilating this time; I just kept saying, "Wow!"

I know this has been  a long way around and the punchline wasn't that great, but for me it was yet another rollercoaster ride of a day. I went from being OK to being nearly despondent to being nearly euphoric. Twice I thought something dear was in grave jeopardy, only to find out that my situation has improved on both counts.

I am sure these tales are just the beginning. I am hoping I will have the time and energy to write more here, if for no other reason than to have a record for myself. You, dear reader, are welcome to peek any time.








Saturday, September 03, 2011

The Angel

One day when I was 19 and attending Walla Walla College in College Place, WA, two of my friends and I got our hands on some LSD. We decided to go ahead and drop it and, after some clever scheduling of class skipping, at noonish we did.

We took off on our bicycles and headed for the park in Walla Walla (the big city a couple miles away). Almost immediately on our arrival, we ran across a guy who was a friend of one of my co-trippers. He wasn't on any kind of substance but decided to tag along with us anyway. Fortuitously, he had his own bicycle.

First we rode over to a school to sit around and play on the equipment. We wound up talking about physics, including our guide's revelation that a bicycle is the most efficient machine that is powered by human energy alone. I've never verified his claim but it sounds reasonable and it sure made sense at the time. It left an impression on me.

Then we found ourselves riding through a cemetery. We came across an old-fashioned crematorium. We had some weed so someone got the bright idea to crawl into the crematorium and smoke it. So we did. Nothing exciting happened except realizing we were getting stoned in there with the remains of former humans.

Then our guide took us on a tour of the underground waterways of the city. It was dark and wet and probably not a great idea, especially since we weren't in our right minds, but it seemed fun at the time.

For me anyway, by this time I had developed a certain amount of trust in our guide. He seemed to have such a calm spirit and knew his way around. He seemed a natural at providing superb ground control for the three of us. Solid ground control is necessary for having a good trip. From my perspective, his was superb. Not only was he good at it, he seemed to enjoy it.

The day was wearing on and it was near dusk. Our guide told us about an observatory with a real telescope that was out in the middle of a wheat field a few miles from where we were. It belonged to Whitman College. It just so happened that our guide knew a guy who knew a guy who had his Ph.D. in astronomy. So after a couple phone calls, we found ourselves on our way to the telescope with our guide and astro doc in tow.

At this point, we stashed our bicycles for the ride out through the wheat fields. I was riding on the back of a motorcycle and the evening had turned cool, even though it was the middle of summer. The road was hilly - lots of small ups and downs - and I remember the temperature changing every time we went up and down a hill - warm at the top and cool at the bottom. It doesn't seem all that interesting now but I remember being pretty impressed back then.

So we got out to the wheat field, parked, and made our way to this cinder block structure - maybe 12x12 and four feet tall. The doc got inside and started turning a crank and the "roof" of the observatory rolled off. He turned various other cranks and the telescope was pointed at the sky. He would get everything situated then we would take turns standing on a chair and looking at the sky. And by sky, I mean some of the most amazing things I've ever seen - things I've only seen in pictures. There is no way to describe it so I'm not even going to try. If you have never been to an observatory, I highly recommend putting it on your bucket list and doing it.

After that grand experience we headed home. I can't remember at what point our guide went his separate way, but I have never forgotten that day and never will forget our guide. Not only did he give us a stellar experience for the day, he was always a calm, reassuring presence. Sometimes taking LSD can be a crap shoot. Most of the time it's good, but it can always turn scary. Nothing like that happened for me on that day.

Very recently I connected with him on Facebook. Neither his first or last name are so uncommon, but fortunately there were only a couple people with his name. Also fortunate is that he had a photo and I was pretty sure it was him. Turns out it was. I was very happy to hear that he remembers that day the same way I do - vividly and fondly.

If I believed in angels, I'd find it easy to believe he was one - a guardian angel.

What was his name you ask? Dean. Dean Angel.




Friday, September 02, 2011

Once Again

I think it's time to start writing here again. One reason is that a treasured friend donated a domain to use, which means a get to publish under my own URL. Very nice. Another reason is I may actually have something to say. It seems I have nothing to say here unless I'm on a journey. Now I've got a couple.

The first one started three and a half months ago when I stopped eating carbs. I will write about that very soon on another post. The second journey might be related to the first, though I can't prove that. Correlation does not equal causation, etc. But shortly after beginning the new way of eating, I noticed that I had more energy, physical and mental. It was right about that time Journey #2 began.

I had considered going back to school in the last two years. When I considered it, I always thought about taking a class or two to improve a specific skill, like writing or various computer skills. The thought never entered my mind to go back to school full-time and actually earn a degree. Which is strange because I haven't been employed since July 2009 and have been living off my disability check and the kindness of strangers since then. Which means I've had the time to go to school full-time.

So there I am three months ago with all this new found energy and ambition. Seemingly out of the blue, I decided, on a lark, to fill out the FAFSA (financial aid for college) paperwork... just to see what I could get and if it was worth it. It seemed obvious that, if I did apply, it would be to Clark College here in Vancouver (WA). Then I thought while I was at it, I might as well start the process of getting my transcripts from other schools I have attended.

A little history on "other schools" is in order. In 1981 I attended Walla Walla College (now Walla Walla University) for one summer quarter. At that stage of my life, I was much more interested in partying than going to school. My grades weren't horrible, but I didn't think I was cut out for college life.

In 1986-87 I attended West Indies College (now Northern Caribbean University) in Jamaica. This, like WWC, is a religious school, so a lot of the focus is on religion. I was there for a full school year and did quite well.

In the early 90s I attended Portland Community College (not a university yet) part-time and did quite well. Then in the mid-90s I attended Western Kentucky University part-time and did quite well. This was the only time in my undergrad experience where I had something like a goal - I thought I'd be going for a business degree, so I was taking things like statistics, economics, etc. I did quite well.

Back to the present. After I got the transcripts process rolling and found out the financial aid would be adequate, I started thinking about what I wanted to study. For some reason I kept going back to getting a degree that would equip me to be a physician assistant. If you go way back to 2007 on this blog, you might find me waxing rhapsodic on how much I loved Dale, my PA, when I was going through the Cancer Journey. I did some research on what it would take and decided that it would be a daunting task but doable.

So  I started working with an advisor at Clark who specializes in health care careers. With her help, I came up with a plan. I will finish my associates degree at Clark. This should be finished by the end of summer 2012. Then I will enroll at Washington State University - Vancouver where I will get my BS in biology. I should finish that in spring 2014.

If everything goes as planned, I will then start applying to schools that offer PA programs. These programs are extremely competitive to get into and have a lot of prerequisites beyond getting good grades. One of those that will be a challenge is to gain hands-on experience caring for patients. Part of the plan is for me to get an EMT certificate the first quarter I'm at WSU then hopefully work enough hours doing that to impress the judges on the admissions panels.

There are two schools in this area that offer outstanding PA programs - Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR. I would love to get into either, especially Pacific. But when choosing this profession, I know that one must be willing to move if necessary (and it often is), whether for school or employment. Then again, it's not like I've never moved.

Back to the present. Transcripts. Long story short, the Jamaica credits are useless; almost everything else was useful. Lumped altogether, those credits gave me enough to consider myself a sophomore. I can't feel too bad about that. It does mean that I have to take freshman comp (or whatever they call it these days) and biology again since those were both from Jamaica. So even though I'm a sophomore, I will have to take a few more credits to fill in those gaps. And the extra biology won't hurt, considering the bachelors I am pursuing.

I am taking 17 credits this quarter: English Composition, Algebra, Men's Health, and Women's Studies. Those last two are electives that I probably wouldn't have chosen except that they were available. The Women's Studies textbook does look interesting though.

So I'm all registered. My schedule fits together nicely. I have all my textbooks, which were not too expensive. One of them I got for $1 on eBay. I got my bus pass, which set me back $20 for 4 months worth of bus trips. I took the bus for a test run yesterday and toured the campus to see where the buildings are for each of my classes. Including walking, the bus trip takes about 45 minutes. I can use the time on the bus to do any reading that needs to be done. Classes start September 26.

I think that will do for now. I really can not say how excited I am to be embarking on this adventure. I have always loved being in school. I have few regrets in my life, but one of them is that this inspiration to be a PA didn't come earlier in life. But better late than never.