UMSL vs Webster

I'm not going to Webster this January. I lied. Instead I am going to UMSL. The reasons why are many, and overall I am happy about my decision. To make me feel a bit 'happier' with all of this I'm going to outline pros and cons vs Webster and UMSL.

Webster Pros - - -
Intellectually I think I would have been a good fit. Small classes in a liberal arts college was exactly what I was looking for. There was something very charming to me when it came to Webster, before I even thought people needed to go to college I can remember driving past it and thinking that there was something prestigious about Webster. I loved the old buildings, the small student population, and the location location location.

Webster Cons - - -
The cost. I was prepared to pay the price of Webster when I was under the impression that I was getting a superb education. But when I hear Webster's own advisors tell me their science department is "subpar compared to most local high schools" I just couldn’t justify spending 25 K there anymore...and while we're talking advising let me tell you something. Webster's sucks, hard. Their advisors are not real advisors, as I found out the hard way. They're professors that just lend a helping hand. They have less of an understanding of requirements than I do, and their advice differs between person to person on things like which classes can be applied to your degree, and how long it will take you to graduate. They lost my transcripts several times, getting anyone to follow up with you was a struggle, and I just had an overall feeling of sloppiness when dealing with them. Also, classes were dropped willy-nilly, and a lot of the required classes that I needed were only offered every other semester, which was a huge deal in how long it would take me to graduate. Also, they really made me feel kind of shitty when it for transferring from a community college. One of my advisors didn't want to accept a class that was transferable from my transcripts because, well, I took it at STLCC…

UMSL Pros - - -
Cheaper, like half as much as I was planning to spend at Webster. They're a large university with a lot of opportunity to get a really decent education. I loved all of my advisors; everyone was extraordinarily helpful and willing to show me exactly where I needed to go and what I needed to do. They worked some real magic to get me in as quick as they did, and a lot of people bent over backwards for me. I recognized the gesture and was thankful for it. I really felt like they cared about my education, and cared about working with me. I know they get paid to do that, but that is a large part why they do their job so well. They have paid advisors that know their department’s degree’s and know what it is they’re talking about. It seemed like UMSL is way better equipped to deal with someone that is not an A-typical student. The only thing I missed out on were quite a few of the scholarships that I would have been eligible for since I was enrolling so late, but my Biology advisor is trying to work some voodo on that for me to see if I can squeeze into any. He was thrilled to have me in his program and had nothing but compliments for me when he saw my GPA and some of the professors I’ve had at STLCC.

UMSL Cons - - -
So. Far. Away. It's a 45 minute drive on a good day, and OMD the campus is HUGE. Some of my classes will have more students than I graduated from high school with. I know I'll get the hang of it but I feel a little overwhelmed with how big everything is there. Also, when I have a few hours down time between classes, I’m going to be stuck on campus. There will be no driving home to let my dogs out and eat and unwind. And this is pretentious of me, I know, and I’m kind of ashamed to write it…. but while I was at STLCC I met a lot of people that were transferring to UMSL and I would look at them and think to myself… I do not want to be them. They were just caricatures of college students, and I thought them to be exasperating and simple. They weren’t there to learn, they were there to try and have sex and scrape by with the lowest GPA possible to keep from getting expelled. I think that has been my biggest hold up with UMSL when it comes down to it. I don't want to be that person that is going to UMSL, so I’ll have to be that other person that is going to UMSL.


So, now that I've had a few days to chew on my decision, I'm feeling good about it. I'm going to get out of UMSL what it is I put into it, and I have really high expectations for myself. I think I made the right choice in switching from a major in math to a major in science as well. (for those of you that didn’t know) Though I love math, I think I would be sick of it in 5 -10 years, whereas with science thing are always new and changing. Plus, planning math lessons vs planning science lessons....well...there is really no comparison
…oh and the best part about UMSL…they don’t start classes till the 19th! Whee!

Yippie!

Today, I graduate from STLCC with my Associates of Arts in Teaching. I have a big exit interview that I have to undergo with the head of the educational department, and then I'll be free! Well, at least until January 11th, when I'll be starting Webster. Wheee, I love change! There is something deeply satisfying in shaking things up a bit in life and taking on new challenges.

Between graduating, having our 3rd annual friendmas this weekend(including our new and wonderful friends, the Elbows), the wiener wonderland holiday partay (up to 60 people and many more wieners coming), 24 hours of Christmas music (Brett has been ready to murder me since Oct), a fabulous husband (minus his awful taste in holiday music), and my herd of long dogs, and I'm feeling pretty good about life.

Oh, and for those of you with a long dog owner on your christmas list I just had to share this one thing. Check out this adorable bracelet you can order from Sky Mall.

I refuse to let her win...

For all of the incredible professors I have had at STLCC, one particular professor is really getting under my skin. Not only do I not mesh with her personally, I find her teaching to be god awful. An example? She harps on us for 10 minutes about using correct grammar on our papers...because we’re college students and should know better and she can’t believe how dumb and lazy and not smart all the college students at STLCC are…..then has stupid mistakes like this in her rubric:

"Points will be deducted error in grammer, usage, capitalization and punctuation."

Grammer? Really? Where the fuck did you get your degree?
Then she sends out this gem to us regarding our online quiz:

"Please make sure to spell and use correct capitilization on this quiz. The computer will mark your answers incorrect if you do not spell the answers correctly and use correct puncutation.

As college students and future teachers, it is important that you submit work that is indicitive of a highly education person."

Why yes, thank you, I will make sure to spell…and while I’m on a f-ing roll, it’s capitalization, punctuation, and indicative you silly woman. I would get it if it was an English course, really I would… and writing like a college student is important, but this is Educational Psychology, and that old saying about not throwing stones while living in glass houses could not be truer in this situation.

Add that to her being constantly 15 + minutes late, accusing me of plagiarizing a lesson plan in front of the entire class and saying that the only reason that she could not prove it was because I must be “net savvy,” being generally unhelpful, unapproachable, and argumentative and I’m ready have some form of a conniption. (Oh, and for the record when I say argumentative what I’m really saying is she cannot stand me in any way, shape, or form and has made that painfully obvious to anyone who’s around.)

Whatever lady, the feeling is mutual at this point.

It is taking every bit of my very small self control to not mark all of her mistakes in red, document every nasty and inappropriate thing she has said to me, and hand a copy of them to her and her supervisor at the end of the semester. Yes, I can be that petty if one drives me to be, and I would take a lot of joy in doing just that right about now. Just sayin'.

Woman trips over long dog, and dies.

Bitsy Boo, what two brain cells collided this morning that made you think it was a great idea to suddenly stop and turn sideways when I was walking behind you? This gives me about .04871 of a second to divert my walking trajectory or else end up face planted on the floor because, in case you didn't notice, you are the PERFECT FUCKING HEIGHT for tripping over. You're like an absurdly shaped, poorly designed ottoman manufactured just for causing your people to fall flat on their faces.

Not that this just happened or anything.

Psh.

Uh, I'm not dead.

I'm alive, really I am. Same old song and dance from me....school and life have completely taken over. Speaking of school, I was accepted into Webster U for a duel bachelors degree. Yay for that. In two years I'll have my BA in Mathematics and Secondary Edu. In two years I'll also have more student loans than I want to think about right now...but besides that little part, I'm as excited as can be.

Okay, enough about me. Here are the cute dog pictures you really care about. They're a bit fuzzy since they come from my phone but you get the idea:

Zoe and Trevor, hating life in general


Zoe. Zoe's tongue.


Cousin Maude


Cousin Maggie


Cousin Sophie


And a very pathetic quality picture of Bisty Boo in her Hippo. The blue bloomers that went under the tutu was the best part of it.


I'm really confused as to why it's already November. It seems like this year has just whizzed right on by. It's a bit overwhelming sometimes, but I've been assured that this is just... part of getting older. Whatever, it blows. I was much happier when summer lasted FOREVER and things seemed epic and never ending. All that being said, time better hurry the fuck up so I can watch New Moon. I am stupid excited about this movie. The trailers for it look incredible, and I don't even care that Jacob Black used to be shark boy, he makes me think dirty dirty things about him.

I'll try not to be a stranger, but life does happen. Till next time!

Not so much a lady...

and you thought she was a perfectly adorable little ball of dough didn't you? See... looks can be deceiving. She's rotten I tell you, simply rotten.

Clean Eating

I'm not one to diet. Actually, I'm pretty sure I would die if I was ever on an actual "diet." There is a rebellious part of me that would immediately bake and consume a whole chocolate cake if someone attempted to restrict my consumption of food, in anyway....But I am interested in eating better. I've always been mildly obsessed with good, real food and cooking it. (By cooking I really mean eating)

Anyways, my point? I eat too much. I eat amazingly well thought out, unprocessed, real food, but none of that really matters when I eat enough for 5 people.

So I'm going to try to monitor my portions a bit better using a program called Clean Eating. Never heard of it? Here's a bit from their website:

"Clean Eating? It's simple, really. Consuming food in its most natural state - or as close as possible to it - - is the soul of clean eating. It's not a diet; it's a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to health, well-being and a lean look."

Sounds pretty sweet to me. I'm all about organic food that's good for the environment. I'm always trying to find the best ingredients and that fine line between the healthiest and best tasting food out there...and this seems like a good way to combine those two things together and control my obsessive need to eat.

Am I doing this to lose weight? No. Let me make this clear...I LOVE MY BODY. All of it. I'll love it when I look thin, I'll love it when I'm heavier... that doesn't matter to me. What really matters to me is fueling my body in the best possible way and being a health minded person. I think that's crucial. After all, this is the only body that I have. I can't trade it in.

I'll try not to over-run my blog with a bunch of boring "what I'm eating" crap, but I'll let you know how it's going. More importantly, I'll let you know if I fall off the boat and fully expect a thorough ass kicking from y'all.

<"( );::::::;~

In dachshund news....I think I'm keeping my latest foster. I haven't told this to my husband yet...but I'm pretty sure he agrees with me. Last night we were sitting in bed with the dogs and he started talking about how this foster dog that we have ''must have THE BEST home ever, and how we wont let him go unless the place is just PERFECT...because he's the sweetest, bestest, cutest little boy ever, and by golly just LOOK at him!" I'll just wait for it to be his idea before we really talk about it...thank goodness he doesn't keep up with my blog ; )

Sigh. 5 dogs? Really...?

I also had so share some adorable pictures from a recent fun day we had out at Purina Farms. These pictures were taken by the very talented photographer, Bettina Woolbright. The weather was, glorious. We really deserved a good day of weather seeing as every other event that we had was rainy / freezing out. I lurve earthdog so much, I really really do. I'm excited for fall because some of the members have promised to take me out with them when they do field work.