Senior... Wait... What?

So as I wait for my True Blood episode to buffer, I figured I would do some real school work. Yep, that is right, telling you all about my first day as a senior... in college... that noise was stomach dropping at the though of the real world. So to commemorate this momentous day, I made memos on my BlackBerry all day. Just so I can get this right.

To start off, I woke up obscenely early (6:15 am). Of course I laid out my first day of school outfit as I have done since Kindergarten, yes even when I wore a uniform. Walking out the door, jamming to Sleigh Bells "Riot Rhythm" a pretty bad ass way to start the day. However, what I realized is that this is the beginning of a semester that literally could be the end of me. All 4000/5000 level classes (well I guess that makes sense with the senior thing). Well that was enough to give me a panic attack by the time I got to work, and oddly the caffeine did little to calm me down. By my second class, I was pretty sure that my schedule was actually some sort of sick suicide note. I sat next to my genius friend who told me how he studied all summer for the MCAT while I was busy driving back and forth from Denver.

Then I did the unthinkable, entered the bookstore... On the first day of classes... It was a madhouse to say the least. To make matters even more fun, the course packet I needed hadn’t been printed and the Asian kid behind me smelled like he rolled out of sewage plant. Walking to my next class, listening to Tegan and Sara "Monday, Monday, Monday," I notice the entire campus is walking in the opposite direction of me. I swear mating salmon have an easier time moving upstream.
Finally, I reach my class (Technical Writing... my least favorite type of writing). However, all of the sudden, my day takes a turn for the better. My teacher looks like he is a student, and he starts out saying he wants to teach this class as much as I want to be there! Finally, my pouting in the back is justified! Additionally, a not so bad looking fella sits next to me (bonus points!).

Well, after that my day totally brightened. Classrooms weren't uncomfortably cold, people seemed to stop looking at my periwinkle hair with distain, and I even got a nap later.

Well, my True Blood is beckoning, so I will end this post on a high note. Also, as a new TA I feel like this final song is back to school bonus for everyone, and the title is just so awesome... Pains of Being Pure at Heart "Tenure Itch."

University textbooks prices can get expensive

Students who attend already know there are many expenses to pay off such as loans, tuition, room and board fees and to top it off, dreaded textbooks. Obviously, buying college textbooks can be essential for college students while enrolled in courses; however they may view buying textbooks as a penny-pinching experience.

A vast majority of college students would agree, buying textbooks for classes can be a hassle; but many of us do it anyway. When professors assign textbooks for courses many students comply because they should help us learn coursework and pass classes.

Although a main con of buying textbooks is sky-high prices, are there alternative resources when purchasing them? The answers maybe just near our fingertips.

A few resources upon suggestion:

The Chegg website is a textbook website where textbooks can be rented and shipped to a mailing address. It could be a good resource considering it allows students to rent textbooks and then mail them back to the sender.

Another well-known website Amazon can be a resource for buying textbooks at discounted prices. On the Amazon website it mentioned there are discounts nearly 30 percent on new textbooks and about 90 percent discounts on used textbooks.

Then there is the Barnes and Noble. The Barnes and Noble website shows there are many low prices on textbooks available for students to purchase. As like many stores, there are alternatives when it comes to college textbooks, buying or renting are a few options.

Therefore, whenever students need textbooks, they should be aware that there are alternatives to buying them to succeed and be ahead of the college class.

Your bike may save the earth, but I still hate you

I’m sure this is a problem at a lot of colleges, especially in Colorado. Coloradoans love bicycles. College students love them even more. Add in the fact that my college is launching a huge "go green" campaign, and we’ve got ourselves a full blown cyclist over-population. 

Yeah, I get it—they provide a form of exercise, save money on gas and save the precious earth. Those reasons are all well and good, but bike riders provide me with a very annoying, sometimes dangerous, trip to class.

When bikers ride on the street, they seem to ignore practically every traffic law. Apparently, if you are on two wheels, the big red stop signs on street corners are optional. Once your butt touches that banana seat, that sign that once read “STOP,” now says “STOP… if it’s convenient. Ride onward you crazy biker, ride onward!”

Then they get to campus and decide to make the sidewalk their territory. Yes, there are signs everywhere that say “Yield to pedestrians,” but once again, these signs must be displaying a different message to bike riders. I assume they see something along the lines of “Please wiz through the crowd of pedestrians at your leisure—ten points if you clip one with your handlebars.”

Of course, bike riders do provide a source of entertainment from time to time. Eventually, you will see some poor sucker eat it on their beloved bicycle. If you’re really lucky, you might just see them collide with another bike, or even better, a long boarder (don’t even get me started on long boarders).

One time, I saw a guy skid on his bike and hit a retaining wall. It remains one of my fondest memories of college. For the record, I watched to make sure he was OK before I burst out in laughter, so I still consider myself a good person.

Non-Traditional College Students are the Devil

My number one problem with college is those who impose where they are not needed.
One of the main reasons I went away to College is so I wouldn't have to listen to a 40 something-year-old voice their opinion. I wish that Non-Trads would just sit in the back of the classroom, half asleep, in a text conversation, in sweats, with starbucks, counting down the minutes, like the rest of us.

But nnnoooo, they have to sit in the front row, right under the professors nose, and act like they know EVERYTHING.
Seriously lady?! I know your old, but I also know you weren't born in the 1800's. Therefore when the teacher is talking about Thomas Jefferson and his role as our president DO NOT nod your head and then proceed to tell the professor what TJ did!You weren't there! And you are not a historian, because if you were you would not be in my general education History 101 class.
Also, I'm not sure if this is just the idiot Non-Trads at my school or if this happens elsewhere but someone needs to tell these people that they don't have to ask the professor to use the bathroom. This isn't kindergarten and you can pee when you want, just get up and leave, your the one paying for this class!
I predict that this is the first of many post on Non-traditional students and their ability to make me want to jump off a cliff on daily basis.