Blog 12: Fin.

I’ve mentioned more than once that I’ve always had a complicated relationship with school, but as I enter finals week, I am proud to say that school and I are back together and happier than ever. This was not my first semester since returning to my studies, but this was the semester that solidified my resolve to finish my degree. Last semester I was enrolled in nine units: the lightest class load I have ever had. I enjoyed my classes last semester and did well in them, but I was nowhere near as invested in school as I was this semester.

Two of my three fall classes were late-start, evening courses, and school felt like a pit stop to me: somewhere I went for a couple of hours every other day because I had to. But this spring, I felt like I was thrust into the student lifestyle again. True, DVC is a commuter school and true, I do not think it has the same sense of community that universities do. Even so, in my last week of spring semester I feel academically recharged and confident that returning to school was the right decision for me.

So why this semester do I feel like a student virgin, studying for the very first time? Since I’ve recently taken a liking to listing things in my blogs, below are some of the reasons I believe this semester has rekindled my academic flame.

Journalism 120: I swear, no butt-kissing intended! Prior to taking this class, I had forgotten how much I love journalism. Journalism classes have such an open-forum quality to them, and it’s an environment that allows me to really flourish. I love collaboration and discussion; I thrive on the exchange of ideas and varying viewpoints. At the end of the day, however, collaboration is only productive and enjoyable when you’re surrounded with good people. Having such great classmates made those three hour blocks much easier to manage. This class spurred my first real wave of enthusiasm for my major. (I would praise the professor we had, but like I said, no butt-kissing.)

Major coursework: Taking a string of general education classes can be such a drag. They are the same subjects you had to take in high school and usually have little or nothing to do with your major. But I found that taking courses with related content (like news writing and communications) engaged my interest more than ever. Finally seeing connections between my classes intrigued my intellect. I honestly feel like such a dweeb this semester because I’ve actually enjoyed school. (If you tease me…I will cry.)

Good people: I was fortunate to have class with some very fun and interesting people this semester. I run into friends and acquaintances daily at DVC: definitely not something I expected at a community college. Like I said before, DVC used to just be a pit stop for me. Spring was a welcome departure from that.

Campus adventures: Many assignments in my classes (particularly news writing) required me to venture into parts of campus I had never wandered before. I had never even been in the library until last month when I started a research paper! True story. I never got coffee at the bookstore until this semester. Getting to know campus made me feel like I was part of the community.

Professors: No matter how interesting or exciting a subject is, it can be totally trashed if taught by a crappy professor. I’ve had some great professors this semester, some that I speak to outside of the classroom on a regular basis. A good professor makes a marked difference in any class.

Hopefully I continue to be satisfied with school. I’m finally back to stay. And I’m finally done posting blogs every Monday.