1st day recap

Today was one of the longest days I've put in in a very long time. By that I mean the amount of time I spent working and in class. From 7 in the morning until 7 at night, I was taking of care of both of the aforementioned. Getting off work at 12:30, I had an hour and 1/2 window to make it to my first class. Fortunately that's plenty of time to do so.

My first class was Western Civilizations, with the instructor being a PHD. The second class English, and the 3rd and final for the day Psychology, also taught by a PHD. The majority of the time was spent going over what to expect from the class. Syllabus's were handed to me outlining the tasks set forth by date. A new website was introduced to me, called Blackboard, which compiles the instructor's various course related material. Two more points - attendance was taken in all three classes, and the textbook was not used in any of them this first day. However, assigned reading was to be completed in two of the classes. I got the notion that note taking was imperative in being successful. The grading was formulated by the respective instructors, and for example, the Psychology course includes multiple quizzes after a particular chapter, and then a final cumulative exam. The English class uses essays and quizzes throughout.

So the real work begins now with continuous reading done out of class. The grades will be meted out gradually, and I'll report my progress as the numbers develop. Just four months left until my transcript becomes active.

Everything is set. $68.09 for 18% of AA degree

Classes registered for; textbooks bought; Ready to roll. I headed up to my college with the intent of enrolling in a fourth class. After missing out on two full classes, I enrolled in the American Government class, to be held on Saturday mornings. My total credit hours are now 12, establishing myself as a full-time student! Doing so gives me full access to my Pell Grant award of $1400 to be used for Spring and Summer 2009, instead of 75% for less than 12 credit hours.

I ordered the book for the Government class online again, and picked up a new book for the English class at the bookstore. Reason being that the English book came together as a bundle, and I didn't want to miss out on the (presumably)helpful attached writings.

So here are the final figures financially for my enrollment:

Four Classes (12 credit hours) = $504 + $40 school fee = $544
Four books (1 new and 3 used) = $264.09
Total = $808.09
Financial Aid = $740
Out of Pocket expense = $68.09

Of Textbook buying

Six days from the 1st day of classes, I headed up to the college for the finalizing of my academic inauguration. I picked up my photo ID and parking pass, and spoke with financial aid group regarding how my payout can be used. The office realized there was an error in the allocation, so in short I was awarded roughly 1400 dollars instead of the original 2200 hundred, to be used for Spring and Summer 2009 semesters.

Secondly, I began the textbook browsing component of my introduction. In the bookstore, there are tags under each section, relaying which classes each book is for, along with both new and used prices for the book. This is where a lot of people become taken aback, as textbooks can reach well over 100 dollars even in used condition. The reasoning behind this is somewhat visceral, and I'll expand on it presently. Back to the book buying - I wrote down the ISBN numbers for the 3 courses I was registered for. At home, I went online and used cheapesttextbooks.com to find links to books sold on various websites. I placed two orders totaling $132 via Amazon. Had I used the bookstore at the college, it would have set me back $208 for used books. The two I ordered online were stated to be in near new condition. The risk I'm taking in my purchase is the books are sight unseen, and the shipping may take me past the 1st or 2nd day of classes. I'll report on both issues when they arrive.

I mentioned earlier the shockingly high prices of textbooks. The reasoning behind this is due in part to the overall usage of the books. To be exact, a student purchases an original brand new book from the bookstore for the retail price. After the class is finished, he has no further use for the book. He has the option to sell it back to the bookstore, or use an online portal to sell to an upcoming student directly. The process can be repeated many times over provided the book remains in usable condition. The publisher of the book loses out on any revenue from those subsequent transactions, as the money is being exchanged from student to student. The mainstay of any profit from the the textbook comes from the initial price, which is raised to a point where it is tangible to the publisher and author. Note: I gleaned this opinion from a blog I read online, and am offering it here as a plausible rationale for textbook pricing.

3 out of 6 on SAT essay?

For those of you out there who are contemplating taking the SAT test, I'd like to provide my essay that resulted in the paltry score of 3 out of a possible 6. The essay is reviewed by two people and the score is combined, so my total score then became 6 out of 12. I'm not sure if the bar is set high, or if my thesis cost me points, but after reading the essay again, I feel I should have been given a higher grade. You be the judge. The question is in bold, followed by my answer:

Should modern society be criticized for being materialistic?

Modern society should not be criticized for being materialistic. Inevitably, the elements that lead to materialism forms the building blocks that stabilize modern living. One may argue that the quest for possessions leads to an unhealthy and selfish desire to propel a person past their peers; however, it is this force that motivates people to strive for excellence in their respective occupations. This not only improves the quality of life overall in a society, but it sets forth the stratification of classes. After all, in our capitalistic environment, there simply must be a hierarchy set in place. Those who are striving for a better life will use the quest for possessions as the proverbial carrot they are chasing.

Sure there are other aspects in life a person will yearn for – family namely; material possessions are available for any person to obtain no matter what their handicap, emotionally or intellectually. Bottom line, society would be in dire need of a transformation if materialism was abolished.