Holiday, of sorts

So I'm on holidays. Or at least not being in university-days. I have three exams to revise for, one of which is all day. Yes ALL day. By which I mean from 9.30 till 4.30 (your opinions on the all-dayness of this may differ from mine, but in my head this is most firmly all day).
Said exam is a practical examination. The other two are a multiple choice computer exam, and an essay exam. The computer exam includes negative marking too. Frankly I'm not sure which I'm more terrified of.

However, since we have the grades for the coursework associated with the essay based exam I have spent part of my day working out what I need to score to pass. Yes, I am a bit weird, I spent my day calculating what everyone in my class needs to get to pass (yes I do need to get out more).
I need:
Fail Marginal to get a bare pass (a D-), it is impossible for me to get an A, to get a B I need a  B+, to get a C I need a D-, and to get a D I need that oddly named Fail Marginal.
I like this. I like having some kind of focussing point.

It would be nice if I knew what I had got for the coursework in the other two...

In other events. I have changed several of my modules for next semester, and now am doing a work placement module. Erm where ??

Scary gradeness

I get some grades this week...and I'm afraid. Really afraid.

On Thursday I will get back my formative essay score (ie the essay for which there are no points), which is in itself a little scary. Because the focus is on feedback. However, it isn't a point contributing essay so if I have utterly messed up it isn't something that can't be rectified.

The other two scores. The other two are properly scaring me. Firstly because between them they represent 45% of one unit's grade. Secondly and far far more scary, the grades are going to be online. No private shame. No chance to mumble a reply and divert attention.

This I am not fond of. Not a jot.

Technology is mine enemy

I've just done my first online assessment for a module (second one week after next). And goodness what a faff. Not really the most accessible thing ever, on account of having to download extra software to run it. Which both my computers objected to in quite strong terms. I think they were on the verge of having a Mrs Trellis of North Wales moment.

However, it is done. And now I'm scared. I am reasonably confident with the essay for this module that I haven't totally fucked it up. And frankly for the first time ever I am actually in two of my current modules entirely satisfied if I get a D. really truly, not normal me. But they are linked and while the one for the exam/essay is quite good, the other is awful hellish and makes me want to kill myself every Wednesday night. So I am doing a get through this year. And then Zoology goes back to being major and no more do I spend money on freezing my bum off.

Also slightly scared that I just realised I have two big essays about to be set within three days of each other...I will be locking myself up in my secret bolt hole, with books n'stuffs.

Actual Factual Practi-cual

Yes first practical.
Was it exciting? Not especially.
Was it new? Not particularly.
Do I still hate microscopes? Yes. Yes I do.
Do they still make me go cross eyed? Very much so.
Are lab coats still horribly uncomfortable? Indeed.
Did I see some metaphase bits of onion? For once yes.

It's Friday night, it's time for...

Map reading. Oh yes reader. You ARE envious aren't you? Don't deny it. I can feel it through the screen.

Yes my entertainment tonight will be trying to finish my map homework in anticipation of tomorrow's field-trip, which isn't, as one might hope, to somewhere glamorous. It is infact to somewhere nearer to my house than the university is. Matlock Bath. Oh yes indeedy. That exciting. Mostly I'm concerned about the potential of getting on a normal public transport bus first thing in the morning dressed like a rejected Village People member (and no sadly its not the Indian). That and the fact that after a whole day with people I may end up killing someone. My patience levels are at an all time low at the minute.

Partly because my back is in absolute agony. To the point where I'm genuinely considering a wheelie flight case to carry about. I have reduced all my stuff that I take daily to minimum levels. Really truly minimum for me. I have to carry a full pencil case I cannot assume, as so many others do, that the one pen I take will always work.

Also my patience is low thanks to spending the day searching for information and meeting the "your institution does not subscribe to this" screen far far too frequently. I understand that they can't afford to subscribe to everything but one journal had about five different articles and appears to be something of a 'core' journal. However, I am apparently mad for spending this much time on this essay, since it is a formative essay. For those not familiar, formative is code for"nil points", but you have to do it as a requirement of the module. However, you get given feedback. And if I'm going to get feedback on technique I'd like it to be information that I actually do need to know rather than telling me stuff I knew, but haven't done because it was a no pointer. Partly because it seems a colossal waste of both mine and my teacher's time, and partly because I'm there to learn new stuff. That's the whole point for me.

Well, anon, I must go to my map again. Joy.

On the many browser challenge

I got my first assignment, and bizarrely I've realised I'm going to have to start using a third browser on my computer. Most of the useful plugins for citing and keeping records of journals to cite, go with Firefox. And Mr Mozilla and I parted ways some months ago, because frankly its like entering an unfit overweight beer swilling man with poor eyesight into a night time speed orienteering challenge. So by preference I use Chrome, and because the university website refuses to believe that Chrome is a browser I also use IE*. But neither Chrome nor IE seem to work with any decent citation plug ins, so Mr Mozilla will get another chance.

Though in some ways this is moot, since this one I have to handwrite...



*Some geeky types have a vehement hatred of IE (equally some hate MF, but IE hate seems more common) which I cannot fathom, yes MF is open-source but currently it doesn't do the job as well as it should. I don't care how much money someone makes from my using their product if it works. Random aside over.

Unexpected

Who'd have thunk it, the most boring sounding module turns out to be looking like it might be the most interesting. It's a mandatory one, and is called Essential Practical Skills or some such. Which pelts fear into my heart. That says to me microscopes, and preparing things and such.*

It probably will involve these things. However, the lecturer is so positive, and genuinely appears interested in all 79 of us that I think it might be okay. Okay he might be faking it, but I don't think he was, he seemed sincere. And enthusiastic, which must be quite hard when you've been given what must essentially be the most dull module to teach ("yeah so you'll get these first years and you have to teach them to write and use microscopes, and not kill themselves").

I am a little perturbed that our first essay is to be handwritten...

* Curiously the one practical skill I am bizarrely now quite happy with, dissection, they don't do much of because "students don't like it". WTF. Seriously this annoys me. Let me cut things up damn you.

First proper lesson/s

Today was the first day I had an actual lesson. This afternoon, 1-5 was the scheduled slot, however in practice it was 1-2 lecture and then 4-5 lecture. With nothing to do in the middle bit, bar trying to avoid the noisy, busy, hellish Fresher's Fair (nice to share info, but please universities of the world realise that some of us do not like crowds).
This bizarre system is so that next week and the two weeks after the middle slot can be used for drop in tutorials, I'm almost tempted to have issues even when I don't, just so I have something to do. Then the four weeks after that we have from 2-5 doing practicals...and then after that its back to the drop in or nothingness.

I find this baffling, and annoying frankly. Why they can't schedule the two lectures one after the other I don't understand. But hey ho.

Lecture theatre seats 180 and there are dead on 180 in the class. Which is snug. And also means we can only go in the not quite so shiny lecture theatre, because none of the others are big enough.

Observations from first proper lectures... Some people are totally oblivious, particularly late people. C'mon you people have you no sense of embarrassment?! Doors are loud. Lecturers make bad jokes, and they fall far flatter in a bigger room (secret to this teach only small groups with unreliable humour). And scanning your ID card is all a bit Jennifer Government for my tastes.

Planning

The university have put the module descriptions and timetables online (eventually) and being a chronic lister, planner type I have been reading over them endlessly.

Being as the degree I'll be doing is two subjects I have 2 basic choices in how I go about this. Option 1, which I think I'm going with for year 1 at the least, is 50/50. Option 2 is 75/25. * There are advantages and disadvantages of both, as best I can tell (though I'm sure come induction they'll tell me a few more), and as long as you have the appropriate modules you can change from 50/50 to 75/25 and vice versa. So at the moment I'm thinking the best approach is to go with the 50/50 and if at the end of the year I really really want to do more of one I can, and otherwise I stay 50/50.
The main disadvantage is that starting with 50/50 means obviously less modules taken in each subject so my options in year 2 and 3 are in both a bit limited (more so in Zoology it has to be said), its not impossible but it does mean that I am unlikely to get to play with bugs. However, the module that interests me most of all is in the third year and has no pre-requisites (oh yes I've read that far ahead!). The second disadvantage is that because Zoology has three mandatory modules (one of which is chemistry-oh how I have cried) I only get to pick one optional one-which is going to be either Ecology or Human Biology. And is probably likely to be the former.
The advantage conversely is that by having my second subject as joint to start with rather than a minor I get to do some interesting modules, the two mandatory modules (that would take up my whole minor selection) are okay sounding, but not quite as interesting as some of the others sound. And at least this way I'm giving both subjects a fair chance.

The other thing I have found out, that I hadn't even considered might happen (how dense am I?!) is that one of my classes is in the evening. I assumed, very naively it seems, that the evening slots were predominantly for people doing part time studies. Luckily the mother unit is willing to have the small shouty person overnight, but I'd be stuffed if she wasn't (especially since I haven't got a childcare grant, because I haven't got a fee loan for this year...a rant of epic proportions).

Third thing that I've realised is that even with car sharing I am going to be spending about 60£ a month on travel (I've never so wanted so wanted someone to be in the same place as me at the same time so much as I do now!). If I wasn't getting lifts it'd be over 100£. Eek!







*There is also option 3 which is essentially 37.5/37.5/25, but I don't think that would work very well for my subjects (plus I can't imagine an appropriate third). I can imagine it working very well if you were doing say English/History/Education.