Fall 2008 Work Load

Life since high school graduation has really flown by. The fact that I will be graduating in Fall of 2009 still kinda creeps me out... I feel like I am getting older and older faster and faster, which is not necessarily a bad thing in my opinion.

Before graduating high school, I was nervous. I didn't want to leave that safe and protective zone. I didn't want to "grow up." But ever since the age of nineteen, I have gotten sick of the college scene. I literally just want to skip the next five years of my life, but apparently I am going to regret wishing that once I do get older.

Anyways, the course load for this semester is suppose to be the toughest yet, although the Fall 2007 semester may take the cake with Calculus III and a computer science course called Data Structures (which typically turns all the computer science wannabes into MIS majors ;) ). So here are the courses and what I am expecting this semester from each (I'll put them from easiest to hardest):

Intro to Contemporary Math - This is one of my elective courses. It is pretty much a freshman level math course designed for Government, Drama, and other worthless majors. (j/k) Trey Smith teaches the course, and for those of you that know him, you know how interesting he can make math... and the course is already interesting to me in itself. Basically you learn about math in the real world... so far we have covered math used in different voting methods and basic probability, which included discussing the oh so interesting Monty Hall problem:


Digital Design - This is an art course focused around the computer, so you learn and use software like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. The student body make up of the class is quite interesting. There are two main different types of people. You have a handful of computer guys like me. And then you have the art students who like to express themselves through the way they dress and act. The lab we meet in has Macs, which has been a frustrating experience for me... but I'm learning. The most entertaining thing about the class is a love/hate relationship between a married couple in the class... I thought they were engaged until someone told me otherwise in class. The turmoil within the whole relationship I get to witness is like watching an episode of Dawson's Creek every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but with uglier people. That's the best way to describe it. I really do hope things between the two of them settle down, and they are able to coexist peacefully with one another... she just needs to quit bashing his style! Our last assignment required us to make a company for a logo. There were some small modifications in the final design, but this was mine:
Yeah, not that great, but I am learning everyday.

Linear Algebra - There are two great things about this course: Trey Smith teaches it and it is my last upper level math course I must take as a math minor before I graduate! Woohoo! However, the class starts at 8:00 AM (barf), and I really am not that great at math. How I got through 3 semesters worth of Calculus blows my mind.

Computer Linguistics and Compilers - This course is suppose to be THE most difficult course in the BS computer science degree curriculum. It is also taught by the most difficult professor at Angelo State (don't ask me how they come up with that). I am not about to explain what is taught, but I actually find it pretty interesting, and I am doing quite well in it. I hear things go south once you start hitting up the compilers subject though.

Game Development I - Yeah, I am taking a course that talks about how games are made. Yeah, we are suppose to make our own little game by the end of the semester. But right now the class totally blows. The class typically starts late and ends late, which is one of the most frustrating things a professor can do in my opinion. Accomplishing the vague assignments gets on my nerves. And on top of that, it just doesn't feel too organized. Hopefully things get better though. Originally, I was actually excited about this course. We work with 3D software called Lightwave, which I learned and loved in high school, so I was happy to be able to get back to working with it again. But I'm just not holding much interest in the class overall right now.