One Down, Nine to Go

So, I survived my first week. Granted, it was easier than your average freshman's, what with two of my classes being online and the fact that I still have home baked foods to eat throughout the day(my mom's cinnamon bread was a life-saver at least twice), but it was harder than I thought it would be.

My history class is what has thrown me, to be honest. The professor launched into a lecture the first day of class(when most professors just read their syllabus and tell you that you can leave, or so I'd been told), and I'm not sure if I'm taking notes on the right things, which really freaks me out. I've been home schooled my entire life, so I don't know what you're supposed to take away from a class where the professor talks about what you are learning, expanding on what is in the reading. I'm used to doing the reading and then finding out anything extra, anything that expands on what is in the text, on my own. I'm not used to someone telling me the extra bits, and then expecting me to remember it for a test. It doesn't help that the text is written in the smallest type imaginable, meaning that 29 pages of reading feels more like 40. It's all fascinating-I love history, so even though it is a textbook and I am supposed to find it boring, I really don't. I just feel like my eyes are going to fall out of my head after a while from reading such small print.

My other class with the university has gone a lot smoother. I've only had one class, and it was actually just the syllabus reading, which was great, considering I walked into the lecture hall prepared to have to stay the full two hours. It was a relief to walk out after only 40 minutes, with only a basic assignment. It's Intro to Mass Communication, and I'm not sure what I am expecting from this class, other then to never, ever look at a newspaper the same way again. Considering I have been suspiciously eying commercials and newspapers for the past six months, wondering what research went into that ad for kids cereal, or what made them choose to use that particular phrase to describe a pop-tartlet's performance, I figure this class will only make me worse when it comes to mass media and my general snarky attitude towards it all.

Intro will probably end up being my favorite class, just because it feels a lot more straight forward than my history class. The only thing that makes me not sure about the class is that the professor is really nice and approachable, and I'm a tad suspicious of nice, approachable people on a college campus. They are not supposed to exist. At least, not when they are the people teaching you.