First assignment....

I just posted my first assignment for Environmental Science in my assignment folder, an essay on the movie A Civil Action. The frustrating thing about essays is that you could feel that you've touched on everything that's important and in line with the subject, and your professor could say that you didn't delve into this aspect or that aspect of the subject, thereby making your grader lower than expected. At the same time, it's also a teaching and a learning point. You can only improve when someone tells you where you've made your mistake(s). If we have little ones and we want them to learn from their mistakes, we have to settle the example in accepting and correcting our own--particularly in the area of education.

We don't want our self-righteous, all-knowing attitudes to rub off on them ("I am NEVER wrong"), because then we all cease to learn and take in new knowledge. And if help is needed, ask the professors (or in my case, e-mail); that's what they're there for. Here's hoping I did well, and learning from what I may have done wrong so that I can do better the next time.

Now I know why they say....

It takes a lot of discipline to learn online. You don't have your professors constantly reminding you of your deadline for turning in assignments; you have to focus on doing that yourself. I just finished one assignment last night, watching the movie "A Civil Action" for my Environmental Science class. It was excellent, and I know just which points I want to focus on for the essay. I'm still waiting for my schoolbooks to arrive so that I can complete my other assignments, but by next week, I should be all set and ready to work harder than I've ever worked in my life.

I like a challenge, though, which is why I chose an online course (that and other obligations that make it necessary). Another selling point is that I'm not bound by the clock, other than needing my assignments to be in on a certain day at a certain time.

I did it!!!

I finally re-enrolled in school, and my first semester back is this week. And I have the following people to thank: God (don't wanna come off as a religious fanatic, though), my mother (who is a living example that nothing is impossible, seeing as she raised three children by herself and still managed to finish college), and the wonderful staff here at Berkeley College.

I actually found out about Berkeley College via commercial and I contacted them further for more information on programs, specifically online. I had been looking at other colleges, as well, but what made the difference with Berkeley College was that I didn't feel enormous pressure from them to make a decision right then and there. The vibe I got from some of the other colleges was "either sign up or don't bother us anymore". And my hesitation to commit right then and there over the phone was seen as being indecisive or not so serious about continuing my education. Never did I feel that way when dealing with my admissions counselor, Mr. Anthony Villani. While he stressed the importance of getting paperwork done right away, there was also a sense that he wanted to help me out in any way he could. And I like that I'm not just a name or a check number to the staff; they want to make sure that I get all the benefits afforded to me in accordance with the Berkeley College experience.