Today is the first day of the new quarter, and I'm very excited. I want to get a sense of my professors and classmates and what they'll bring to the table as far as the courses are concerned. I really feel that we all encourage each other in one way or another, because we all want to see one another be successful in our chosen career and school paths.

Also, my mom really wants to see what Berkeley offers as far as nursing/medical coding, so I'll be making a trip to the Newark campus shortly for a brochure with the class and schedule listings. I'll also pick one up for my brother and my sister, who are betwixt and between as far as school is concerned. My sister is a college graduate, but she realizes she needs additional education for her chosen field, and I really think that Berkeley College would suit her needs well. And my brother could inquire about transfer procedures and what credits they would take from the school where he's currently enrolled.

And to my fellow bloggers, I wish you much success this coming quarter, whatever classes you are taking. I know that some of them may be challenging, but it'll be interesting, as well. And I know that the two of you are very intelligent and can handle any challenges that come your way. Again, much success, study hard, and you'll achieve your goals.

So our new semester starts Monday, March 31, 2008, and I'm finally ahead of the curve. I will actually have the books I need for the courses I'm taking by at least the second or third day of the first week. The last few quarters I fell a few steps behind, either due to lack of funds, lack of preparation, or both. That won't happen this time, however. Things are looking up for me right now as far as school is concerned, and I intend to keep it that way.

I am definitely looking forward to working with a great group of new students this quarter, as well. I don't want to brag, but Berkeley students are the greatest!!!! And I don't just say this because I'm a student; I say it because it's true. I've never had the type of interaction that I have right now--online or on campus--at any other school. What I feel sets Berkeley College apart from other schools is the depth of knowledge, wisdom, and experience that both teachers and students bring to the classrooms--online and on campus. We're talking various ages, races, religious backgrounds, and experiences that come together on one message board, and we're all able to take something valuable away that we hadn't considered and might never have if someone hadn't pointed it out.

Also, Berkeley fits in perfectly with the work/life balance. I'm able to care for spiritual, family, social, and work obligations all while working to obtain my degree online. That's because Berkeley, being ahead of the curve as one of the premier colleges in New Jersey, recognizes that not everyone who wants to go back to school can afford to spend time on campus. So they bring the campus to us, in a sense, and that's where online learning comes in. You only need to arrange your schedule carefully so that you have enough time to read the necessary information and complete your assignments in an accurate and timely manner.

So I got my final grade for our sociology project, where we had to make a business proposal. We ROCK!!! We got a 95 out of 100 collectively, and I got an A for the entire course. It makes me feel good, because I really didn't feel like I had contributed as much as the other ladies, especially during the last few weeks of the course. I know I keep using the fact that I moved to another location as an excuse, but there was still an obligation to my professors and fellow students. But we came through like champions (the refrains of an old Queen song run through my head right now).

Again, I'm just looking forward to next quarter, where I'll be challenged yet again by algebra. This is one course where I know I'll have to buckle down and study, study, study. A misstep here or there could really put me behind. But then again, I can utilize the tutorials or get live help from someone on the Internet. There's no need for me to let this class overtake me again. This would actually be me second time taking algebra online, except this time it's all online; whereas at UCC, we would study on our own for the most part and come in one day a week for review or to take a test on campus. Seeing as my schedule doesn't allow me to freely do that at the moment, I'm grateful that all of the tests are online. And I'm sure there will be graded homework assignments that I can learn from, as well. The GHAs used to intimidate me, but now I realize that they're there for your reinforcement of what you've learned from the chapters.

And I'm looking forward to seeing new, exciting announcements on the Blackboard, whether it be for a job fair, a class trip, or scholarship opportunity.

One of the things I'd like to take advantage of this coming quarter is one of the academic clubs. For example, the Accounting Club is one of the clubs I'd like to join. Also, the Online Book Club is another club I'd like to join. And when Berkeley plans its student trips and activities, maybe I can arrange my schedule at work so that I can partake in at least one or two of these listed activities on the Blackboard.

I'd also like to be able to post my resume at Career Services and maybe see what it is that they have to offer that would work with my current skills and expertise. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I am learning our company's accounting software, so maybe that would work in my favor with another employer; they would see that I'm not just a customer service/front desk rep. I can actually perform other duties, as well, and that's the type of thing that employers admire--multi-talented employees.

At the same time, I won't neglect my studies, and hopefully nothing happens next quarter to throw me off track. I did pretty good this quarter, but I know I could've done better. So I've come up with a plan: I'm going to make myself a schedule. As my mother always says: prior proper planning prevents poor performance. And while some things happened that were beyond my control, there were things that I could've done to minimize the effect. And a schedule is one way to do that. I want all As this quarter, and with hard work and determination, I feel I can do it.

So I'm nervous and excited about the next quarter--excited because of all the new things I'll be learning while refreshing what I've already learned; and at the same time I'm nervous because I'm face-to-face with college algebra again. I don't dislike math; however, I've always had a bit of trouble making sense of algebra. But then again, that could've been due to age and immaturity on my part, as well. So I'll just study like it's my last chance to get it right (because ultimately, it is) and show my mettle (I must sound like a broken record by now).

I'm also excited to see what I'll be learning in my Fin200 class. I'm sure that this will be a class that will help me in a future career of finance, whether it be banking, administrative support/bookkeeping, or accounting in a large investment firm. Truly, knowledge opens many a door that can oftentimes be closed because of a lack of the right education (and sometimes hands-on experience).

I'm also looking forward to any internships that may be offered throughout my college career that relates to my course of study. What I'm learning at work right now is good practice, too, because I'm learning the financial and accounting side of things, and this knowledge and expertise can also help me in the future. I also hope to encourage my friends and family who are thinking of going back to school to consider Berkeley College.

My goodness, I almost lost my last GHA for my business communication class. And it was really scary, too, because once you open it, you have to complete it; and if you try to re-open it yourself, you can't. You have to e-mail your professor and have him or her unlock it for you. I'm so grateful that my professor got my e-mail and unlocked the test; otherwise, it would've affected my grade for the semester. At any rate, I finished the test and got a 9 out of 10 on the GHA. I'm looking at a combined total of a B for the course. Not bad for a kid who started without the book for the first week, eh?

In my CIS 125 class, I got an A on my final project, which is pretty good, considering I messed up a few things (I guess not enough to lower my grade, though). I did get a C+ for the overall course, however, because three of my assignments never made it through the Assignment Manager. But that won't deter me; I'm more determined than ever to work my fingers to the bone during each and every semester. Besides, I love working with computers, and practice makes almost perfect. So when I practice on the computer at home (now that we're connected at home again), it'll only reaffirm the knowledge that I already have in that particular area of study.

And we've finally turned in our group project for Soc 105. I thought the presentation looked fantastic, and our two group leaders did a fantastic job. I contributed as much as I could, as well, and the other ladies did their part. If we get less than an A on this project, I'd really be surprised. But it would also be a learning experience to see where we've gone wrong.

I just completed my last assignment for CIS 125, and now I want to take even more Office 2007 courses. I'm just thirsty for knowledge, like a person lost in the hot, arid desert looking for one decent sip of water. Besides, the projects I've completed were a lot of hard work, but also a lot of fun. This helps me with regard to my own job at work, where I've recently taken on more responsibility. I'm learning the accounts receivable feature on the software we have at work, and with Excel and other Microsoft Office applications, the limits to what could be done at work is boundless.

My next assignments include a final GHA for business communication, covering three chapters. I really enjoyed this class, because it helps me to see how I should not only conduct myself in a business setting, but also how to communicate in a business setting so that I make myself heard without offending others. At the same time, it also teaches us how to be good listeners, as being a good listener and taking to heart what you hear almost always goes hand-in-hand with advancement at work.

As I'm in the final stretches of this semester, I'm a little grateful for the two-week reprieve, but all the same, I'm excited to see what this next semester holds for me. Philosophy turned out to be much more than I expected, but in a good way. Algebra, on the other hand, will continue to be a challenge for me (particularly linear equations). That's one course where I KNOW I'm gonna have to bog down and study, study, study.

So I just turned in my business report for my Business Communications course. I made a few errors regarding some of the requirements for the paper, but overall, I pretty much followed the guidelines to the letter. My topic of concern was preventing business fraud and profit losses. Most people would be surprised to know that the bottom line of a business is often affected not by supply and demand of a product or service, but by procedures of employees and management. Some of it is just administrative error that can be corrected; however, oftentimes it is internal fraud and/or theft and must be prevented in order to continue to ensure the success of a business.

Also in my business communication class, we are learning about how to effectively listen to a presentation, since this is one of the many barometers that can guarantee the success or failure rate of an implemented plan. We also discussed preventing internal or external stimuli from allowing our minds to wander or to take our attention away from the information being presented to us. We also discussed nonverbal communication in additional to listening and hearing, such as facial expressions and certain body movements. We want these face and body movements to accurately reflect how we feel about a situation.

So we're expanding on our theme of natural caring vs. ethical caring, with a speech from the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King explains that to sit silent in the face of injustice would be tantamount to supporting injustice ("An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"), which is in direct support of Dr. Cornel West's theory of have-nots and have-less-thans vs. the current power structure and Ms. Nel Noddings' "I want to" vs. "I must" natural and ethical caring. Truly, we cannot afford to sit silent when it is in the power of our hands to do something to alleviate the sufferings of those less fortunate than us.

In our Integrated Microsoft Office 2007 project this week, we learned how to create party fliers and invitations using Access, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I'm now thinking of using this method to create fliers and invitations for any parties I might have in the future. All in all, it was a lot of fun to create, although I really need a USB Flash Drive disk, since it stores more than double the amount of files vs. a traditional floppy disk. I kept having to delete old files to make room for the newer files, and finally just saved them to Blackboard Content Collection.

In Sociology, we're almost finished with our project to start a business. I have to say that I really feel that I've contributed greatly this week, as the last couple of weeks have been pretty taxing. But as long as we continue to communicate--very important point--with each other and get input and exchange of ideas, we'll do a great job on our project.

This week's philosophy discussion has turned out to be one of the most spirited. It deals with ethical caring vs. natural caring and our roles in ethical and natural caring.

Natural caring deals with the natural care of one's natural family, friends, and loved ones. It focuses the attention of the one-caring (the one who cares for someone) on the cared-for (the person or persons cared for). This is natural in that you don't have to think twice about caring for that individual or those individuals with whom you share a natural bond (whether blood or close-knit friendship).

Ethical caring deals with the "I must" attitude toward caring for an individual or living thing, whether we are close to such ones or not. It deals with knowing what the 'right' thing is to do and doing it for that person or living thing, whether or not we are reciprocated. Ethical caring comes from principles that extend beyond our families and aids all of humankind.

As far as the Integrated Projects for Microsoft Office 2007, the assignments are definitely getting more challenging, but as I'm getting more familiar with the keys on the board, I find navigating a little less of a maze than I first did. And when I think about what I'm working towards as far as acquiring these skills, it's all worth it in the end.