I have been running around like a chicken without a head because I am trying to get everything that the school needs in order for registration and financial aid. Some things are being sent back stupidly so I am like mailing them 3 times now so it has been a bit of a pain in the ass but I don’t mind because I just want to make sure everyone has what they need from me. I did all my loans both personal and governmental. I ended up with a $14,000 government student loan and a $19,237 personal student loan. However, with my merit awards and my scholarship I will have over $10,000 left over toward books and other expenses. I don’t need that much even though I am taking the remainder and putting it towards other debt to consolidate. I don’t need to consolidate everything at once and some I can’t do all of it at once so I am fine with that.

I called the school yesterday trying to track down various pieces of information and while I was on the phone with financial aid I was asking about summer classes. They had a take 1 class get a 50% off on the second class. The idea intrigued me so I decided why not? I have never taken a summer class and I think it would be perfect for my French requirements. So after getting everything settled with them I ran up to the college to drop off some paperwork and see my Enrollment Adviser and talk about the requirements for my summer classes. We went through everything and she adjusted my worksheet and my application to reflect summer sign up. I was not pleased seeing that there wasn’t a single French course available during the summer. I am a French Minor and if I could take a lot the French I and II earlier that would be great I don’t need a full semester long class for them but alas it was just not in my cards. However, they they had the most awesome class ever being offered. “Vampires: Past and Present” its a senior level class but I’ve read most of the required texts. There are a few short stories, and poems that I hadn’t heard of before so I am excited to read those but those are free. I had to purchase 3 books for the class but I already had 2 of them so it worked out well. The three books required were Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, the third was this book called Vampires, Zombies and Werewolves a compendium. When I looked up that book it was only like $4 on the kindle so I scooped it right up plus there were dozens of other cheap books that were along the same lines so I bought a ton of them and wishlisted the rest. I am excited about this class. I think it will be a lot of fun. I also said that about my mythology class and the professor ruined that for me. I am thinking of picking up the Mythology class again over at Dowling since it doesn’t focus JUST on the Greek Pantheon. I like to explore outside of that and I really didn’t like spending 6 weeks explaining humanism over and over again to the point where I just stopped answering the question. LOL.

I also signed up for an American Politics class. I have core classes I have to take along with major classes and the politics is my core class. I am taking Modern Politics in the fall which is anything but modern but mostly like Machiavelli and the Greek philosophers. But it means I have less things I have to take later and free up more space for my study abroad goal. So I am excited by far. I just can’t wait the Vampire Class starts on the 21st of May so I am like counting down the days.

I paid my ticket in Illinois. So I’m all set with that. Now I am just going to relax this summer and catch up on my books!

I cannot believe that I am almost finished with this semester. I really do not know where the time goes. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. Switching over to a four year college makes me feel like I am really doing something. I know I was going to school before but it is really different being an English major and going to a a community college just didn’t make it real if that makes any sense. You can’t really do anything with an associates degree in English besides reception and secretarial skills. So switching to get a bachelors makes it real. I don’t do well with real I get nervous my hand goes to my forehead and I just sit there petting my eyebrow. I’m a hot mess needless to say. So this is really like coming together. I also feel graduate school looming over me like a giant monster that has been hiding in my closet ready to attack me.

Am I over dramatic? Of course I am. You can’t be an English major and not be dramatic. That is like saying you’re a theatre major and you are as dramatic as a brick wall. It just shouldn’t be. I am paying off some of my student loans already. I don’t have to pay them off but certain portions of my student loans accumulate interest so I pay $10 a week toward it. It may not seem like a lot but that is okay. I don’t make a whole lot anymore since I don’t work full-time I just go to school full-time collect some unemployment and that is it. My unemployment is going to be running out soon so I’ll need to look into a part time job. I am not looking forward to that. I will probably end up back at the Rehab doing some stuff there. I need to make a certain amount of money per week or else I am screwed financially. I can’t go under that amount since I am barely make it as it is with what I have. I try to curb my spending but honestly it is hard when there are just so many good books out there to buy! I don’t splurge on myself anymore with shoes, handbags etc. I buy books I get my hair done every once in a while and I get my nails done. That is about it. I pay $10 a week toward student loans, $70 a week toward my debt then I pay $150 for my computer every month since my parents were kind enough to let me charge it on their card. I also now pay $94 a month in car insurance. I only had to pay $44 before so it isn’t that big of a difference but its enough to make me a little nervous lol. I am just happy that it wsn’t like $200 or so I was nervous it was going to be. I then also pay $25 toward my seventhavenue.com bill. I have a small credit line with them. It is the only credit I allow myself to have. I am getting a personal student loan and I will probably end up taking out some of that to pay off various debts so that I can then eliminate the chunk of my debt and put it all under one main loan. It will make my life so much easier. I will only have to pay my personal student loan and the government one then just my various bills through out the month.

I rather do it like that then do the $10 a week to various companies. You don’t make that much of a dent when it is only $10 a week.

I dropped one of my classes because it was just a collision between me and the professor. I was doing a-b quality work and I was getting failing grades so there wasn’t much in options for me so I was able to drop it which brought my GPA back up to where it was. I am happy with that it gives me a little bit more time since I was going to class 6 days a week it was overwhelming. Now that I am back to work though I am going to work 4 days a week plus class 5. It’s a bit of an overwhelming run but it is only until this summer comes then it will settle down until the fall.

I am now working on getting everything set up for my college payments it’s a bit overwhelming and not that many answers are available most people tell me “I don’t really know most students take care of that themselves” and the websites are less then helpful. However, I am doing well with it and I am just happy that my to do list is getting smaller and smaller by the week it seems!

I am getting my hair done tonight and my nails done shortly so I am working nicely on my stuff.

I also have been really hard at work on my paranormal romance review site. It isn’t just a review site it’s a step toward my career goal so I am excited. I will be offering much more than just book reviews too. I also have a bunch of friends who want to be apart of it too do it is great. I am also going to make a regular book site for non paranormal book reviews too because we read a lot of non pararomance books too. I swear I do even if my good reads says I am lying!!

I am having a great time and it’s really a true vacation I have never been on one of these with tourist stops and everything it is fun! I will be coming back in the summer. I plan on going to both Michigan and Missouri. I might take two weeks and do one then the next. It would save a small bit on a plan I think. Who knows?! I also went to Illinois and I plan on checking out a couple other states while we are out here! Weee!

It was really great opportunity and everything fell in to line beautifully. I went there to go over my transcripts and everything transferred in and the classes were awesome. So I decided to apply. The enrollment advisor that I was working with allowed me to apply free of charge which was really great. I had class later on so I couldn’t do the tour but I scheduled one. I was accepted on the spot (along with every other college I applied to so I was really happy about that) so that boosted my ego quite a bit. I also was excepted to Hofstra University which is an amazing college but has over 35,000 students and I just felt so very small there. It is a great opportunity and an amazing school. I might check it out for graduate school. I believe they have a creating writing graduate program. However, everything lined up so perfectly with Dowling it was kismet.

When I returned for my tour I dropped off my some of my transcripts required as well as one of my required two letters of recommendation and during the tour I fell in love with the grounds. They are beautiful and I feel very comfortable there. The campus is only 45 minutes away from my house. Staying locally also ensures that I can study abroad when I am a junior. I  am transferring in as a sophomore. After the tour I talked to the admissions advisor and told her I decided to register there and would be back. She was really kind and let me register then, which was a great coup since it is 2 weeks before registration opened which means I was guaranteed every class I wanted. The registration deposit is $225 which I didn’t have on me at that moment and she let me register anyway which is normally accepted so I was really grateful that she extended the kindness. I paid it like 4 days later because I don’t want any issues with my registration.

I’m not awaiting on my taxes from my accountant so I can apply for FASFA and get everything squared away since the only thing that is left is all the monetary requirements that come with registering for college. The school is pricey its about $27,000 a year. Plus since I said the money my parents were giving me toward the moving company to move me across several states they are putting toward my newer car I am getting. I have about $10,000 through tax returns school loans and various family donations to my savings so I am hoping to get a the Dodge Compass. I get trade ins so I am just waiting for one to come in so I can get excited. I need one in 6 weeks since my aunt Sandy will be purchasing my car from me so there is a bit of a time crunch.

I am glad everything is coming together. I am taking mid-terms this week and am a little stressed out. I am sure I aced my Modern American History and my Short Stories. It is my stupid Western Civilization I class that has me freaking out a little bit. My professor is a douche to be kind about it.

My schedule is great at Dowling. I decided to major in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. I am thinking about minoring in French. I don’t need a language because I am finished with my humanities core but I want to be proficient in a language. I took it for 6 years in school I might as well actually be able to speak the language right? I remember some of out and I will sail through French I so it’s an easy A for my GPA.

My schedule is great

Introduction to Creative Writing

The English Language : History, Grammar, and Usage

Modern Political Theory

French Culture and Language I

English Literature I

World Art II

Total of 18 credits.

I was also scouted for two of their newspapers. They also have a photography club which I am definitely going to be looking into. They having amazing art classes. Several ceramics, jewelry making and crafting classes. So I’m flipping excited.

But that’s why I haven’t been around I have been taking care of all of this!

I am leaving for a week at the end of March to go and visit friends in Missouri. We’ll be doing a tour of the Ottawa University and hanging out. I’ve also scheduled several other appointments so that I can check out the local colleges and talk to transfer advisors as well as do campus tours. I can do my own personal tour by driving around and seeing the campus and getting a feel because they are local so that makes it easier but I want to actually talk to the advisors.

I am checking out Dowling College, St. Joseph’s College, Hofstra University, C.W. Post and potentially Molloy College and St. John’s University.

I did a quick drive through of a couple of them before I made my calls. I took Stony Brook University off my list. Granted its a top 1% college but finally getting there I had to drive around 3 times throughout their campuses before I could actually find the one I want and even then I felt overwhelmed. It felt as big as my own town and ended up getting lost trying to get out with my GPS. I almost had an anxiety attack just trying to get out of the place. The price was not worth the anxiety that it was causing. I also never received a call back from them after the 2 phone calls I placed with their admissions department. So no they have been removed from my list.

I’ve already seen St. Joseph’s it was really gorgeous except for the fact that a huge chunk of the campus seems to take place in a school that looks like it was a revamped version of a high school. I felt very much like I stepped back in time. It was the only thing I was not very pleased about, aside from when I spoke to them over a year ago when I was looking to go to school they were not well in giving me information but this time I knew what to ask for so it was better and easier. I did a quick drive through of half the campus of Hofstra University. Unfortunately the GPS does not direct you well to its location so I ended up getting directed to the grounds keeper area and had to figure my way around. I found it wasn’t bad at all and although it was huge it wasn’t overwhelming on the half that I saw. The overwhelming was the damn street its on is a huge majorly busy highway. Bleh.

I will have to do drive through so  of the other colleges but they are all anywhere from 30 minutes to 1hr and 15 minutes away so it isn’t too bad. I just want to make sure I get the best fit for me. None of them are public colleges so they are pricey the cheapest one seems to be $16,000+ a year so I am hoping my financial aid and my GPA gets to be nice (so far I’ve got an A in all but 1 of my classes. DAMN YOU WESTERN CIV PROFESSOR AND YOUR RIDICULOUS GRADING!) so my GPA should be at a 3.3-3.5 GPA again hopefully.

Well I can only wait and see.

I want to spread my wings but I do want to travel. So I’m going to visit Ottawa University when I go and visit Samantha. I’m going to get to see the campus and get a feel for it. I’m also going to schedule a visit to Hofstra University and start setting up tours for other local colleges. I don’t want to make a huge life altering decision only having PARTIAL information. I can’t say Ottawa is great and 100% me if I haven’t seen what my local area has to offer. I mean I can look at places in CT or NJ or NYC or something that could be comfortable you know?

I just have a whole lot to decide if I stay locally then I’ll continue to get my associates degree I’m only about 8 classes away from my associates degree in English Literature. Except if I am interested in teaching and witch I’ll be about 28 more classes away :\ so I am liking the idea of being 8 away and just switching it up slightly when I get to the full-time school. I want to have the option of teaching but really do focus in the english itself and the grammar etc. If I can do book editing and work at a book house I would totally love it I think.

So I have a lot of stuff I need to think on and I’m only one person.

If I go out of state I can’t study abroad liked I really hoped to. I want to see the world and not be overwhelmed by doing it on my own. So I would love to go to a school to learn rather then just going over to do just the tourist things. So its a lot to think about.

It’s part of the reason why I haven’t been on here plus the site is going to be taking a bit of a turn so I’m excited for new looks that will be coming out!