Hoi Artemis...

[megabyteme]

Two years already? I remember your post announcing their birth. My, my, how little has changed in my life since.

You have a life? Somebody's got to do something about that.

[Quarterquack]

You have a life? Somebody's got to do something about that.

You want to tussle, mother fucker?

I'll give you my address.

Come here, and I'll make sure your son grows up empathizing with Dexter's son.

[megabyteme]

You have a life? Somebody's got to do something about that.

You want to tussle, mother fucker?

I'll give you my address.

Come here, and I'll make sure your son grows up empathizing with Dexter's son.

My momma taught me to never fight a guy in a dress- you never know what they are hiding.

[Quarterquack]

My momma taught me to never fight a guy in a dress- you never know what they are hiding.

You're really going to rely on an opinion that originated through the impending need of self-preservation?

[megabyteme]

My momma taught me to never fight a guy in a dress- you never know what they are hiding.

You're really going to rely on an opinion that originated through the impending need of self-preservation?

Very well presented version of, "your momma was a man in a dress"- which is exactly the way I woulda shot it back.

I find myself in a graduate English program that is filled with soon-to-be English teachers, and MANY of them have amazing writing styles. I've held my own in the class, but am truly impressed with their talents. Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite...

[Quarterquack]

During my first year in University, I decided to take literary writing for my English requirement. My writing has always been a tad above average, after I slaved for years on end to improve after I realized I was an 8th grader writing at the level of a 5th grader.
Literary writing was my way of avoiding everybody I knew, because it was the one course you're not meant to take as a first year. Most people opted for Report Writing, but given my disdain for close interpersonal relations, and my knowledge I could do just as well in a more demanding class, I took it.

Either way, I ended up regretting taking that course very much. Not because it was difficult. Not because it was pretentious. Simply because it was better than I had ever hoped. I got to experience, first hand, the amazing writing styles you speak of. One student in the class refused to work on any assignment unless modifications were made to their requirements. He wanted to be a Storyboard writer so much, the professor provided the leeway in the marking scheme for him to practice practice practice.

The teaching assistant in particular had written her Master's dissertation on the Watchmen Universe, and how it could all be summarized in context of a Newsstand - an article of literary delivery going out of style at the time of the introduction of the graphic novels themselves. I read her paper, and decided at the time, that if I ever get stuck finding a sole mate, I'd just turn to my closest University offering graduate degrees in English.

I envy every second you spend in your environment. Truly.

[Quarterquack]

For those who want me to spoil the ending: I scored an A- by writing about a trip to the Circus before the show hours.

[megabyteme]

This is my first class in the program and I have to admit feeling just a bit "advantaged" going in- thinking I would be the only one in the class with a Master's under my belt. Nope. Not only that, but most of them have a specific background (English majors of various types) in writing while I have spent my years in business, and some philosophy (which has helped thus far), with my MA being in Communications.

I think there is some reward being the underdog, of sorts, and there is A LOT to learn from those other students, but I've certainly got an abundance of work ahead of me. While I've never had trouble being verbose (shut up, chalice), the emphasis on this first class History of Rhetoric has been short pieces that say volumes. Interestingly enough, the prof. has been handing out his published works- not out of vanity, but simply because he has been published on each of these topics. Again, another BIG surprise since both schools I have attended (after the two-year stuff) have been private, cozy little schools- now I'm in a state school.

My next class will be Instructions and Procedures which, honestly, sounds about as interesting as watching paint dry. However, the professor is the head of the department which is nearly always a good thing from my experiences. I also have a feeling that the cream-of-the-crop tend to pick graduate students over incoming freshman. Every indication tells me this is going to be a great program.

I still have not ruled out someday being Dr. Megabyteme.

[Quarterquack]

However, the professor is the head of the department which is nearly always a good thing from my experiences.

Depends. I once attended a seminar by my old University's head of the biochemical department. He got as far as the second sentence of the first slide which read "The Clinical world puts emphasis on the path to drug approval, rather than the underlying biochemical breakthrough," before he took two and a half hours of my time on a tangent. It was heartfelt, it felt like the silent plea of 50 years of experience screaming to burst out of him and change the world, and yet it left me with 100+ slides to read up on, because I didn't want to miss the actual presentation.

[megabyteme]

However, the professor is the head of the department which is nearly always a good thing from my experiences.

Depends. I once attended a seminar by my old University's head of the biochemical department. He got as far as the second sentence of the first slide which read "The Clinical world puts emphasis on the path to drug approval, rather than the underlying biochemical breakthrough," before he took two and a half hours of my time on a tangent. It was heartfelt, it felt like the silent plea of 50 years of experience screaming to burst out of him and change the world, and yet it left me with 100+ slides to read up on, because I didn't want to miss the actual presentation.

I do as much "research" on a professor before I take one of their classes. I learned long ago that anyone deemed a counselor is there to put butts in the unfilled seats so the class won't get canceled. I look for classes filling up fast/slow, Department heads, and vast experience behind them, and avoid first-time teachers either teaching or taking over a per-designed class (more work than necessary, also who wants to be a guinea pig for "what doesn't work well?") things like that. I rarely get a class that sucks anymore, but when I do, there is usually less cost jumping out after the first class and playing catch-up in a better one that meets my criteria.

Far too many people settle for what they get in their education, and it just leads to a bad experience. This was discusses in one of the classes in my last program, and when I laid out the "don't blame the teacher/counselor/or anyone else for you getting a bad experience- plan ahead tactic" described above, there were as lot of "Oh shit, why didn't I do that sooner..." looks going around the room.

Bottom line, I am very proactive before I take a class.