I haven’t read up on a least one of the topics I’d hoped to before being able write a proper monologue about health care, so that will have to wait for now. And yes, I suppose I could just do the research now, but honestly I feel more like writing about college, so I’m going to do that instead for now. I even have my Cal Poly t-shirt on and everything. So, political discussion is being pushed back for at least another few days. And now, on to the nostalgia. Yes, I am only 24 years old, and yes, I realize it’s kind of ridiculous to say that about something that happened only 6 years ago. Whatever.
A lot of people probably don’t know this, but I held off for a semester starting at Fullerton College. (Also for those of you who didn’t know, I started at Fullerton College, and transferred to Cal Poly in 2007.) I held off because I had just started a very promising job at Corporate Computer Services right before graduating from high school in mid-2003. I’m still working there, and I still think that was a good move.
Anyway, my first semester started in January of 2004. I was actually the first of all three kids to start college, even though I’m in the middle in terms of birth order. I say that only because it brings to light the fact that I had no immediate family to turn to for advice on how to “start college.” Of course Mom and Dad helped all they could, and that was certainly invaluable. I have no idea how things would have gone without them. But their experience was based off of decades-old information, and while some of it was applicable, a lot of things were new. Fortunately, since I started at a well-established community college that was nearby and very inexpensive, the process ended up being pretty painless. It’s really easy to get into a community college.
I performed decently in the placement tests, and got recommended for the standard run of first-semester general ed classes. Not having any reason to do something different at the time, I signed up for English 100, Reading 142, Math 142, and Political Science 100.
English 100
Taught by Bruce Henderson, this English class had a very strong focus on media (and a slightly weaker focus on conspiracies). I didn’t know beforehand, but there were a lot of different options for English 100, not all of which had this same focus. I had a killer grammar and composition class in high school with a teacher named Sharon Bridwell (hi Dr. Bridwell!), so I wasn’t really worried about not learning what I needed to know to pass an introductory English class; therefore, I got to sit back and enjoy the “alternative” subject matter for the duration of the semester.
Dr. Henderson was kind of a strange fellow though. He had a mullet, old-style rimmed glasses, and some kind of outfit that always made me wonder if he came to campus from a Renaissance fair. Plus, he always showed up on this little bicycle with a flag on the back, like the kind they put on little shopping carts for kids. He talked about interesting stuff though, and I usually looked forward to that class. I first learned about Harvey Milk, COINTELPRO, Jonestown, and quite a few other strange bits of history in his class. I am also still signed up to quite a few email newsletters as a result of some research–mostly environmental groups or political groups, which I don’t generally agree with but find it interesting to learn about through their newsletters every now and then.
We had a few different assignments, but it really wasn’t that difficult. The 1,500-word research paper was probably the hardest, but the most fun was definitely the magazine advertisement. It wasn’t for an actual magazine, but just an exercise to create some kind of presentational media. Out of the different options, I chose the magazine ad. And here, for your enjoyment (or otherwise), are my prototype and final product:
I was pretty happy with how it turned out. I got the idea from Wired magazine, and pretty much completely copied the layout and visual styles from them. The people in the picture are friends from the ice skating rink that Greg and I frequented at the time. They were kind enough to pose for me. (Note: they weren’t, and aren’t, “together.”) I got a pretty good grade on that assignment.
Reading 142, Math 142, Political Science 100, and wow this is taking longer than I thought
So, I didn’t really think I would have a lot to say about any one class, but it seems that I was wrong. I’ll try to finish the rest of the classes in a post or two mid-week. Try to remain precariously balanced on the edges of your collective seats in the mean time.