I am done with the semester….at least 99% done for now. I can breathe again. My evenings will be much more free for the next month. Unfortunately, I also think I just bombed the final. After 4 months of studying, analyzing, memorizing, preparing and praying…I thought that I was justified in walking confidently into the University of La Verne testing center.

Boy was I wrong.

For two hours and 80 questions, I was forced to stare at a computer screen with my heart beating fast and my mind blank. I’ve never been a good test taker, except for in French class (I always seemed to be more intelligent en Francais) Questions were asked that I knew the answer to…but the multiple choice selections never seemed to include the answer I was certain would be correct. All of my silly mnemonic devices (like how you AdaPT to the PATh/Goal theory and SMuRF communication styles) did me NO good. I was left guessing. And most of the guesses were shaky because any of the answers could have been argued to be correct. Terminology that was not used in the textbook, glossaries, and pre-made course flashcards was the majority of the test.

The course that I’ve been taking is a 12-credit one. Not just a total of 12 credits=1 full-time semester of 1-3 credit course choices. It’s 12 credits = pass the class or you don’t get credit for the whole 5+ months of work. I’ll have one chance to retake it, so hopefully I can redeem myself if I don’t get the 54% pass threshold. Usually on tests I’m able to tell right off if I got half the questions right. On this one…who knows.

I have to wait until Monday for my score. So much for a totally relaxing study-free weekend.

At least I have Genghis Cohen to look forward to on Saturday night.

“You can’t let your personal issues conflict with your business or educational goals.” Aquarius, Yahoo Horoscope, 8/16/06

I’m just over two months into my semester at WGU. I finished the introductory course (Education without Boundaries), I’m about 2/3 done with my 12 unit Leadership and Professionalism course, and hope to finish another class by November. My switch into working student at WGU has been a lot more successful than the semester I took at the U of U in 2005. I had time to work on coursework while I was working in Pathology, but it was hard taking up an evening a week to been in class. I like a lot of things about the online format. I have a loosely-recommended course of study to follow, but I can excel ahead if I like, or can take a week off if “life happens”.

Getting an education isn’t easy. I was the wife of a student for 4.5 years with Steve, and I’ve been the wife of a student with Taylor for almost 3 years. For all of the procrastination I’ve remedied, flash cards I’ve written, unexpected student fees I’ve paid, and crazy finals’ weeks that I’ve endured…I feel like I should be higher up in the academic spectrum than an undergrad senior. Even though my major is Business Management, I know more about health sciences and aviation than I ever thought I’d know. I should have an honorary triple major or something beyond my second MRS degree. I guess that’s part of being a wife.

Taylor’s nearing the end of his first week at Pinnacle. So far it’s been either basic HR/orientation/introductory stuff, or review of what he was learning at Jet U. Pinnacle pays for a decent extended-stay hotel for their new hires, much nicer than the dorms at Jet U. He’s rooming with Clint, a buddy from Jet U. It’s been a super hot and humid week in Memphis. The Memphis airport is very close to Graceland, but Taylor doesn’t want to brave the heat and crowds for the Elvis’s 30^th Deathiversary.