Summer semester hit us like a truck. A truck covered in oil, grease, and bath and body work’s “warm vanilla” to make up for the smell.

One week after the spring semester ended, I was dumped into new classes, expectations, and assignment structures. I was like a frightened freshman wearing the wrong collegiate outfit on my first day while my parents drove off whooping into the sunset leaving me with my roommate who was 20 times hotter and with 20 more boyfriends than me.

However, college is a place for LEARNING and not for processing one’s emotional descent into madness. Summer may be for some to recklessly frolicking on the Outer Banks but for us dedicated and broke academics it’s also great time to knock off a couple gen ed classes. 🙂

This summer, I am enrolled in 3 online classes in a 6 week period. I’m plundering on through philosophy, physical science, and a physical science lab.

This next section is a bit more info on this semester’s courses and my thoughts on them, should you care to read into the manual of “Educated: A Memoir to All the Happy Fun Times I Gave Up For This Degree“.

Philosophy

This early morning class has become a part of my wake up routine. Read: Wake up at 6:00, sleepily log on zoom, TURN OFF THE CAMERA AND MIC SO NO ONE SEES ME #NAKEDANDAFRAID, and take notes on the study guide my professor generously provides us before class. (He is seriously one of the kind hearted people I’ve ever met. I knew him years back and was stoked to have him as my professor. I’d hate for him to be disgusted with me because I forgot to turn off the damn camera.)

Philosophy makes me look inward at myself & the world in a way that I do not wish to. I demand to know the truth about everything and everyone I know. (I would make an excellent paparazzi cultist for this reason) I struggle with philosophy because there isn’t a definite answer to everything. (I would make a terrible general surgeon for this reason.)

Questions to ponder: Do I exist just because I can think? Are other humans living in the same reality as me? Is God bound by moral laws, and thus creates the commandments by way of providing obligation to adhere to the commandments? Or are morals defined by the commandments themselves?

I DON’T KNOW.

The professor is great, though.

Physical Science

This science class is the perfect fit for me, as we touch on a macro view of many different topics within science. (I didn’t want to deep dive into the genetic make up of saliva. I did that way back in the day of The Great High School Experience and my brain space is limited from here on out.)

This summer, we are touching on topics such as Forensics, DNA, evolution, vaccines, and more. I’m particularly interested in the Forensics science, as it fuels my creepy obsession normal interest for true crime.

Science Lab

This science lab meets once a week and largely teaches us how to write papers after finding results. Writing scientific research is an entirely new writing format me. I appreciate the straightforward template. I don’t like thinking about restructuring my thoughts to fit the new format.

And yes, I CAN hear you thought shaming me that that this is not a very “willing to learn attitude” to have.

TO THAT VERY RUDE OBSERVATION I REPLY: You’re not wrong lol. I’m just tired. Understandably, this attitude will hurt the outcome of my children, but it’s just going to have to be a sacrifice we’re all willing to make.

Studying these days looks like this:

A far cry from last semester’s study comforts.

Apparently the owner-pet honeymoon phase is over and my kittens prefer hiding under my bed and falling down the ventilation shaft instead of snuggling in my lap because they want me to FAIL college.

Will report results in 6 weeks. That is… if we survive until then. 😉