School/University/College

[LadyNightshade]

Oh lord, Financial aid departments are the absolute worst. I had a hold on my account for getting an extra parking sticker and they never entered that I paid the $10 for it. I couldn't register for classes until they fixed it. I ended up having to pay an extra $10 just to get it off my account that I still owed it.

 

This is why I absolutely hate student workers in departments that should be run by someone who can focus 100% on the job they are doing.

 

 

 

So, I decided my Calculus teacher talks to us all like we are elementary school kids. Which, is amazing, because it makes it so much easier to understand what's going on.

 

It's so much better than my pre-calc class where I had a professor with a very thick and not understandable accent.

[Trikonasana]

University/college departments + finances = complete failure in many cases, it seems.

 

The bookstore at my university does a buyback system for old textbooks, and even if your textbooks are absolutely like new when you bring them in, the store will only buy them back for a fraction of the cost you got them for (and not a large fraction, either - we're talking 200-dollar textbooks being bought back for $20 and so on). Then they'll sell them back as used books for an expensive price again.

 

I just sell them to my friends, lol. They get them for less than the bookstore used price and I make more money from them. Win-win!

[Princess Artemis]

University/college departments + finances = complete failure in many cases, it seems.

 

The bookstore at my university does a buyback system for old textbooks, and even if your textbooks are absolutely like new when you bring them in, the store will only buy them back for a fraction of the cost you got them for (and not a large fraction, either - we're talking 200-dollar textbooks being bought back for $20 and so on). Then they'll sell them back as used books for an expensive price again.

 

I just sell them to my friends, lol. They get them for less than the bookstore used price and I make more money from them. Win-win!

I didn't sell the books to friends when it looked like I was going to be completely ripped off so that the bookstore could gouge someone else. Mostly because the friends I had didn't need my textbooks. So I kept them. I still have several of my college textbooks for this reason. Some of them were worth keeping, others not so much; it's always nice to have a Little, Brown Handbook around to make absolutely sure about a grammar question, or to go through some of the other textbooks later on in life and play Spot The Misdirection. No one yet has satisfied me that the chemical process of fossil formation is anything other than what it is.

[Pink]

I imagine I'll sell my textbooks online when I'm done with them.

I honestly don't see why not, and even though our campus says they pay well for bought back textbooks, I could probably still get more for them on ebay.

 

I'm still having food problems, unfortunately. The only food there at the college is vending machine snacks (and terribly overpriced cookies in the coffee shop) and because of the heaviness of my books it's hard for me to bring anything with me.

I was thinking about granola bars, but then I realized I could buy those there anyways.

Sadly, I'm still completely lost on this matter. I guess I'll have to think of something.

 

 

[LadyNightshade]

I've ended up keeping a lot of books or selling them online. Bookstores are a total rip-off otherwise.

I've had some unfortunate luck of books changing editions and you can't sell them back when they do that.

This year however, I rented a few of my books so they take them back at the end of the year. What's cool is I could rent brand new textbooks but pay less than what you pay used for them.

 

 

Food has always been a problem for me at school. I get really shaky and not-functional when I get hungry and I can't eat a lot at a time. So when I have classes for too long I get hungry and can't focus.

 

I've learned to take powerbars, snackmix and shakes and stuff. I had to buy a lunchbox to carry with me (it's totally awesome with sharks on it) because I didn't have room in my bag.

[spyro76]

I've been telling the professors that have scheduled assignments from the books.. my Spanish professor was like "Ugh, that's tough. Well, I'll let you turn in the first assignment late, but I won't accept the second assignment as late and so on. Just tell me whatever your financial advisor tells you." I guess that would be fair, but my next assignment is due tomorrow. :/ I don't think I'll have my money by then.

Is there any chance you'd be able to get the assignment from someone else? Like having them print it off and you do it then turn it in?

[RheaZen]

Work has be a little stressed but it's fun at the same time Yet more meetings to go to today.

 

In regards to food, I'm lucky in that there are dining areas everywhere on campus. Lots of all-you-can-eat... no wonder people gain weight during college. /saw one guy pigging out on nothing but pizza

srsly it was a lot of pizza.

 

And books... I keep all my books. Just in case.

[LadyNightshade]

We have all kinds of places to eat and buy coffee and what-not on campus. It's just pretty overpriced.

 

That and I don't know who has all that time to eat. Most professors don't allow food in the classroom (and actually it's just a rule for most classrooms) as well.

 

I'm special because I have a little medical note that says I have to eat whenever I get hungry so other than in labs (for safety reasons) I can have food anytime I want and not be in trouble for it.

 

 

There's always someone who manages to spill a drink though.

[Walker]

What I can't get used to is the 'broker' mentality. I've found that the college students all try to sell their stuff to each other for insanely high prices (like I have an extra cable for cable TV and a toilet bowl wand I won't need and my roommate suggested I try to sell it to someone X3)

[Trikonasana]

I can imagine a broker mentality growing among college students, mostly because high tuitions and the like make money a little tight for a lot of them.

 

And yeah there's food everywhere at my university too. Pizza places, a Dairy Queen, multiple Asian buffet places and other fast food goodness. Only reason I didn't gain a Freshman 15 was because I didn't live on campus and I usually didn't carry around much cash to indulge in fast-food cravings X3

[RheaZen]

There's a meal plan program here so prices aren't bad, and as long as you eat at the right hall you've got the freedom to choose healthier foods. I'm still going to gain weight, though. Just today I went to lunch, then to a college meeting that had free food, then to an ice cream social for a club.

 

So delicious.

[Pink]

Yeah, if anything I'm going to lose weight, with having to lug around any food I want to eat AND all my other stuff.

Good times. :3

[RheaZen]

Bought the wrong lab manual. OOPS.

 

[Walker]

Bought the wrong lab manual. OOPS.

 

I hope you have the receipt and wherever you bought it from has a return policy O.o

[Pink]

I brought in the wrong book for one of my classes too.

 

Fortunately I still had the receipt.

[RheaZen]

I hope you have the receipt and wherever you bought it from has a return policy O.o

I have the receipt and with any luck they won't notice the white-out

[MellaBella]

Is there any chance you'd be able to get the assignment from someone else?  Like having them print it off and you do it then turn it in?

Maybe, but LUCKILY my financial aid department was nice and fixed all of my stuff. I know have everything I need. Spanish book cost $200, but WHATEVER.

 

The bookstore I went to buys back most of the books at half-price. I could still get more by selling mine online, so that's what I'll do. =w=

 

EDIT: Holy crap, look at those grammar mistakes. I need to sleep.

Edited August 31, 2011 by MellaBella

[Jet Raptor]

Psh, our chemistry teacher made us buy the wrong text book. :/

He accidentally switched the required and optional text books. *facepalm*

 

Also, should I be alarmed if the above teacher (err, that is "professor" apparently) constantly says "umm" as well as writes stuff on the board and then says "I think that's right..."

Because I am.

He seems quite clueless 80% of the time. ._.

[7Deadly$ins]

Lol, I think I might inversely lose 15. I don't have nearly as much time to eat, and my classes are later so I usually have to get by with like a cookie and chips.

[TPishek]

Psh, our chemistry teacher made us buy the wrong text book.  :/

He accidentally switched the required and optional text books.  *facepalm*

 

Also, should I be alarmed if the above teacher (err, that is "professor" apparently) constantly says "umm" as well as writes stuff on the board and then says "I think that's right..."

Because I am.

He seems quite clueless 80% of the time.  ._.

Some professors are simply better researchers than they are teachers, lol. Doesn't mean they're clueless, just that the classroom environment isn't their forte. Most "absent-minded professors" are really quite brilliant, they're just easily distracted by thinking about the stuff going on back in the lab. Plus, it's entirely possible that profs can have a bit of stage fright, especially if they're fairly new to the job-- unlike high school teachers, college profs generally do not have any sort of degree in Education. They'll understand the concepts themselves, but not necessarily know how best to present it to a class, or how much to expect of the students-- and that's where you get the "umm"s and "does that look ok guys?"

It simply means that you need to take a good bit of responsibility for learning upon yourself. Read your text, talk to him after class with questions, maybe set up tutoring-- many universities have free tutoring available.

Edited August 31, 2011 by TPishek

[Jet Raptor]

I'm sure he's not actually clueless, it just seems like it. -.-

 

My problem is that I am incredibly shy irl. >.>'

I don't like to go to tutoring...I don't like talking to people...so that leaves it completely up to me to figure it out on my own if I don't get something. I'm actually ok with chem so far, so no problems there yet. Math is usually where I get stuck not understanding something.

[7Deadly$ins]

Just remember that you are paying for this. If you need to use other resources, and you don't, it's just wasted money.

[Jet Raptor]

Actually, grants are letting me go for free. |D [/brick'd]

No but srsly, I know that I should take advantages of the resources. I have tried on several occasions (in high school ._.'), but I just can't get myself to try again. :c

[Walker]

Actually, grants are letting me go for free. |D [/brick'd]

No but srsly, I know that I should take advantages of the resources. I have tried on several occasions (in high school ._.'), but I just can't get myself to try again. :c

Lucky.

*sits on her growing pile of debt*

I hate how much money you cost college.

[Annatjie]

I'm going to uni next year, but I have no idea what I want to do so I'm scared I'll end up ruining my life by picking the wrong course