BostonBlueHen

5 weeks left....

Hi there!

Welcome back from Spring Break! My Spring break was fine; it was really nice not to have class for a week. I did some work on my Juvenile Justice presentation, and of course had schoolwork for the week after break. I didn't do anything too exciting, it was basically full of going to the gym, doing schoolwork, dog sitting, and some relaxing. My boyfriend took me to see Avenue Q, which was an excellent & hilarious play. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking to go to the theater!

I realized I wrote the wrong date for my presentation-it is actually next Monday. So I have been working on that, and need to finish it up and practice it a bit this weekend. It's going well, I have about 12 slides made, so I'm getting there. I'll be happy when it's over! I have a rough draft started of my paper also, about 4 pages of 15, but it's better than nothing!

I got my second assignment back in Stats; I got an 85%. We can either correct our mistakes for 5 points, or go to a speaker in April that our professor is sponsoring. I think I will go to the speaker! I was happy enough with my grade, although might as well shoot for an extra few points! I'll have my second presentation in this class towards mid April, but I'm not worrying about that yet.

Just finished a paper for Critical Victimology a few minutes ago. Every week we have a response paper due, about 2-3 pages. I was struggling this week on the paper, probably just getting  back into the swing of things after break. All I have in this class will be a few more papers, and a final. Not too bad.

So tomorrow I should get my midterm back from Criminalistics. I think I did well. I felt confident after I completed it. I need to start working on my paper and presentation for that class. Lots of work to do before the end of the semester!

I also spoke with my adviser yesterday. I have only 6 credits to complete for my master. Lots of my classmates are finishing up this summer, but I need a break. I will finish up in the fall. I plan to do an internship for 3 credits, and I need to take Crime and Justice Seminar, which is a core requirement.

So here begins my 5 week countdown. Five weeks of classes, then finals week. Honestly, it can't come fast enough. Although, I need the time to work on my major papers and projects. It will be here before I know it!

Finally, it was about 50 degrees out today--yay! I am very ready for the nice weather and Spring to come. I think it won't be completely here until a few weeks, but I am hopeful!

Week...Stress

Hello there,

I knew I was quite due for a post, I guess it has been about a week or two since I have posted last. Here is a little update on what is going on with me.

Juvenile Justice is going well. Our professor just announced our presentation dates this week. I have to do my 20 minute presentation on March 24th. I have about two weeks to do that from now. Considering I haven't begun to gather any articles or research the topic, you can probably predict what my Spring break will be used for.

Stats is going well! I understand everything that I didn't get so well last time I wrote. The following week our professor reviewed everything she had taught the previous class, which was very helpful. She said she realized many people were confused, and thought it would be helpful to recap and review what was taught the previous week. That was great! I handed in my second assignment this week, so hopefully I will do well on that.

So as for Critical Victimology, I have good news to report. Remember that exam I was worried that I rushed and could have been more thorough? Well I got a 107! Any grade from a 95-120 was considered an A, so I'm all set there. Clearly, he provided us with some bonus points. But I was very glad that I did so well on it, and next time I will not rush on an exam no matter what is going on afterwords. That was pretty dumb of me! We had a speaker from the Children's Advocacy Center last night. She was a great speaker and was very interesting. Working with children involved with the criminal justice system sounds like a possibility for me, although the work she described was more social work. I would like to learn more about working with children as a possible career path.

Criminalistics-I have my midterm today! I'm nervous. It covers everything we have done from Day 1 until now. I think that is about 8 weeks worth of work--overwhelming! I have been studying, but definitely could have studied more. I am working on getting my outlines organized today, and hopefully will feel confident about the material by 4:30 pm today! I also have to pick my research topic...I am feeling extremely indecisive about what topic to choose, but I may go with Forensic Entomology which is the use of insects to determine time of death. Very cheery business, huh?

Okay, so that's all for now. On an overall note, this is the hardest, and most demanding semester of school I have ever experienced. I am overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious! It's kind of a first for me, as I have really never felt this busy before. Once I finish one week's worth of work, it's right on to starting for the following week. Then add in my 15 pg research paper, 5-10 pg research paper, and two 20 min presentations...I'm burned out. Thank God for Spring break next week! I wish I was going away, but unfortunately I am not. On the very bright side, after Spring break there are only five weeks of classes left, then finals........I can do this! (I think!)

Week 7

Friday, oh Friday. Normally Friday is the start of my weekend. I usually have the day off, sleep late, get work done, be social. Today I am working 9-5 and then babysitting overnight. I feel like I'm getting old because normally come Thursday night I am tired from the week, and today I am a little more tired than yesterday. Okay, enough of that!

So in Juvenile Justice class I finally picked a topic for my presentation. I will be researching juveniles and the death penalty. It's no longer legal in the US to execute juveniles, but I am researching its history, the supreme court case that made it illegal, and the movement to end the execution of juveniles. And so begins the research.

Stats class didn't go so well for me Tuesday. I was pretty lost throughout the entire class, and spoke to my professor after class, briefly. She was trying to explain and help but I was too frustrated and confused to understand it at that point. I will look over everything this weekend and see if I understand it better. If not, I will try to meet her in her office hours to get some extra help.

Wednesday we had our midterm in Critical Victimology. I must admit I feel that I rushed through it a little. Afterwards, some friends and I were planning on getting some drinks at a nearby bar. I think I was rushing a little because I wanted to just be done. I feel I was thorough, but could have been more thorough than I was. We will see when I get my grade. Either way, we had fun going out for drinks afterward, it was nice to be social with some classmates.

Last night in Criminalistics we had a guest speaker on Ballistics, and guns. He was part of the Boston Crime Lab, and showed us a video, power point presentations, and spoke. He passed around bullets, casings, and the inside of a gun's chamber. It was pretty cool! I enjoyed having a guest speaker. Soon I need to pick a topic for my project in that class. I need to research a forensic technique....I need to start cracking on that.

And that was my week, in a nutshell. OH I have a final complaint. I ended up complaining in the Suffolk Library the other night to the night manager. I search and search for a quiet place to study but I've realized there is not one. The 4th floor is allegedly the "Quiet Floor" but I swear it is the loudest of them all. It's not so much of a problem to me because I have a quiet home to study in. I feel worried for students who live in dorms/apartments that they cannot get work done in. The Suffolk Library is by far the loudest library I've ever been in. A few of my peers have shared in my complaints about the noise level in there. Lucky for me, I use the Law library which is excellent. The perfect atmosphere to study in.

Stepping down off my soap box...

Have a great weekend!