Ten Little Chances to be Free

Possibilities for next semester's classes:

French 262: From Revolution to Revolution (MW 1:10-2:30)
Greek 100: Elementary Greek (MWF 1:10-2:30)
Latin 212: Intro to Latin Prose & Poetry (MWF 9:00-10:20)
Computer Science 240: Computer Graphics (TTh 1:00-2:50)
Math 238: Topics in Number Theory (MWF 10:00-10:50)
Computer Science 322 (at Mount Holyoke): Operating Systems (TTh 8:35-9:50am)
Computer Science 466 (at UMass): Applied Cryptography (MW 9:05-10:20)
English 310 (at Mount Holyoke): Old English (M 7:00-10:00pm)

This is going to be difficult--I don't have any OMG MUST TAKE classes on this list. And the chemistry/physics departments aren't offering any classes for non-majors in the fall.

Greek vs Latin: should I pick up a new shiny? or follow up on last year's Latin course so it doesn't become yet another language that I studied for a year and then forgot?

Computer science: Operating systems and cryptography are both incredibly shiny, but they're also both at ass-tastic hours of the morning--and off-campus, so I'd have to catch a bus an hour before they start. Ick. Computer graphics fulfils two of my major requirements and is taught by my advisor, but it's not something that makes me bounce up and down going "ooh shiny!"

Math: Number theory is cool and geeky. And the professor is awesome and I took discrete math with him last semester and he gave us tantalizing teasers for this class.

French: It is a class on revolutions and social upheaval between 1789 and 1968. It sounds kind of cool, but after a year in France I'm kind of done with trying to find classes that line up with my geeky research interests. Unless the class is called "THE YEAR 1830" it probably won't line up that closely anyway.

(Which reminds me, when I get back I need to go get coffee or something with the professor of that 1830 class--she specializes in the Romantic period and her bio mentions that she's published works on Lamartine and the Duchesse de Duras. I wonder if it would be easier to have geeky conversations with her now that I'm no longer taking a class of hers.)

Old English: I'll probably end up taking it just because it's awesome and there's no chance of a schedule conflict.

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So, tentative choices: elementary Greek, computer graphics, number theory, and Old English.

OMG OMG I GOT IN.

I spent yesterday visiting my grandparents up in Binghamton, because grandma's been sick lately and she feels bad about missing my brother's graduation. Somewhere in the middle of Pennsylvania I stopped for gas and returned the call I got from Smith, and they were like "Oh yeah we just wanted to tell you you got in." I then proceeded to do a little dance at the pump, to the amazement of the onlookers. I'm going to Smith!

Grandma seems to be recovering, although she's still pretty weak, and she and grandpa are just incredibly sweet. I did some shopping and computer stuff for them, and got sent home with the Northampton section of the family genealogy and four books on medieval France that grandpa thought I'd like. (This is going to become a running joke, isn't it? Every time I think I've made a dent in my reading queue, I end up with a new book or five. How, uh, terrible.)

On the way home, the sky started looking weird around Frederick, and by the time I got to the home stretch of I-270 it was a pretty impressive thunderstorm. The power was out on the highway for about a 20-mile stretch; have you ever seen what happens to DC drivers in the pouring rain, at night, with the streetlights out and cops everywhere? It was chaos. And then the power had been out at home since 3pm due to a lovely incident involving live wires falling into a giant puddle on the flooded parkway. Which would be why I wasn't online yesterday--the power's still out, I'm just stealing someone's wireless from work.

......I'm going to Smith!

Oh yes, and happy Barricade Day everyone.

So I have a shortlist. *deep breath* I feel... a lot better now, actually, especially since the schools on the top of the list probably won't be a bitch to get into. Big state schools for the most part, but they've got excellent computer science departments. (And besides, after SRC I am intensely suspicious of any school that wants to Mold Me in the Ways of the Liberal Arts.)

Top choices:

Carnegie Mellon - The holy grail of geekdom. Probably way too competitive for me to get in, but knowing me I'll end up applying anyway. Because the more I read about it the more I fall in love with it.

UMass Amherst - CS department looks awesomely vibrant and nerdy, student life looks very supportive and on top of things, has a good selection of non-CS courses and cross-registration with Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Amherst College, and Hampshire. For the win.

University of Pittsburgh - Huge school is huge. And has equally huge selection of courses, cross-reg with Carnegie Mellon, and its very own Cathedral of Learning. Rolling admissions a plus; a quick look at the student directory for the (excellent-looking) CS department suggests they're probably desperate to up their female : male ratio.

UMBC and UMD - Huzzah for in-state tuition! Also, both of these have a fuckton of really interesting-looking 300- and 400-level CS courses. Just looking through UMD's general catalog and realizing I'd have to choose from among all the shinies makes me want a stiff drink.

Other:
Swarthmore and Simmons are both possibilities; neither of them struck me as overly exciting, but I wouldn't mind going to either. I'll probably end up applying to Smith and Mount Holyoke mostly to increase my chances of getting into the Five College network with its cross-reg goodness. Both of them have good CS programs, but they also have a distressing emphasis on women's studies, interdisciplinary distribution requirements (piss off, I know what I want and don't want!), and liberal arts in a drinking-the-kool-aid sort of way.


I've missed the fall semester transfer deadlines for about half of these, but... eh, just knowing I have a list makes me feel a lot calmer. If they won't accept me after the deadline I'll just reapply for spring semester. And if I can get off work I might go visit the ones in Pittsburgh and/or MA later this week.

In the spirit of choosing a school to transfer to, I'm attempting to compile a list of Things I Wanna Learn (that you can actually take classes in). Because see, my plan for college is to get a degree in information technology or some subset of that, but take forever to finish it because I'll be taking classes in six gazillion other things in the meantime. Things that interest me, but that I wouldn't necessarily want to write a thesis on. Or get a degree in--majoring in IT is slightly more useful than, say, European history. But shit, why even bother going to school if you're not going to study European history and Old Norse and music theory and other things that have absolutely no use in the real-world job market? If I wanted a job without an education I'd go to trade school and make a comfortable living as an electrician. But on the flip side, I appear to be violently allergic to any Overarching Liberal Arts Philosphy that wants to teach me how to think--I want to take these classes because they're shiny and interesting and I like learning stuff, not because I want to Live An Examined, Critical Life. So an IT major is also a way to avoid drinking the liberal-arts kool-aid (and, while we're at it, keep me as far from the women's studies department as humanly possible oh my god talk about drinking the kool-aid).

So anyway. Stuff to divert myself with while I'm nominally working towards a degree.

( This is gonna get long... )

And this is just the things I have an active interest in learning; it doesn't even account for the ooh, shiny! factor involved in browsing any decent school's course catalogue.

The short version: Academically, I am screwed.

The long version: ( Is damnably complicated )

*wibbles* So there's this essay that's been the bane of my existence, right? On Freud and Nietzsche. The problem with Freud and Nietzsche is that I have very little to say about them (besides possibly "utterly fucking insane"), and have been having enormous trouble pulling enough bullshit for a five-page paper out my ass. I finally have an idea for the paper and could probably smack that bitch down in two hours flat...

...but I have just been bitten by the most tempting plotbunny evar.

I must write the paper first. I must write the paper first. I must write the paper first. I must write the paper first. I must write the paper first. I must write the paper first.

Hell, I will write the paper first, because I don't care if the writing sucks on the paper, but I want to be nicely warmed up for the fic.

First day back from break, and already the benefit of a week of relaxation has evaporated. Cold. Hungry. Tired. Overworked. Have no stockings to wear with my skirts now the weather's colder, have no time to eat, have too much work to sleep, have idiot professors who think their class is the only one where we have homework, have job that demands almost full-time hours. Fie.

On the other hand, have just bought the Brick in French, and minus shipping it was actually cheaper than the English version. And I get my computer back in a week or two, so I can trade for foreign cast recordings, and am ebaying for something I can use for Devious Secret Halloween Costume. Still haven't found exactly what I want; it shouldn't be that hard to find a--

Not telling. Nope. Should probably just make it myself anyway.