College Then vs College Now

College Then:

Me and Kevin (2003) - Our first summer dating... my 3rd year of college

I went to college straight out of high school. I was told to "Get it done in four years, or we're done paying" by my parents. Sounds kinda mean but they know me. I'm a huge procrastinator and would probably drag my feet. Soooo I got it done in four years. They paid for the tuition and I paid for books and two classes I had to retake. I started at Anne Arundel Community College and then transferred to University of Baltimore (UB).

When I was going to college I never ran out of steam. Being up till 2 or 3am finishing a paper or homework was nothing. The alarm would go off at 7am and I would get up and start the day over. I also worked 20 to 30 hours a week while going to school full time. I was a procrastinator but I loved being busy (still am/do!).

My last two years at UB was spent taking evening classes while I worked during the day. Some evenings I was out by 8:30pm and other nights I was out by 10:45pm. The 8:30pm classes I would stop by Kevin's house to spend some time with him and then head home and the 10:45pm classes I went straight home. Either way, I had homework to do when I got home. My commute was crazy too. I lived in Glen Burnie, MD... drove to Annapolis, MD to work (south), then drove up to UB in Baltimore City, MD (north) and then at the end of the evening drove back home to Glen Burnie, MD (south). I would be up LATE and then up early. I never needed sleep.

****FIVE YEARS OR SO LATER***

College Now:

Connor and Me (2011) - Jumping into taking multiple
non credit classes and one credit class

Taking a few non-credit courses here and there isn't that bad. You have two weeks to complete each lesson and you get two lessons a week for 6 weeks. Not bad. Fairly easy to keep up with.

I'm now in the middle of my first credit course at the community college since I graduated with my bachelor's degree. Woah... very different from my early 20's! Now in my late 20's... I'm managing a household, chasing a toddler, trying to spend time with Kevin, trying to find me time AND then there's the labs, homework, readings, lecture listening, quizzes and this week.... I'm studying for a mid-term. Thank goodness the class is online!

Needless to say sleep has trumped my studying this time. Once Connor goes to be around 8pm, I get some stuff done around the house and then settle in for some classwork/studying...once my eyes get heavy I don't push through like I used to! Why? Well... sleep is a hot commodity now and I take it when I can get it!! I also let other "fun" things trump doing homework/labs if it comes up. Why? Well... free time/fun time is now cherished by the minutes and hours these days. Does the all the work get done? Do I pass the quizzes? Yes! Its just that my determination is split into to umpteen different directions.

So:

Does this make me less of a student? Does this make me "old"? or... Does this make me a seasoned college student? The been there done that student? The I'm a completely different person than I was student? I've learned to pick and choose my battles student?

The mid-term is today... wish me luck!