16 December 2009

A moment of self-congratulation.

For those wondering:

Straight A's this semester in all five classes, keeping my cumulative GPA in 24 credits taken so far at a nice, crisp 4.00.  Too bad this isn't The Sims where $1,200 magically appears in the bank account for getting an A.

Got my hands on the book for Math 126 (Pre-Calculus); trying to pass a test so I won't have to take it next semester.  I have to improve on my pre-enrollment test score by seven points (out of 120; I got a 77 on my first attempt and need an 84) in order to be able to take Calculus (Math 176) in the spring.  Since Calculus is a required course for me to transfer with full upper-classman status at UNR (Nevada-Reno, home of the Wolf Pack) next fall, I've got a dog in that fight and it will be the prime focus of my winter break.  The testing center a block from my house is open Dec. 28-31; I hope to get in there on New Year's Eve (two weeks from tomorrow) and pass that test!  If I blow it, well, back to the drawing board as I'll have to take 126 in the spring and hope they offer 176 in the summer (they did last year, but not a lot of students want to try to take a full calculus course in five weeks and I can't say I blame 'em.)

On top of all of the above, I'm probably going to end up taking a part-time job at minimum wage or barely above, since the difference between my financial aid and my living expenses works out to about $400-500 a month, which means I'll be out of money and dead broke in June or July at the rate I'm going...and school doesn't start up again for the fall until August.  In theory I could probably try to get welfare or something, but that would be a dick move on the taxpayer and goes against everything I believe in personally and politically...but if the alternative is ending up homeless...

All things in due consideration, however, I am rocking the lights out around here and truth be told I am quite satisfied with my personal life (even given recent events).  Things will get a lot brighter two or three years down the line---I've just got to continue to survive as I do what I should've done ten years ago and really get my life together in preparation for the bright future I spent ten years wasting and putting off.

3 comments:

  1. Congrats!

    PS: in most (if not all?) states you can't get welfare unless you have small children and hardly any income and you haven't used up your 2 and 1/2 years life time maximum.

    Whatever income you make will have to be almost totally deducted from the $330 per month a family of two is getting in my state, so your mention of needing 400 to 500 per month for a single person is quite extravagant.

    Also, I believe in most state you can't get welfare if you're a student even though you have small children and no or hardly any income. Which is utterly absurd. I was a student on welfare years ago before this rule was enacted. I had two small kids and though I worked as well as attended university, I still was elligible for partial welfare payment. Then I got my degree, got a job and have been paying taxes for the past 30 years... Doesn't that make more sense?

    Some years back, they made students uneligible for food stamps. I hope they changed this idiotic rule? The bulk of your expenses probably go for rent so perhaps you could look into food stamps if you don't get a job that would allow you to make enough money? You paid taxes, you'll pay lots more taxes in your lifetime. Think of the safety net (the little that is left of it!) as insurance for the hard times that most of us face at one time or another in our lives.

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  2. Thanks a lot for a bunch of good tips. I look forward to reading more on the topic in the future. Keep up the good work! This blog is going to be great resource. Love reading it.
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