Fall 07 wrap up with grades

The following is a wrap up of the classes that I took for Fall 2007 at Judson University. This post had the original listings and which books I used (and how much I paid) as well.

Quick Stats: I now have 48 credit hours to my name with a cumulative GPA of 3.375.

BST101 - Intro to Old Testament. Dr. Bob Erickson. GRADE RECEIVED: B.

I learned very little in this class. We had three grades from three tests, and that was it. I received a 93/100, a 74/100, and a 96/100, which is an average somewhere around 87/100.

College lesson learned: Never purchase all of your text books beforehand. I bought a new Bible for 29.99, and a brand new book for 22.99, both of which I did not open. I was able to borrow the main text for the class - I'm glad too, that would have been another 54.99 down the drain (Thanks David!).

HIS480 - History of the U.S. since 1945 to present. Dr. Craig Kaplowitz. GRADE RECEIVED: B+.

This was the most challenging course I took this semester and yet, it was my favorite. I am also most proud of this B+, as I feel I worked my tail off for it. I was expecting to receive a high C to low B, so a high B is especially rewarding. Kaplowitz is an engaging, approachable professor. He is extremely knowledgeable and can deliver his thoughts in a clear concise manner. He assigned a load of written assignments. I have 13 that I uploaded to Google Docs. 3 of those were medium sized papers (1800 - 2200 words), while most were one pagers. One was a research paper, but was only required to be of medium length. I read the most for this class as well. We made it through all four of the texts assigned (three were smaller volumes of primary source material, with some analysis, while one was a full text).

College lesson learned: Don't let your advisor sign you up for whatever... This was a high level class that will end up being nothing more then credit fodder as it does not count toward my final degree. And, it was stinking hard! Albeit rewarding.

HIS262 - History of Civilization II 1500 ad - 2000 ad. Dr. Craig Kaplowitz. GRADE RECEIVED: A.

I enjoyed this class. Kap did a good job with a subject that is boring to most people. (Not to me!) If you are going to take History of Civ II at Judson, and you will if you want to graduate at JU, take it with Kap. We had three medium length papers, in addition to weekly assignments, but there were NO TESTS, NOT A SINGLE ONE. We made it through the text, make use of the online resources with that text book (Worlds Together, Worlds Apart), it can save you a bit of reading.

College lesson learned: Make friends in your class. They can take notes for you when you miss, and even turn in papers when you know your going to 'be sick' that day.

MED240 - Writing for the Media. Professor A. Paul Mouw. GRADE RECEIVED: B.

Prof. Mouw is a wealth of experience, if a bit eccentric. If you are struggling with how to write, don't take this class. The lack of feedback after assignments will not help your style improve unless you seek out Mouw. If you are decent at writing, this class can show you ways to make your writing more effective. I took away a new insight for using different voices for different mediums.

College lesson learned: 8am classes stink. If you can take an alternative to a general ed requirement, do it! I took this class in place of my ENG102, and it was a lot of fun.

SOC151 - Intro to Sociology. Dr. Tim Johnson. GRADE RECEIVED: B-

Notes are critical, especially when you have a professor that writes things he wants you to know on the whiteboard. I took more notes for this class then 3 of my classes combined, the only other course that rivaled was HIS480. Johnson's notes are crazy... and they don't make sense unless you are there to hear the lecture. So, copy exactly what he writes... and then take your own notes on top of that. Johnson's tests are hard... mostly because he incorporates things from the reading that you may, or may not discuss in class, and expects you to know them. There were concepts, names, and readings that I was being introduced to for the first time while reading the study guide for the test. Without the study guides, and my notes, I would have failed every test we took (2, plus final). I am excited to expand on some of the ideas introduced in this class with Johnson next semester as I take Cultural Diversity.

College lesson learned: Get out of the classroom! As part of this class, I did an optional service learning experience. I went several times to feed the homeless in Elgin, and also went brown bagging in the city. Those experiences greatly enriched my learning.

Book total for Fall 2007 was $317.51 USD, I got back about $111.00 USD. THAT IS A NET LOSS OF OVER 200 DOLLARS FOR ONE SEMESTER. Half of the books I returned I did not read in great detail. One I never even opened. Most went for less than 40% of what I paid.

College lesson learned: Your campus bookstore is a blood sucking leech of convenience! DO NOT SHOP THERE, DO NOT RETURN YOUR BOOKS THERE! The only thing worthwhile about Judson's bookstore is that they sell clothes with the name Judson on them. I will be getting all of my books off of half.com or someplace similar for next semester. I will also try to inter-library loan as many as possible as well - you can't beat free.

So, all in all, a good semester. I'm thankful for my scholarship, and am in prayer that it will continue. If you are in the spirit of giving, you can paypal me some money and it will go for school required medical insurance and books for Spring 2008. If you want to make it tax deductible before the end of the year, you can give to my International Teams account which helps support the wage I receive and can serve to differ my travel related expenses this next Spring. Either way, an email to chrismwarren at gmail dot com can point you in the correct direction.

Cheers until 2008!