Fried Dry!

my brain on stats!

Remember the early 90's anti-drug commercials with the eggs. "This is your brain"...scrambled eggs = "This is your brain on drugs".

Well that above kinda looks like how my brain feels. I've had a restless past two nights due to my dreams being invaded by my statistics assignment. Every time I feel like I'm moving forward and I understand and "I can do this", the wind gets knocked out of me!

I'm seriously tired. I think I will turn in for the night and start fresh again in a couple hours...

smooches

Mid-semester report

So I haven't given any updates on school in awhile...mainly because there wasn't much to say. I've got a lot of reading and a couple assignments but this semseter is mainly about getting my act together, i.e. getting research ideas together for next semester when I prepare to begin my thesis. The classes we are taking now are all fundamental to this goal...

Well in the past 2 weeks I've handed in 2 assignments and submitted another today and I'm disappointed. In fact, I fought back tears on both occasions that I reviewed my grades because neither were up to my standards...I've always been an "A" student and can literally count on one hand the classes from my undergrad and previous grad experience (together) where I didn't meet this personal challenge.

The tricky part is before this program, my standards were self-inflicted, however, now the stakes are higher simply because I must maintain a 3.5 average and above in order to keep my scholarship(s). Heaven help me if I lose my scholarship because unlike Melanie from The Game- I don't have an NFL player for a boyfriend/husband or even a good friend. (lol)

I have managed to 'calm myself down' in the sense that after looking at the feedback from the dreaded Stats assignment, I really couldn't have done better. I had no experience with the type of question that was given (write up report for a journal article-APA format) and despite asking for clarification of what she was looking for from the professor and actually understanding the material, I floundered when it came to delivering in the format that was expected. Ultimately I lost a lot of points and that sucks because there are only three assignments for the class. This means, for the other two assignments I need to get at minimum a 95% in order to actually get an "A" in this class.

The other assignment...I only lost 3.5 points but when its out of 20 those points are IMPORTANT!

All-in-all, I expect I will do better on the other assignments for these two classes for two reasons. #1. I now know what is expected of me and how the work is being graded and #2. I have a greater 'support network'. After talking with classmates, I was "admonished" that we need to work together more...not "sharing answers" but reading through each other's work to proofread, offer 'fresh eyes' and basically pick up on those small stuff that can lead to lost points.

In the end...I've accepted and moved on. I learned an important lesson a long time ago in undergrad from a friend- and right now, I'm just proud that I'm still on top of my work load and I understand and can apply everything I've read thus far. Because ultimately, when I'm working on that research study, no one will care what grade I got- they want to know that I understand the fundamentals of design, measurement and execution...

smooches!

Fears: Allayed or Increased?

"So, I am left to give you some advice that sounds reasonable, though is totally made up. First, it will be useful for you to bring your undergraduate statistics text with you when you arrive in the Fall. It is often times still warm here in September, thus these textbooks can be used to prop open windows or doors to promote good ventilation. Additionally, I think it is useful to brush up on some basic concepts and vocabulary, such as measures of central tendency, variability and relationship (eg correlations). In addition, it is helpful to re-familiarize yourself with the concepts of hypothesis testing, probability and type 1 error. While we will review many of these concepts, the review will be short and chaotic so it will behoove you to take some it on yourself."

This quote is taken from the introductory letter addressed to all incoming grad students preparing to take the Statistics class. The first 2 paragraphs before this were quite humorous and relaxing as was a bit of this blurb...In actuality my professor sounds like a cool dude who has a sense of humour - my guard will not be lowered until after the first week!

btw: I did buy the extra Stats text that was suggested by my mentor AND I'm pecking along with my review but I'm still waiting on ...

the proverbial light to go on, signifying that I actually understand this topic of variability! Any math or statistics gurus out there? I can use some help making sense of this stuff.

Oh! The first installment of my scholarship was paid so my balance is lower...makes me breathe a little easier.

smooches!

UGH

Last week, amidst the regular weekly events and baby steps toward getting ready for this big move, I also helped my brother get ready for his wedding. The work really kicked in on the day of...and although I wasn't hired to be a day-of coordinator, I played the mess out of that role! (if I can toot my own horn) of course, as with most weddings, there were fires and I busted my butt, to put them out before we needed the firefighters. So that was my Sat and I spent Sunday trying to recuperate!

So an update...I booked our tickets.....AGAIN. yes. I made a booboo and waited too long to contact the US Embassy about getting a new VISA so when I finally got around to call the earliest appointment was the day before my scheduled departure. cutting it close...yup- a bit too close, considering my passport is kept by them until the following afternoon because of course, the VISA is printed in the passport. my flight on Thursday the 4th is/was scheduled for 1pm and I was told to expect my passport to be ready between the hours of 2-4pm (on the 4th). Obviously not.gonna.work

So I had one sleepless night-literally-where I weighed my options and realized its better for me to change the flight and pay whatever difference and get my VISA now, rather than run any risks when I arrive in Canada. I don't need a US VISA for Canada, but if I want to travel anywhere in the USA from Canada, I'll need a VISA. Its a long story, but a quick summary: I got married last year. Changed my name legally. Got a new passport to reflect the new name. VISA in old passport which is now cancelled. There is a CHANCE that since the VISA is not expired that I can travel on it with sufficient documents however, I've travelled enough to know, I don't ever want to depend on chance...so apply and pay for a new VISA is the best option for my current situation.

So yea. both tickets, for hubster and myself, are booked. woot!

I'm losing a dying battle to review for Stats. Didn't pick up the book for more than 10 mins in the past week and a half and its because most of the words/symbols look like French to me. I have never studied French, never went to a French-speaking country and the only word I know in French is goodbye, which I can't even spell so that's why I just said it in English. LOL but seriously, I need someone to help break it down for me, if I'm going to understand it or a book that's more user-friendly. I spoke with my buddy and she suggested a book that helped her, in fact, she's still using it as she writes her Masters' thesis. I checked out the book and I'm definitely interested in giving it a try but its more than $40 and honestly, $40 on a book that's not a required text is a bit of a luxury....although, paying $40 on a book which could possibly help me be prepared for an advanced statistics class may be priceless...:shrugs: we'll see what I decide to do!

The scholarship response I was not waiting for (but still secretly waiting for)---well it seems like that may be cancelled, for everyone. So my new goal is to find at minimum $2k that I can pay directly on the tuition. I do have a graduate assistantship and a school-based scholarship that covers the cost of tuition but its not all given up front and I would prefer to have it covered before classes start; not a must but a wish.

and then...last but probably the most important...I'm beginning to have minor panic attacks. nothing major, but increased heart rate, stomach flutters etc. It's fleeting and usually only come one when I'm talking to someone about the move or when I begin to think about the dreaded Sept 28th date. Remember I mentioned purchasing tickets, well mine was a one-way, but my husband's ticket's return date is for 9/28 and I swear I was two steps from an all out crying fest yesterday as I cooked and thought about it.

I'll share some pics tomorrow from the wedding this weekend.

smooches!

we've only just begun...

to get acquainted. Here are some of my notes from the 1st week of review; this is not my actual textbook but an old undergrad text... I'm getting the feeling my goal (5 hrs per week) may be a teensy bit too ambitious...we'll see!