SECOND DAY OF CLASSES

OKAY, SO YESTERDAY WAS MY SECOND DAY OF CLASSES. TUESDAYS ARE GOING TO BE MY BUSIEST DAYS OF EACH WEEK. I GO INTO EGR 120 (ENGINEERING GRAPHICS) FROM 8:15 - 10:15. AFTER THAT I HAVE COM 221 (TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING) FROM 12:45 - 2. THEN I HAVE EGR 101 (INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING) FROM 2:15 - 3:15 FOLLOWED BY MA 241 (CALCULUS) FROM 3:30 - 4:30. MY LAST CLASS IS EGR 101 ASSEMBLY WHICH IS 5:15 - 6:30. LONG DAY. SO LET ME JUST GO DOWN THE LINE AND TELL YOU ABOUT MY EXPERIENCES FROM BEGINNING TO END.

FIRST UP, ENGINEERING GRAPHICS. NOT A WHOLE LOT TO REPORT ABOUT THIS ONE YET. THIS IS THE CLASS WHERE I'M GOING TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE LIKE AN ENGINEER, DRAW LIKE AN ENGINEER AND USE THE CAD PROGRAM, CATIA TO DESIGN THINGS. MY INSTRUCTOR IS AN OLDER WOMAN WHO SEEMS COMPETENT, ALTHOUGH SHE DOESN'T QUITE TALK LOUD ENOUGH FOR SUCH A GOOD SIZE CLASSROOM. EACH SEAT HAS A COMPUTER. THAT'S REALLY ALL FOR THAT ONE.

NEXT IS TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING. EVERY STUDENT ON CAMPUS HAS TO TAKE THIS COURSE. IT'S ALMOST SELF EXPLANATORY. YOU LEARN HOW TO WRITE ARTICLES, REPORTS, ETC. IN A WAY THAT IS MOST EFFECTIVE IN RELAYING INFORMATION. DIFFERENT REPORTS ARE FOR DIFFERENT AUDIENCES. NOT VERY INTERESTING. MY INSTRUCTOR IS A NICE OLD MAN WITH WHITE HAIR AND VERY SOFT SPOKEN. VERY. HE IS PASSIONATE ABOUT READING BOOKS AND WRITING TOO. HE'S REALLY QUITE THE NERD, BUT I LIKE HIM. OUR BIG ASSIGNMENT AT THE END OF THIS COURSE IS GOING TO BE TO WRITE AN ANALYTICAL PAPER ON A TOPIC THAT WE CHOOSE. IT HAS TO BE DONE IN GROUPS OF 4 AND I LOVE THE WAY THAT HE HAS DECIDED FOR US TO FIND OUR GROUPS. WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THINKING OF A TOPIC WE WANT TO WRITE ABOUT ALL THROUGHOUT THE COURSE. THEN WHEN IT COMES TIME TO ASSIGN GROUPS, EACH STUDENT IS GOING TO PRESENT HIS/HER IDEA IN FRONT OF THE CLASS. IF THE OTHER STUDENTS LIKE THE IDEA, THEY CAN JOIN THAT GROUP UNTIL THE GROUP CONSISTS OF FOUR. I DON'T THINK I WILL PARTICULARLY ENJOY THIS CLASS, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THAT BAD EITHER. WE'RE GOING TO START BY STRESSING ON PROPER GRAMMAR, YAY!

THEN WE HAVE INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING. I THINK THIS WILL BE THE MOST INTERESTING COURSE OF THE SEMESTER. I'M GOING TO LEARN A LOT OF NEW STUFF IN HERE. THE TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS CLASS ARE PRETTY BROAD COMPARED TO OTHER CLASSES, BUT THE CLASS IS SPECIFIC TO THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY, AS IS A LOT OF MATERIAL IN OTHER CLASSES. THAT MAKES SENSE CONSIDERING THIS IS AN AERONAUTICAL SCHOOL, AND I THINK THAT IS PRETTY COOL. THE INSTRUCTOR IS AN OLDER MAN WHO HAS BEEN AN ENGINEER FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND HE SEEMS EXCITED TO TEACH US WHAT HE KNOWS. HE'S VERY INTELLIGENT, WELL TRAVELED AND HE'S SOMEWHAT ANIMATED BUT DOWN TO EARTH. I'M GOING TO LIKE THIS GUY AS WELL AS THE COURSE. THE TEXT IS WRITTEN BY VARIOUS PEOPLE IN THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT, AND I LIKE THAT. WE REALLY DIDN'T GO OVER TOO MUCH DURING THE FIRST CLASS. HE JUST SORT OF WENT OVER WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN ENGINEER AND THEN HE WENT AROUND THE ROOM ASKING STUDENTS ABOUT THEMSELVES. NOT MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS CLASS YET EITHER, BUT I WILL MENTION THAT IT IS MY FAVORITE CLASSROOM SO FAR. EACH SEAT HAS A COMPUTER AND THE COMPUTER SCREEN IS SORT OF INSET INTO THE TABLE TOP. THE CHAIRS ROLL AND ARE VERY COMFORTABLE. THE FLOOR IS CARPET. IT'S NOT VERY BIG. I FIND IT VERY COMFORTABLE.

MOVING ON TO CALCULUS. THIS CLASS IS A HUGE IMPROVEMENT FROM THE FIRST CALC CLASS I HAD. THERE ARE A LOT OF STUDENTS FROM MY INTRO TO ENGINEERING CLASS IN HERE. THE INSTRUCTOR IS AMERICAN, WHICH IS WORTH SO MUCH TO ME. HE'S A GREY HAIRED GUY WHO IS VERY CHIPPER. HE JOKES AROUND BEFORE CLASS BUT AS SOON AS HE STARTS TEACHING MATH HE JUST SPEEDS RIGHT ALONG. I LOVE HOW FAST HE GOES. LET ME EXPLAIN SOMETHING ABOUT COLLEGE MATH. A LOT OF THE STUDENTS ARE STRAIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL OR JUST NEVER BROKE THE HABITS OF HIGH SCHOOL OR MAYBE THEY JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW COLLEGE WORKS. I'M TALKING ABOUT RAISING YOUR HAND. IN COLLEGE, IT'S UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO! IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION YOU JUST BLURT IT OUT. OTHERWISE THE INSTRUCTOR IS JUST GOING TO KEEP GOING. HE CAN'T SEE YOU IF HE'S FACING THE BOARD! JUST BLURT IT OUT. IT USUALLY SEEMS TO BE THE SAME KIDS THAT DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS CONCEPT AS THE ONES WHO ASK RIDICULOUSLY STUPID QUESTIONS. THIS GUY WORKS SO FAST THAT THOSE KINDS OF PEOPLE DON'T HAVE A CHANCE TO WASTE YOUR TIME. I LOVE IT. HE'S FAST, BUT HE'S ALSO THOROUGH AND HE MAKES THE POINT CLEAR. I SHOULD DO WELL IN THIS ONE.

AND LAST WE HAVE THE ASSEMBLY FOR INTRO TO ENGINEERING. THIS CLASS MEETS EVERY TUESDAY AND IT CONSISTS OF ALL THE STUDENTS WHO ARE CURRENTLY TAKING INTRO TO ENGINEERING. WE MEET IN AN AUDITORIUM THAT REMINDS ME OF COLLEGE AUDITORIUM CLASSROOMS FROM THE MOVIES. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN THIS CLASS, BUT IT'S A LOT. I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THIS CLASS IS YET. YESTERDAY ALL WE DID WAS LISTEN TO A COUPLE OF PRESENTATIONS ENCOURAGING US TO JOIN CERTAIN CLUBS AT THE SCHOOL. ONE CLUB SEEMED PRETTY COOL. YOU GET TO BUILD HIGH POWERED ROCKETS, TEST THEM, AND BLAST THEM OFF. THEY BROUGHT IN A FEW TO SHOW AND TWO OF THEM WERE ABOUT TEN FEET HIGH. THEY BROUGHT IN THE ENGINE OF ANOTHER ONE THEY WERE BUILDING AND THAT ALONE WAS ABOUT 7 FEET LONG. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW BIG THE ACTUAL ROCKET IS GOING TO BE. IN THIS CLUB YOU CAN LEARN ALL ABOUT THE DIFFERENT FUELS THEY USE AND ALL KINDS OF STUFF. REALLY COOL. CLASS LET OUT EARLY YESTERDAY, BUT I'LL BE CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT ELSE WE DO IN THERE. I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT.

WELL, THAT SUMS UP MY CLASSES. AS FAR AS THE CAMPUS OVER ALL, I HAVE TO MENTION THE AMOUNT OF NERDS HERE. I'VE NEVER SEEN SO MANY IN ONE PLACE. A LOT OF THEM ARE THE KIND THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY TALK TO AND RELATE TO. OTHERS, THOUGH, ARE THE KIND THAT ARE STRAIGHT OUT OF REVENGE OF THE NERDS. I'M DEAD SERIOUS. SOME OF THESE GUYS LOOK LIKE THEY'RE GOING OUT OF THEIR WAY TO LOOK AS NERDY AS POSSIBLE!! IT'S QUITE A SITE. PANTS PULLED WAY UP WITH THEIR SHIRTS TUCKED TIGHTLY IN. HIGH WATERS AROUND THE ANKLES. OF COURSE IF THEY'RE WEARING SHORTS THEY ALSO ARE WEARING LONG WHITE SOCKS PULLED UP AS HIGH AS POSSIBLE. AND THEY ALL WALK THE SAME! YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. ELBOWS SLIGHTLY BENT INTO THEIR PERMANENT POSITION. THEIR HANDS MADE INTO FISTS WITH THEIR THUMBS ON TOP. STIFF NECK POINTED FORWARD WITH A SLIGHT BOUNCE IN THEIR STEP. COMPLETELY HARMLESS LOOK ON THEIR FACE THAT SAYS "PLEASE DON'T BEAT ME UP".

THE CAMPUS ITSELF IS COOL THOUGH. THEY HAVE A NICE WORKOUT FACILITY, POOL, TENNIS COURTS, VOLLEYBALL COURT, ETC. THE LIBRARY COULD BE A LITTLE BIGGER. THE FOOD THERE IS GREAT! THEY HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT SPOTS THAT YOU CAN USE YOUR FOOD PLAN AT, INCLUDING ONE ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFET! AND IF YOU GET BORED, YOU CAN ALWAYS JUST WALK INTO THE ENGINEERING BUILDING OR AVIATION BUILDING TO LOOK AT JET ENGINES, ROCKET ENGINES, LABORATORIES, ETC. YOU CAN ALSO WALK UP TO THE TOP FLOORS AND WATCH THE PLANES TAKE OFF AND LAND. LONG STORY SHORT, I'M ENJOYING IT SO FAR.