be smart

well, it feels like the past few days have flown by, but been years long at the same time. i have felt like i should go back to school for quite some time now. i always had an excuse why "now" is not a good time. it's the same story as every other time in the past 4 ish years that i got that feeling. always a bad time, not enough money, no classes open, too busy, even masey's cancer. you name it, i used it as an excuse to justify not enrolling in school.

it feels like this is a continuing theme in my life :)  well, i am now proud to say that, despite being told by my academic advisor, someone in admissions, someone in collections and my own mind that i would not be able to attend school this semester, i am starting classes tomorrow. i do not plan on stopping, and i in fact refuse to stop. i've seen so well how i get complacent with not going to school, convince myself i'll eventually go back and then never do. i am truly exhausted of that. my mind is wasting away, with nothing to occupy it. anywho, the story of how i got everything in order to go to school could take a long time, and it seems like such a blur now. but i truly am blessed, and i know that this is the path the Lord would have me take.

maybe i'll tell it another day. for now, though, my list of things i wish someone had told me when i was in high school about college:
there are other ways of going to school besides getting great grades in high school and a full ride, academic or athletic scholarship. i remember the day clearly when my uncle made me realize that i could go to school without those things.
books cost a lot of money, and you rarely use them. selling them back is like walking a tight rope...it's only possible if a new edition (read: 4 new pictures and the order of the quizzes/chapters are switched up) has not come out, and you are willing to get a fraction of the purchase price back.
open admissions.
community colleges/state universities. they are not just pathways into a better school. you can get a full-fledged degree for much cheaper.
12-18 credits cost the same. take as many as you can handle to save money.
having a disabled father, who is unable to work=lots of pell grants=no money owed. having this same disabled father will only be of use on your fafsa until you turn 24. take advantage.
fafsa. filling it out is required. also, very useful when you discover the above.
application fees and fees for act/sat are just the beginning-- and very small, looking back.
concurrent enrollment and ap classes really do pay off, and are worth the small fees (see above)
study well for the act/sat. testing out of math is much better than taking math.
waiting years to take a math class sucks. and you forget anything you might have known. there is nothing more annoying than a college counselor pointing out to you that, once upon a time, you got an awesome score on your act math section. (and then letting you know that because you waited so long to go back to school, that score has expired and they will no longer accept it. hello, math 1010)
college is nothing like the movies (which makes me glad :)
college students are poor. like more poor than i can remember being.
student id = bus pass.
there will always be reasons to stop going or take "just one semester"off. not giving yourself that option is best. once you go from poor to working again, it's so hard to go back.
student health center. saved my life a few times.
the right counselor can help you overcome most holds on your record.
you can work on campus, and they are great at accommodating class schedules.
you can get more than one degree,in more than one field.
you are not limited to what you can study by anything but yourself.
start school as soon as you can, and don't stop until you're done. it's worth it.

well, i could go on about the things i wish i knew. but, i'll leave you with a picture of the baldy, masey boy.

i think he looks a bit like this guy: