Save the greenbacks

As soon as you cross the bricks at the main entrance to the University of Maryland you are entering the zone of no return: wallet edition.

Before even crossing the brownish brick road you will be hit hard by tuition first. I think in state rates are bad enough, however I really feel for my out of staters, those just hurt. Then there all the random "mandatory fees." If they are mandatory than why not add that into the cost of tuition instead of getting my hopes up on a decent tuition rate?

If you cross in a vehicle you WILL be spending at least $10 minimum just for parking. Free parking and UMD are an oxymoron such as a good Soulja Boy. So you have three choices; get a permit (day or semester), meter king/queen, or park illegally and take the $75 minimum ticket. Once you leave your vehicle that is when the real fun starts.

As a student you will soon realize a lot of the professors you encounter have their own books of some form so more than likely you will have to shell out serious dough to get these custom editions that might only say UMD on them and be done. Or if your in a science major you will realize that the publishers like to update the books every t=2.5 seconds which trickles down to us. woohoo!

If you are a sciency major, you will realize that technology is going to be your lover and hater. You will have to have your own personal computer, and pretty much get a laptop since group projects will become your new friend. You have to have applications on your computer to make it useful too, so be prepared to shell out money for wonderful programs such as MATLAB. This is where the colleges wonderful secrets start coming out.

First of all, a good 75% of the time when a new edition of a book rolls out the professor claims you need the newer edition when in reality the old edition will suffice. You might have to get one or two problems from a friend or add a couple pages to an assignment to get to the right place but other wise its all good.

MATLAB is available on the computers in the WAM lab. The professors say it would be a wise investment to buy said program for your own personal use. If you live off campus where you cannot access the UMD servers this is true. HOWEVER, if you live on campus or have access to the UMD servers you can get MATLAB running on your computer without spending a dime. XliveCD Xming with Putty. Do some research on it then go become friendly with the help desk. They'll help you right after you shell out a little bit of knowledge.

So at our fine institution we really do embody the importance of knowledge espicially in a recession. Know shit and save money is the moral of this story. Plus, work on your hustle.

FML

fmylife.com makes me feel good about life. Sure that makes me a slightly horrible person but the site is still better than some (JuicyCampus anyone?)

"Today, I was at a bar in Canada and was really hitting it off with a girl. She asked how big my junk was and I told her in inches... They use centimeters. FML"

Why we need one measuring system for the whole world.

Time to gear up to beast this first wave of exams. Diff Eq = first victim.

Diggin up dem holes..

I need to drop out of college and just dig holes for a living. I seem to be good at that.

My fourth semester at Maryland. Most people are well into taking classes for their majors and are on track to graduating on time (spring '11). Me however...

-Still majorless
-No way in hell I'm graduating on time
-My desired major is looking pretty bleak personally

How is it I can understand electromotive forces and differential forms of harmonic oscillators but I cannot get over a C in a class related to sports in our society? If your wondering if it's as simple as it sounds then you are correct (even if my grade says otherwise).

Why am I busting my ass in these core classes when I get no help from the professor or TA? Even after going to see them outside of class in office hours what do I have to show for it? A wonderful C+ (thanks History).

I'm not crying over spilled milk. I just know times are rough and I want the most for my time and money so I want to like that shit up. But alas, all you can do now is move forward with life either wise nothing will get done or better.

Any adviser or professor that tells you the knowledge you gain from a course is more important than the grade is smoking something. If that was the case then this post would not be and I'd be in the James Clark School of Engineering right now.

So 2009 is make or break for I. Either I get a 3.0 and stay at UMD or it's time to chuck the dueces. I WILL graduate an engineer, even if its not from UMD or within even 5 years.