Surprise college call/maybe not so happy ending?
In my whole application process with disability services, I had to apply for tutoring services as well. I didn't want to, but I had no choice. It required tax information as well as an autobiographical statement (that was supposed to be 100 words or less, mine was over 700...I'm 47, what did they expect?), so it took me a while to get it together, but once I did, I had to take it to a location I wasn't fond of...the library. I remember when they built the "new" library (that is now 25 or so years old), and I didn't like going in it then, it has bad juju vibes, but I digress. When I took the app up there, I got lost, had to ask someone for directions, still got lost, had to ask someone else who ended up manually walking me to the door, so by the time I got out of there, I was near panic attack mode. That was the closest I've come to a full-blown panic attack through this entire process.
That was back in March or so and I never heard anything from them, so I figured I wasn't eligible for tutoring services and just let it drop. I don't work well with others anyway, but I did get to thinking about my past ways of studying. I never really "had" to study, it just came naturally. I never tried when I was a kid and still managed to get good grades. I guess it was a gift. But now that I'm so old, I don't think it's a gift I possess anymore, so I did start to wonder if maybe tutoring might not be such a bad idea (or at least a few YouTube courses on how to study).
Last week, I got a call from tutoring services. They had misplaced my application and had just found it. Apparently, my autobiographical statement was so "profound" (their words, not mine), they ALL wanted to meet me. Great, just what an anti-social person needs, to sit facing an entire board room full of people. They wanted me to come in immediately, but I told them I needed a week to prepare. Today was the day of my meeting.
What was supposed to be an hour meeting, took over an hour and half. They grilled me about my entire life, family, mental issues, school, etc. They are apparently really excited to help me and want to sign me up for all kinds of stuff, but it scares me. I work alone. Granted, whether or not I can learn to study is one thing, but to actually be tutored? I'm not sure I'm built for that. They were also jazzed about my future plans and they loved the fact that I wanted to take things slow and even take remedial classes if need be (or take Folklore just for the heck of it).
Apparently, despite my never making eye contact, speaking a thousand miles an hour, constantly twisting my hands, and going off on random tangents, only made them more interested in me. Go figure! Technically, due to my income, I'm not really even eligible for the program, but they are putting me in the program anyway because they want to make sure I graduate. I'm not sure why they care.
They did say that they didn't think a BS in Computer Science is the right path for me (although they didn't give me a good reason why and I'm beginning to wonder if it's because they didn't think I was smart enough). They loved that I had numerous other options already planned out in my mind but, considering I haven't even started yet, that was discouraging. I left there more exhausted and mentally drained more than excited (as I probably should have been). I'm still so jumbled that I'm not sure what entirely happened.
While I was at school, I did get my ID, the almost final piece of the puzzle, but I ended up getting a "warning ticket" because my temporary parking display was partially blocked by my work sticker and they couldn't scan the barcode...yeah, they seriously gave me a ticket for that. I caught the guy, asked him if he wanted to scan it and showed him how he could lean over the car and do it and still get the bar code, but he just went "it's only a warning", like, if I didn't shut up, he would give me a real ticket, so I just did because I was tired. Otherwise, I would have had campus security out there in a heartbeat with me screaming bloody murder. I don't take too kindly to things like that. Dick.
That was back in March or so and I never heard anything from them, so I figured I wasn't eligible for tutoring services and just let it drop. I don't work well with others anyway, but I did get to thinking about my past ways of studying. I never really "had" to study, it just came naturally. I never tried when I was a kid and still managed to get good grades. I guess it was a gift. But now that I'm so old, I don't think it's a gift I possess anymore, so I did start to wonder if maybe tutoring might not be such a bad idea (or at least a few YouTube courses on how to study).
Last week, I got a call from tutoring services. They had misplaced my application and had just found it. Apparently, my autobiographical statement was so "profound" (their words, not mine), they ALL wanted to meet me. Great, just what an anti-social person needs, to sit facing an entire board room full of people. They wanted me to come in immediately, but I told them I needed a week to prepare. Today was the day of my meeting.
What was supposed to be an hour meeting, took over an hour and half. They grilled me about my entire life, family, mental issues, school, etc. They are apparently really excited to help me and want to sign me up for all kinds of stuff, but it scares me. I work alone. Granted, whether or not I can learn to study is one thing, but to actually be tutored? I'm not sure I'm built for that. They were also jazzed about my future plans and they loved the fact that I wanted to take things slow and even take remedial classes if need be (or take Folklore just for the heck of it).
Apparently, despite my never making eye contact, speaking a thousand miles an hour, constantly twisting my hands, and going off on random tangents, only made them more interested in me. Go figure! Technically, due to my income, I'm not really even eligible for the program, but they are putting me in the program anyway because they want to make sure I graduate. I'm not sure why they care.
They did say that they didn't think a BS in Computer Science is the right path for me (although they didn't give me a good reason why and I'm beginning to wonder if it's because they didn't think I was smart enough). They loved that I had numerous other options already planned out in my mind but, considering I haven't even started yet, that was discouraging. I left there more exhausted and mentally drained more than excited (as I probably should have been). I'm still so jumbled that I'm not sure what entirely happened.
While I was at school, I did get my ID, the almost final piece of the puzzle, but I ended up getting a "warning ticket" because my temporary parking display was partially blocked by my work sticker and they couldn't scan the barcode...yeah, they seriously gave me a ticket for that. I caught the guy, asked him if he wanted to scan it and showed him how he could lean over the car and do it and still get the bar code, but he just went "it's only a warning", like, if I didn't shut up, he would give me a real ticket, so I just did because I was tired. Otherwise, I would have had campus security out there in a heartbeat with me screaming bloody murder. I don't take too kindly to things like that. Dick.
Comments
Also, I don't think it's a bad sign that they liked you having planned out other options. Studies can go differently than planned for a million reasons, and students who are too set on just their one plan working out have a much higher chance to fall through than those who are more flexible in their planning to begin with :)
Linda