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So after sitting through my first several sessions of college class, I’ve come to one major conclusion:

Being left-handed in college sucks.

Even more than it did in high school. Here, the actual   you have to work with — both in classrooms and in lecture halls — is much smaller, and is entirely on the right side of the desk. So, if you’re left-handed, you have to position your arm awkwardly across the desk to write, which isn’t fun at all. Your right arm, meanwhile, is cornered uselessly between your left arm and your body, so it doesn’t have much to do at all.

Supposedly there are left-handed desks and seats here, but I have yet to see any, nor am I too keen to hunt up and down a lecture hall to find any.

I’ve tried learning to write with my right hand in years past, but never really stuck with it. Perhaps college will be the motivation I need to finally get that down…

A few days ago, I was watching the classic movie Sandlot with my girlfriend. As we were watching it, we talked about how great it would be to have that kind of childhood — one full of all kinds of memories with friends and stories worth telling for years to come.

Playing sports as a kid was always great fun

The more we talked about it, though, the more we realized that we both had childhoods with plenty of memories and quality stories. In fact, the difference, we realized, was that we didn’t appreciate those things as much when we were younger. Being out with was just something that you did as a kid, it never seemed like a big deal, but as I get older, I realize how incredible that really was. Things that I took for granted then, like walking down the street to a friend’s house everyday, are not really as possible now as they used to be, especially since my friends and I are starting to go our separate ways as life pulls us apart.

Another big difference I noticed was that the kids in the movie had something in particular to be extremely passionate about: baseball. Personally, there was nothing in my childhood that I was that excited for. Sure, video games and sports were fun, but my friends and I were never really that into any one thing in particular.

Yesterday, I decided to take a walk around my old middle school (it’s right down the street). As I roamed the sidewalk paths again, I thought back to all of the good times I had there. Middle school was the last year where all of my best friends went to the same school — after that, we began to go to different places and see each other less and less. High school brought a lot of changes and really was what ended that era of my youth.

This is a bit of a ramble, but it’s been on my mind a lot lately. I know a lot of people who wish they could go back to relive their younger days, knowing what they know now. Has anyone else ever thought a lot about why that is? I’m interested in hearing what other people think.

It’s impossible to ignore, and you can’t escape the sad feeling that comes with it.

I’m talking about the unusual light weight of your wallet after you spend money to get gasoline. Due to the high costs of gas these days, it’s really unfortunate.

Getting gas does not have to bankrupt you. Source

Teenagers are hit the hardest by it because we have such a small income, whereas adults have more money and gas costs take up a smaller percentage of their expenses. Of course, tips for cutting back on gasoline costs apply to everybody.

The massive increase in gas over the last year is caused by an increase in the cost of oil. While there isn’t a whole lot we can do to alter the price of gas, there are some ways to help reduce the amount we spend on driving. The biggest way is to simply become more aware of how you drive and how you use the gas that you have. Here are some good suggestions that have really helped me out since gas prices have gone up: Keep reading »

I’ve given you some helpful hints for finding a job during the summer, but once the school year starts you may have to decide if you want to keep your job or not.

Many jobs and/or the hours you work are seasonal. Your job may only have needed someone to fill the 8AM-12PM shift, and now that you’re back in school, you’re not going to be much help.

But for many jobs, you can continue working even once school starts. The decision is whether or not you want to. Obviously, having a job will give you money, but with school starting, you’ll also have less free time. It’s an important balance. Keep reading »

Lately, more and more schools have begun considering a ‘pay-for-performance’ method, where kids are rewarded for high test scores. Basically, if a student scores well on a test, then both that student and the teacher will receive some sort of cash reward.

Should money be given to students for doing well on tests?

Students in AP classes will receive more of an award because they are taking a harder class. Apparently, this has already created a 60% increase in the enrollment in some AP classes.

The idea is that by providing a direct incentive like money, kids will be more motivated to take tests more seriously and to push themselves to take a harder class.

As with the school uniforms debate, this is a controversial issue as well. Many believe that the money could be better used elsewhere: to reduce classroom sizes, to provide better learning materials, and so forth.

Currently seven states take part in it: Arkansas, Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Texas, and Virginia, with plans to expand.

From a student’s point of view, I can definitely see this being nice. I took fairly advanced classes without having money to motivate me, but I might have taken one or two more if I would have received something for it. And, of course, being paid for ones I was already taking would have been cool too.

So what do you think? Is paying kids to do better worth it, or should that money be spent elsewhere? For more info on the idea, read this news article.

The other day, I was reading a blog post how Texas schools are considering forcing students who violate the dress code to put on a prison jumpsuit. While that doesn’t directly relate to school uniforms, it got me really thinking more and more about the ever-continuing debate about whether or not school uniforms are worth the trouble.

The debate over school uniforms always gets people fired up

One thing I’ve noticed about the school uniform debate is that parents tend to be more in favor of it, and kids tend to be more opposed. Being young, I’m against it. I went to a private school where uniforms were required from kindergarten right through 6th grade, then I went to public school where free dress was the norm from then on.

I have to admit, when you’re at a school where uniforms are already a policy, being told what to wear doesn’t seem like a big deal at a time. But if a school were to switch from a free dress policy to a uniform policy… that wouldn’t go over so well.

The school uniform debate is undoubtedly a complex issue, but here are some commonly discussed pros and cons and what I make of them:

Keep reading »

If you’re leaving for college soon for the first time, chances are you’re keeping a close watch on that calendar and watching the days tick away. As it gets closer and closer, the reality that you’re going to be leaving home will start to sink in. Already you’re probably feeling the excitement increasing.

But admit it, you’re probably a bit nervous too. For the first time, you’ll be on your own. If you’re used to your parents constantly being there for you and hawking over you, this is going to be quite the new experience. It’s definitely best to start fending for yourself. Becoming more self-reliant now will save you a lot of hassle of having to learn it later on.

Keep reading »

No matter what you choose as a major, be aware that your life’s goals can change very fast, and it’s best to pick a college with enough choices to accommodate that.

Unfortunately, I have a recent story that goes with this.

For the longest time, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to be an economics major or an engineering major. When I applied to UC Santa Cruz, I noticed they didn’t have the engineering fields I was most interested in (structural, civil, and/or aerospace), so I just put down economics.

Ever since I chose to go there, I have been pretty happy with economics and haven’t really thought of switching. I knew my heart wasn’t dead-set on it, but for the time being it sounded good.

Fast-forward to yesterday. I’m watching some video on YouTube about roller coasters, and it occurs to me how cool it would be to design them. I’ve only been interested in engineering when it comes to stuff that I’m especially fond of (planes, bridges, buildings, etc), and since I have a love for roller coasters, I realized just how much of an awesome job that would be for me.

Seriously, how cool would it be to engineer one of these?!

So I hop on Google and search for “Roller coaster engineers”, where I find that there are generally three types of engineering degrees that are used in the process: mechanical, structural, and electrical. I already knew Santa Cruz didn’t offer structural, but I figured there was a good shot of it offering mechanical. I went to the UCSC majors page to look to see if it was there, and…

Son of a…

Keep reading »