February 25, 2008

Going back to college at 38 years old (at the time) was a difficult decision to make. I had several concerns with the decision; I feared attending mandatory physical education classes with students that lifted weights for a living, I worried that my age difference from my classmates would be measured in decades and I was concerned that I could no longer get high from ditto paper.

I never considered that the brain turns to swiss cheese around the 30s.

Today I have two big exams. The first is already under my belt and was in the class that is turning out to be my favorite class of the semester: Statics. It’s this class that will set the foundation for my ability to design a bridge, road or sign that doesn’t move. I’m finding the class to be common sense. We’ve learned a small handful of equations and we crunch a lot of numbers. I am usually able to complete my homework easily. I’ve received glowing comments from the professor.

Now I didn’t get panic stricken like that Surveying test last semester, but I found myself struggling to remember the equations that I usually can rattle off without an issue. This seems to be the case with my ability to take a test. Going into the test I’m golden, during the test I’m bronze at best. It’s like everything I’ve studied falls out of my brain the moment I sit down to take the test.

I don’t remember this feeling during tests back in my high school days. (I can’t remember taking tests during my first run of college back when I was 18 and 19 but I must have at one point or another.) I guess I’m attributing the phenomena to growing older.

I feel confident with my performance on the exam. I would even go so far as to say that I did very well, despite the struggle I had remembering what I needed to remember.

I guess I’ll just have to double up on the studying or something.