The Mature Student

When I completed my first degree, I didn't need a computer. I had an electric typewriter with an LCD screen that granted me a fifteen letter lead time to catch mistakes before they were printed. Research was performed at the library; class hand-outs were the norm; and access to professors was limited to their office hours. I shared a landline phone with two roommates and a cat who liked to re-program the answering machine. Perhaps it is needless to say, but twenty years has changed a few things.

For one, a computer is an absolute necessity. Not having an email address is tantamount to living in a cardboard box and hoping for the odd telegram. Research is performed on online databases; handouts are now downloads; and professors dispense their home numbers with strict instructions on when not to call. Cell phones are the bane of every professor's existence: texting during lecture will result in your immediate dismissal. Phones must be turned off, not to silent. And homework is submitted, for the most part, electronically. It's a whole new world.

So how am I liking it? I'm loving it, but it is quite the juggling act. I'm behind in writing to friends and reading their blogs. As it is, I should be sleeping right now, not writing this. I've completed one and half weeks of fourteen. Here's hoping I can keep things together for another twelve and a half!