Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Loretta Goes to College!!

As of today I am officially enrolled at Central Alabama Community College in Alexander City. I will be studying to become a nurse. Tomorrow will be my first day of class and my first class is math.

I took the COMPASS test last week and knew I would need remedial math before I took the test. I can do the basic stuff, but when you start talking algebra and anything above that you might as well be speaking in an alien tongue as far as I'm concerned. My brain simply does not compute. Math was never fun in high school. Here's hoping it will be more interesting in college. Luckily my son Alex will be home from the Alabama School of Math and Science next week for the summer and he can tutor me. YAY for producing offspring more intelligent than myself!!!

I scored very high on the reading comprehension part (97) but totally bombed out on the writing part (61)....and I'm a writer. I write every day. I used to write for a magazine. I write letters to the editor every week (that are almost never edited by the newspaper staff)and yet made a 61 on the damn writing test. I ain't gonna lie neither....that hurt!

I guess my writing is entertaining and gets the points I wish to make across pretty clearly in country girl Alabama speak...but isn't grammatically correct. That should be easy enough to correct...easier than math anyway....though it won't be nearly as entertaining.

Anyway, y'all wish me luck. I'm gonna need it.




12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey, good luck to you! If your blog posting style is any indication, you definitely have the personality to be a good nurse. (And how cool would it be to have a former gubernatorial candidate give you a shot?)

Sara said...

Good for you! And good luck. If it's encouraging, I almost flunked precal in high school, but made an A- when I took it in college a couple of years later. (I had to take remedial math, too...)

sixstring said...

Wow, this really surprises me. You a nurse? Doesn't seem like your forte. You seem more like a lawyer. I know it takes a lot more time to get through law school, but...
You probably just had poor math teachers in high school. You have a logical mind and math is pure logic.
It's a job with a good future though as the population ages.
Good luck.

Unknown said...

Congrats on going to college! I know from my own experience that it isn't too late to go to school. I took the COMPASS test before I started school last fall. I was in Trig. when I was in high school, but I tested into Math 60. You can forget a lot of stuff in 20 years. I'm still having fun playing with my graphing calculator. Where were these things when I was in high school?

Don't sweat the writing. I tested into Writing 115, and my classes have been very enjoyable. With your writing exprience, you should be able to ace your classes. It always helps if you have stuff to write about and I don't think that will be any problem for you. LOL These classes will allow you to hone your "pen" to an even sharper point.

Nursing here is a pretty hard-core program. I foresee a lot of late study nights for you. However, the hardest programs can be the most rewarding. On top of that, the stuff you will learn about the human body will amaze you. My wife had the Medical Assistant A&P classes and I love looking at her school stuff. I was amazed at what I learned from her books.

Good luck!

Loretta Nall said...

Thanks for all the kinds words folks.

I survived my first day. The math isn't going to be all that horrible. I just need reminding of what I already know.

sixstring...I never saw myself being a nurse either. But there is a huge demand for nurses, great pay, great benefits and if I ever decided to leave Alabama I could go anywhere and have a job guaranteed. Thats hard to beat. Plus the course is only 15 months. I always saw myself being a lawyer too and may still one day. This will be my stepping stone.

Unknown said...

Let us not forget that a medical background is very desirable for certain types of law practice. 15 months for the coure? Are you currently studying to be a CNA then?

Loretta Nall said...

Yeah I'm positive it's 15 months. It used to be shorter than that. When my mom went through it many years ago it was only 13 months. I am studying to become an LPN.

I am not currently studying to become a CNA. Around here most places will hire you and train you on the job. I am looking for work in a medical facility while I am in school though.

nanakin1 said...

Congratulations, Loretta. You KNOW I believe you will do extremely well in your courses. Enjoy the challenge!
Hugs to all,
Mrs. Scott

Tanya Derbowka said...

Good for you. Best of luck to you. You will be a great nurse.

Don't worry about the results of your testing. Standardized testing is bunk.

TheEvilOne said...

Loretta.

I looked at your post above and cannot detect any grammatical errors therein. In my opinion your English is good and clear. The best way to improve it is writing and you are doing that already. Reading also helps. I suggest that you find some authors whose style you like and read a few of their books to absorb style ideas.

I like your blog posts and visit almost every day.

TheEvilOne said...

Loretta.

I looked at your post above and cannot detect any grammatical errors therein. In my opinion your English is good and clear. The best way to improve it is writing and you are doing that already. Reading also helps. I suggest that you find some authors whose style you like and read a few of their books to absorb style ideas.

I like your blog posts and visit almost every day.

TheEvilOne said...

I should add that based on your blog posts I would rate your English at a mark of at least 85%.