Semester graded

Today I received the last pending exam score for this fall semester: 95% on chemistry, better than I was expecting. If the online gradebook is correct in its weighting of all the assignments, that produces a >100% in the course. Despite some uncertainty along the way, I managed an A in all my classes this time, but there will be far more work this coming semester.

Final 3/3

This afternoon, I took the final for my chemistry class. It was somewhat more difficult than I expected, but I think I did alright. Before going to the exam, I ran a load of laundry so that all my clothes would be clean when I return from break. Almost immediately after the exam finished and I got back to my dorm, it was time to depart, so I hurriedly packed up my laptop and some clothes and ran down to the awaiting car. I am now at home and officially on break. One semester done!

Another class wrapped up

Today I saw that all assignments for the LAS orientation class are graded. The online gradebook doesn't perform the weighting that will be used to compute the final grade, but my grade in the class should be about 99%. That's three of five classes completely graded.

Tomorrow I'll take the chemistry final. To prepare for that, I took the practice final, scoring a 92%. That helped me find what I needed to study, so I reread the appropriate textbook section. I now feel pretty good about the exam. After I finish that tomorrow, I just need to pack the items I need over break, then leave for home!

Final 2/3

Today I took the final exam for MATH 241. Conveniently, it was held in the same location at the same time as the one yesterday. Three hours were again allocated to it, of which I used two and a half. It included no exceptionally difficult problems, but by the end I was mentally exhausted. Checking over my work, I realized that I was just staring at what I had written, unable to comprehend any more math. Several hours after the exam ended, I realized one mistake (using a sine instead of a cosine in a conversion to spherical coordinates), but it was on a free response question, so I think I'll get partial credit for the rest of my work there. Overall I again feel pretty good.

The biology exams from yesterday (!) are already graded - I got a 97.5% on the final and 102%~ in the course. Another course in the bag.

Final 1/3

This afternoon, I took the final exam for IB 150, the introductory integrative biology course. It went well - I finished completely (including checking over my answers) in two hours, while three were allotted for the test. Overall I remembered concepts from the semi-distant past well, the application/thinking parts far better than the memorizable details. I did miss a couple details from the first unit in my review, but overall I think my performance was solid.

Tomorrow afternoon I have the calculus exam. I've conducted several review sessions for other students and can handle the practice/past exams with relative ease, so I feel good.

Here come the finals

Today was Reading Day, the designated academic day where there are no classes and no final exams. I slept a lot, then held a small review session for the calculus exam that will happen on Saturday. Tonight I did some reading for biology, the exam of which is tomorrow afternoon. I feel good about that one considering my past performance in that class.

The final exam for religion class already happened during regular lecture time, and results are out. I got a 96%, which makes my final grade in the class a 98%. That's one class fully wrapped up.

Second session of bell ringing

Today I did another session of bell ringing for the Salvation Army. This time, my shift was only two hours instead of four, but the weather was far colder. (It was briefly snowing this morning.) To prepare, I bought some gloves at the bookstore and donned a sweater and hat. Putting on two pairs of pants would have been a good idea, but I didn't think of that until I had been standing out in the cold for a while. It probably would have been fine if not for the wind. Eventually I decided to move the kettle stand and myself into the store's lobby area with the carts. That was a good decision.

That concludes my service project for LAS 122. I'm glad I could help the Salvation Army, though if I do anything else for them in the future I would strongly prefer higher temperatures.

Classes finishing up

Today was the last lecture for calculus class - all material is now covered, so the professor canceled the remaining three meeting times. That clears my Friday completely. All that remains is two review days in discussion and the final, plus another set of online homework assignments. With chemistry lab also done, my schedule for next week is noticeably thinner than normal. In fact, there are only five more days of actual instruction left, four if the now-empty Friday isn't included.

Bring on the finals

Today I took the third biology exam. It was easier than I expected, especially the multiple choice section. My next exam is the biology final, which will span three hours next Friday.

Yesterday was the last meeting of the general chemistry lab course. Conveniently, we even had time to finish the postlab assignment after completing the lab. It'll be nice to not have to worry about that anymore.

One more exam before finals

I realized recently that there are not very many days remaining in the semester. The last day of instruction is next Wednesday and finals begin that Friday, finishing up for me on Tuesday the 19th. There is an accompanying deluge of normal work items to wrap up the semester, but so far it's manageable.

Tomorrow morning I'll take the third and final hour exam for biology, thereby completing the third round of exams.

Ringing for the Salvation Army

Today I served as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army's annual Red Kettle campaign. When I arrived at the location, the previous shift's ringer handed over the bell and apron. I then proceeded as I had seen other ringers do: I greeted people as they entered the store and as they left, doing my best to hold a smile and continue ringing the bell. There was a continuous stream of people entering and exiting for most of my four-hour period, so there was almost always greeting to do. People were more generous than I expected - every few minutes, someone would make a donation. At the end, my legs were tired from standing and it was getting cold (the jacket I selected was much more appropriate for the beginning of my shift than the end), but I felt that I had helped facilitate some good.