I recently transferred to UNM, Fall 09. I have attended four colleges within the last decade, partly due to past service in the Marine Corps that kept me on the move. I must admit that the transfer system at UNM goes above and beyond itself to make life difficult and unfair for transfer students. No other university has come close to UNM in denying legitimate transfer credits, and taking such an unreasonably long time to do so. I was unpleasanly surprised to move back to my home-city of Albuquerque to find such an unpleasant mess.
You may think, as the transfer advisors I spoke to at UNM before being accepted at the university, that such simple classes as General Biology I, II, and Microbiology would easily be accepted at UNM as identical classes; all are nationally accredited universities. I was surprised to find, however, that due to red-tape beyond my control, such easy solutions do not exist.
After taking an incredibly long time to evaluate my transfer credits, around six months, the university denied such course equivalencies as the classes previously mentioned. While some of these classes were taken as electives, or even other classes that do not match with what I have taken, having 110 credits but still being two-years away from graduation does not really help. I can only hope that the transfer process at UNM becomes a fair process, as what is currently in place lacks any respect.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Right vs. Left
Since High School, I’ve more or less resigned myself to following the career path I’d think a game journalist would. Though I’ve met plenty of intelligent, and inspiring people along the way, I think perhaps the most fascinating time I’ve spent at UNM, was when I took a computer science course aimed at making game developers out of UNM students.
First off, I should mention, I have absolutely no experience in computer science, save for the HTML templates I copied when I was a teenager trying to make fan-based websites, but this was a computer science course at the 400 level, which for some reason or other, did not mention any pre-requisites. While I suspect this has since changed, I found myself the only writer in a class full of computer science geniuses, and I stuck out like a sore thumb.
The course was broken into two parts. The first teacher would talk about the science of programming, which I had absolutely no understanding of, while the other teacher focused on the importance of storytelling and presentation in games. My cup of tea.
When we were broken up into groups to discuss what kind of game we would design, I listened to ideas about simple puzzle games and flash based iphone apps. No one was daring to dream bigger, or massive, epic RPG’s or hardcore first person shooters. When given the chance to present their ideas, the most popular game ideas amongst the class were games geared toward children, where characters would have to solve puzzles or math problems, and somehow learn something from it. We listened to proposals that talked about helping people tell colors apart, or provide history lessons. I could hear the disappointment in my teachers’ voices, as they criticized each project, saying they expected something far more ambitious, catering to a public that actually wanted to buy their games, instead of passing them off onto their children.
It’s not that the other students had bad ideas, they just didn’t share the large ambitions that the teachers themselves had. I could tell they were looking for some new ideas, something that would push the boundaries of technical innovation. Knowing full well that I would never in a million years be able to create a game, I went all out, presenting a game idea with an epic story worthy of major publication, with the stealth elements of the Tenchu: Ninja Assassin series, mixed with the gory-vampire gameplay physics of Bloodrayne. Just go with me on this, it was pretty cool on paper.
While I got a B on the paper, I soon became a sought-after commodity in class, being the only writer in the class capable of fleshing out a story worthy of million-dollar console project. I was approached by a couple classmates who asked me to write the story for their game. By now, I knew full well that I wasn’t going to pass the technical aspect of the course, but I could sure as hell write a good story. We worked out a bargain, if my group members designed the game, I’d write absolutely every paper for them during the project.
I won’t go into too much detail, as I’m trying to keep the word count down, but our project became one of the most anticipated titles in class. During final presentations before a board of respected game developers and potential future employers, our game appraised not only for its unique graphic style, its catchy soundtrack, and the humorous storyline that accompanied it.
Not only had I passed a 400 level computer science course without any experience in computer science, but I gained a new appreciation for writing. The dichotomy of right brain thinkers and left brain thinkers was never so clear to me, as it was that day.
I stay in contact with those teachers, eventually learning that it was their intention to build a gaming curriculum at UNM, which would work to provide “smart” games for the military. These are games that are designed to train soldiers in the military.
I’m not sure how this project turned out. The last I spoke with my former professors, they mentioned some drama amongst the group that was preventing significant progress from being made. Still, for that brief moment, I felt like I had inside knowledge on a growing movement in gaming. I had seen some of the neat new ideas and inventions my fellow students were coming up with, from ambitious attempts to make planetariums more interactive, to iPhone games that would let use museums or institutions as a virtual playground for solving puzzles in detective games. It’s clear that UNM is not shy of its share of computer geeks, and I think if they are properly funded, we could see the next great idea coming from New Mexico.
I won’t be in school much longer, and I’m still writing about gaming. Though I’m not sure if my career path will take me down the roads I want it to, I’m still glad I took that computer science class. It taught me that there will always be some sort of job in writing for the fields I’m passionate about, even if it’s not journalism.
First off, I should mention, I have absolutely no experience in computer science, save for the HTML templates I copied when I was a teenager trying to make fan-based websites, but this was a computer science course at the 400 level, which for some reason or other, did not mention any pre-requisites. While I suspect this has since changed, I found myself the only writer in a class full of computer science geniuses, and I stuck out like a sore thumb.
The course was broken into two parts. The first teacher would talk about the science of programming, which I had absolutely no understanding of, while the other teacher focused on the importance of storytelling and presentation in games. My cup of tea.
When we were broken up into groups to discuss what kind of game we would design, I listened to ideas about simple puzzle games and flash based iphone apps. No one was daring to dream bigger, or massive, epic RPG’s or hardcore first person shooters. When given the chance to present their ideas, the most popular game ideas amongst the class were games geared toward children, where characters would have to solve puzzles or math problems, and somehow learn something from it. We listened to proposals that talked about helping people tell colors apart, or provide history lessons. I could hear the disappointment in my teachers’ voices, as they criticized each project, saying they expected something far more ambitious, catering to a public that actually wanted to buy their games, instead of passing them off onto their children.
It’s not that the other students had bad ideas, they just didn’t share the large ambitions that the teachers themselves had. I could tell they were looking for some new ideas, something that would push the boundaries of technical innovation. Knowing full well that I would never in a million years be able to create a game, I went all out, presenting a game idea with an epic story worthy of major publication, with the stealth elements of the Tenchu: Ninja Assassin series, mixed with the gory-vampire gameplay physics of Bloodrayne. Just go with me on this, it was pretty cool on paper.
While I got a B on the paper, I soon became a sought-after commodity in class, being the only writer in the class capable of fleshing out a story worthy of million-dollar console project. I was approached by a couple classmates who asked me to write the story for their game. By now, I knew full well that I wasn’t going to pass the technical aspect of the course, but I could sure as hell write a good story. We worked out a bargain, if my group members designed the game, I’d write absolutely every paper for them during the project.
I won’t go into too much detail, as I’m trying to keep the word count down, but our project became one of the most anticipated titles in class. During final presentations before a board of respected game developers and potential future employers, our game appraised not only for its unique graphic style, its catchy soundtrack, and the humorous storyline that accompanied it.
Not only had I passed a 400 level computer science course without any experience in computer science, but I gained a new appreciation for writing. The dichotomy of right brain thinkers and left brain thinkers was never so clear to me, as it was that day.
I stay in contact with those teachers, eventually learning that it was their intention to build a gaming curriculum at UNM, which would work to provide “smart” games for the military. These are games that are designed to train soldiers in the military.
I’m not sure how this project turned out. The last I spoke with my former professors, they mentioned some drama amongst the group that was preventing significant progress from being made. Still, for that brief moment, I felt like I had inside knowledge on a growing movement in gaming. I had seen some of the neat new ideas and inventions my fellow students were coming up with, from ambitious attempts to make planetariums more interactive, to iPhone games that would let use museums or institutions as a virtual playground for solving puzzles in detective games. It’s clear that UNM is not shy of its share of computer geeks, and I think if they are properly funded, we could see the next great idea coming from New Mexico.
I won’t be in school much longer, and I’m still writing about gaming. Though I’m not sure if my career path will take me down the roads I want it to, I’m still glad I took that computer science class. It taught me that there will always be some sort of job in writing for the fields I’m passionate about, even if it’s not journalism.
Monday, April 5, 2010
For Love Or Money
Success at UNM requires major effort-seeking academic advisement from people who are more qualified to work at Baskin Robbins, listening to lectures that are as dry as crackers, attempting to dodge the tow-truck while knowingly parking at the McDonald's on Yale...the joys of UNM are really too numerous to list in such a short space. I have always wondered: what motivates my fellow students to put themselves through this difficult and frustrating ordeal? While I lose sleep and eat Ramen all in the name of my education, my non-collegiate friends are designing stickers, going snowboarding and decorating their Facebook profiles with photographic tidbits of their world travels. A quick web perusal and an informal poll reaffirm my gut answer to this lofty question: in one way or another, academic pursuits are related to money. But how much does money influence the major that a student chooses?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a college degree doubles annual earnings. Those with a bachelors degree earn an average of $51,206 dollars per year. Students who decide to call it quits after high school earn around $28,000 annually, on average. But this isn't really new information to a college student. We all know that going to college can lead us to a heftier paycheck "one day." But what if your passion area doesn't pay well? I have always loved to write- it's cathartic. As an undergrad, I found sociology to be intriguing (intriguing enough to minor in it), if not a little too common-sense based for my tastes. I was sad but not surprised to learn that Forbes magazine singles out English and Sociology majors as earning the lowest starting salaries-only a few thousand higher than those with only a high school diploma. Is it really worth the time and trouble (nevermind the financial investment) for an extra couple of thousand a year? Is that a smart investment? Is that a worthwhile return? Forbes lists engineering as the undergraduate major that pulls the fattest paycheck. Engineers are in and out of college in 4 years and then they're off to a comfortable life. The majority of my friends and co-workers are engineers (and my brother is in the mechanical engineering program here at UNM) and I've yet to hear one unfavorable comment. Maybe it's because they are too busy in the lab or writing out ridiculously long math equations on wall-sized white boards like my bro. Or maybe it's because they saw college as a savvy business decision that would influence just about everything down the road. Consider nursing. Registered nurses (RN's) earn about $60,000/year here in NM. They typically work three 12-hour shifts per week, and usually they pick the days they work. What do they do for the other 4 days of the week? Care for their children? Golf? Compose their memoirs? I hear through the grapevine that UNM's nursing program has a waiting list over a year long. My friend graduated 8th in her class at West Mesa High School, turned down Ivy-League offers, and can't get into UNM's nursing program. An entire year's worth of qualified students waiting at the program's door! No, I can't say for sure why. Maybe all these students are really interested in cleaning bed pans or doing other routine but necessary hospital tasks. Maybe they like the sight of fresh blood or the smell of Clorox. If you ask me, it's because nursing is a smart business decision. According to a Sallie Mae student loan company, the average undergrad carries $18,900 of debt after graduation. And don't forget our Regents just approved a tuition increase for the upcoming year. You're putting a lot into this whole college bit. Maybe you should get a lot back out?
As I stare off into space at Flying Star, my mind wanders to the unpaid bills waiting for me on my coffee table. Is pursuing a higher-paying degree greedy? Is it an abandonment of one's true self? Or is it smart and realistic?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a college degree doubles annual earnings. Those with a bachelors degree earn an average of $51,206 dollars per year. Students who decide to call it quits after high school earn around $28,000 annually, on average. But this isn't really new information to a college student. We all know that going to college can lead us to a heftier paycheck "one day." But what if your passion area doesn't pay well? I have always loved to write- it's cathartic. As an undergrad, I found sociology to be intriguing (intriguing enough to minor in it), if not a little too common-sense based for my tastes. I was sad but not surprised to learn that Forbes magazine singles out English and Sociology majors as earning the lowest starting salaries-only a few thousand higher than those with only a high school diploma. Is it really worth the time and trouble (nevermind the financial investment) for an extra couple of thousand a year? Is that a smart investment? Is that a worthwhile return? Forbes lists engineering as the undergraduate major that pulls the fattest paycheck. Engineers are in and out of college in 4 years and then they're off to a comfortable life. The majority of my friends and co-workers are engineers (and my brother is in the mechanical engineering program here at UNM) and I've yet to hear one unfavorable comment. Maybe it's because they are too busy in the lab or writing out ridiculously long math equations on wall-sized white boards like my bro. Or maybe it's because they saw college as a savvy business decision that would influence just about everything down the road. Consider nursing. Registered nurses (RN's) earn about $60,000/year here in NM. They typically work three 12-hour shifts per week, and usually they pick the days they work. What do they do for the other 4 days of the week? Care for their children? Golf? Compose their memoirs? I hear through the grapevine that UNM's nursing program has a waiting list over a year long. My friend graduated 8th in her class at West Mesa High School, turned down Ivy-League offers, and can't get into UNM's nursing program. An entire year's worth of qualified students waiting at the program's door! No, I can't say for sure why. Maybe all these students are really interested in cleaning bed pans or doing other routine but necessary hospital tasks. Maybe they like the sight of fresh blood or the smell of Clorox. If you ask me, it's because nursing is a smart business decision. According to a Sallie Mae student loan company, the average undergrad carries $18,900 of debt after graduation. And don't forget our Regents just approved a tuition increase for the upcoming year. You're putting a lot into this whole college bit. Maybe you should get a lot back out?
As I stare off into space at Flying Star, my mind wanders to the unpaid bills waiting for me on my coffee table. Is pursuing a higher-paying degree greedy? Is it an abandonment of one's true self? Or is it smart and realistic?
Friday, April 2, 2010
Pricy Textbooks
One of the most dreaded parts of ever semester always seems to be purchasing textbooks. As we get our schedule for the semester worked out the next step is to make that trip down to the UNM bookstore and see what books our professors have decided for us to use for the semester. We cross our fingers in the hopes of a miracle that our professor won’t have a textbook request or that our textbooks won’t exceed a hundred dollars. It is always such a disappointment when we find that a class has several costly books. It’s an even bigger disappointment and stress when books for many different classes add up to hundreds of dollars. Former UNM student Danielle states “I spent close to $800 for textbooks for just one semester it was ridiculous!” Countless UNM students have dealt with the same issue, spending hundreds of dollars for classes they need to take in order to graduate.
My first semester in college I went to buy books for the first time and was shocked when an intro class came with the large request for 12 textbooks, the textbook amount for that one class totaled $350. It was outrageous and I didn’t understand why a class would need 12 books for a 16 week class. I ended up changing to a different section of the course simply because the books were so expensive for the course I had originally signed up for. It is always a guessing game when it comes to textbooks every semester but one thing does remain consistent and it is the fact that textbooks will always be pricy.
The UNM bookstore does have some things in place to help with the large debts many students rack up every semester and that is the use of an account that allows students to charge their books on their lobo card and set up a payment plan in which they can pay in installments rather than hundreds of dollars up front. Danielle says that, “without the being able to pay for my books in payments throughout the semester I wouldn’t have been able to buy any books at all. That account saved me and made my life a lot easier.” I agree 100% with that statement because that myself and many other students would not be able to afford these high priced learning utensils.
The UNM bookstore also sells used textbooks that are often much cheaper than a purchasing a brand new book and they make that possible by creating the option of buying back books from students at the end of each semester. However, as many of us have experienced selling books back to the bookstore has also become a burden and a disappointment as a book that was purchased for something like $150 would only be bought back for an extremely low price like $20. This has happened to me numerous times and it is upsetting but many of us, including myself, say ok and take the measly $20 because it’s at least something, and it’s better than having piles of books that we don’t want. An even more upsetting part about trying to sell back books is when they tell you they can’t buy your book back because they aren’t using that edition anymore so then stuck with the book and not even the option of selling it back for a few dollars.
While the price of tuition steadily rises every semester and the cost of books aren’t getting any cheaper students are beginning to turn to alternate ways of getting their books at a more reasonable price. With EBay, Amazon and half.com students are buying books at sometimes half the cost of what they are priced at the bookstore, and they are also selling them for more on those websites also. An article from the Daily Lobo also touched on this topic, “Publishers have responded to cost concerns by expanding options for lower-cost texts, including electronic books, loose-leaf editions, black-and-white editions, abbreviated texts, textbooks by the chapter and customized editions” (Daily Lobo). Students are really taking advantage of these different options because they are cheaper, and with students carrying laptops to school on a daily basis, electronic books can be accessed by just a click of a mouse. The Daily Lobo said that “independent research center, Student Monitor, (reported) that students spent an average of $670 on textbooks in 2006. Publishers share the common goal of helping students succeed, and they are committed to working with students, parents and faculty to make this goal a reality” (Daily Lobo). At the end of the article they left a website titled Textbookfacts.org with more information concerning the topic of textbooks and I am going to follow with urging you visits that site as well. The need for textbooks will always be there but other options in the way we receive them or use them could help in cutting the high costs that we all are burdened with semester after semester.
http://www.dailylobo.com/index.php/article/2007/08/publishers_work_toward_student_success_retention
My first semester in college I went to buy books for the first time and was shocked when an intro class came with the large request for 12 textbooks, the textbook amount for that one class totaled $350. It was outrageous and I didn’t understand why a class would need 12 books for a 16 week class. I ended up changing to a different section of the course simply because the books were so expensive for the course I had originally signed up for. It is always a guessing game when it comes to textbooks every semester but one thing does remain consistent and it is the fact that textbooks will always be pricy.
The UNM bookstore does have some things in place to help with the large debts many students rack up every semester and that is the use of an account that allows students to charge their books on their lobo card and set up a payment plan in which they can pay in installments rather than hundreds of dollars up front. Danielle says that, “without the being able to pay for my books in payments throughout the semester I wouldn’t have been able to buy any books at all. That account saved me and made my life a lot easier.” I agree 100% with that statement because that myself and many other students would not be able to afford these high priced learning utensils.
The UNM bookstore also sells used textbooks that are often much cheaper than a purchasing a brand new book and they make that possible by creating the option of buying back books from students at the end of each semester. However, as many of us have experienced selling books back to the bookstore has also become a burden and a disappointment as a book that was purchased for something like $150 would only be bought back for an extremely low price like $20. This has happened to me numerous times and it is upsetting but many of us, including myself, say ok and take the measly $20 because it’s at least something, and it’s better than having piles of books that we don’t want. An even more upsetting part about trying to sell back books is when they tell you they can’t buy your book back because they aren’t using that edition anymore so then stuck with the book and not even the option of selling it back for a few dollars.
While the price of tuition steadily rises every semester and the cost of books aren’t getting any cheaper students are beginning to turn to alternate ways of getting their books at a more reasonable price. With EBay, Amazon and half.com students are buying books at sometimes half the cost of what they are priced at the bookstore, and they are also selling them for more on those websites also. An article from the Daily Lobo also touched on this topic, “Publishers have responded to cost concerns by expanding options for lower-cost texts, including electronic books, loose-leaf editions, black-and-white editions, abbreviated texts, textbooks by the chapter and customized editions” (Daily Lobo). Students are really taking advantage of these different options because they are cheaper, and with students carrying laptops to school on a daily basis, electronic books can be accessed by just a click of a mouse. The Daily Lobo said that “independent research center, Student Monitor, (reported) that students spent an average of $670 on textbooks in 2006. Publishers share the common goal of helping students succeed, and they are committed to working with students, parents and faculty to make this goal a reality” (Daily Lobo). At the end of the article they left a website titled Textbookfacts.org with more information concerning the topic of textbooks and I am going to follow with urging you visits that site as well. The need for textbooks will always be there but other options in the way we receive them or use them could help in cutting the high costs that we all are burdened with semester after semester.
http://www.dailylobo.com/index.php/article/2007/08/publishers_work_toward_student_success_retention
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