I tell you what. I'm starting to annoy myself with how irregular I am with these posts. There are just a lot of days where I don't feel like writing. Or life has just been too dull to post.
Yesterday evening was actually somewhat eventful. I went to a meeting hosted by the Society of Actuaries. I guess it was less of a meeting and more of a panel discussion. They talked about what the society does, some of the recent changes, and how to get involved. Then at the end the different people shared some memorable experiences from the exam process (they all finished the exams). One of the speakers was very down to earth (which I appreciated) and reminded everyone that being smart doesn't guarantee that you will pass on your first or even second attempt... and failing doesn't mean that you aren't smart. There are a small percentage that are just ridiculously smart and are going to pass without undo trouble. There are some that just aren't going to pass, regardless of how much they study. But most of the exam takers fall into a category where we are intelligent, but we have to put in lots of hours. Many many many hours. And we all have to make big sacrifices to get through the exams, whether it's not being able to hang out with your friends or less sleep or not having the time to do all your own cooking. I so badly want to get through this exam while I'm still in school...
For this exam, I've put in 300 - 350 hours of studying (which is around the recommended amount). So at this point, it's just a matter of trying to get some more review in before the big day! It's about a week away. The restless nights have begun.
Today was ok. I got up, went up to campus, did some studying. I talked with the people in the math office for a while about the upcoming Pi day celebration. One thing that I'm going to miss about school is hanging out in the math department offices. I really enjoy the set-up here at Ball State because the main office for the math department is right across the hall from a computer lab (mainly used by math students). So it's very common for some of my friends and fellow GAs to be milling around, doing homework or collaborating (i.e. talking and pretending like it's productive). It's a very welcoming feeling. Even though I'm not close with everyone I see, I can at least say recognize and say hi to most people.... I've either had class with them, worked with them, or just seen them around enough to start a conversation. There's just something very comforting and academic about the smell of coffee, dry-erase markers, and someone somewhere talking to someone else about math. And even if I don't know the class, I can usually pick up enough to (very loosely) follow along.
When I got home, Kimmy and I made some dinner. Lasagna! I studied while it cooked, then we ate. And I studied some more after it was over. I was having a really hard time focusing tonight, so I took a break for a while. I'm going to get an early start tomorrow.
Ok, that's it from me. Good night!
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