Back to School Time!

[yssman]

Well kids, its that time of year again... You get your lunch packed up, your boots tied tight, you may even hope that you avoid a fight, all while you head back to school.

Anyone have any fond memories, stories they want to share if they've already started?

====

I'm nearly to day three of the 2008-2009 school year here at Aquinas College. I'm semi-sorta in my senior year, still have three semesters (including this one) ahead of me. I'm poor, and this year is the worst yet when it comes to how bad it is. I blew $325 on books this afternoon, maybe buying 2/3s of what I'll need.

BUT!

I like being back. I like meeting new people, I like being the older student, and I love having all of the extremely attractive (and shockingly young!) females around. It'll take a while to ease back in, but, I'm looking forward to the debates on policies and theories, and (hopefully) making new friends while doing so.

Sadly... I miss the stuff you used to do when you're a kid:

- New backpack (Jurassic Park FTMFW!)
- New lunchbox (Power Rangers and Batman, please)
- New clothes
- New shoes

*sigh*

...The good ol' days...

[nextgenxbox]

I remember how we would all go to the local retail store (Target, Wal-Mart, etc) to buy a bunch of back to school supplies and we would never use them... haha. "Oh I'll need, extra pencils, and a sharpener and a ruler, and mini notebook!" And by the 2nd week you would just leave everything at home.

Good ol' Elementary School.

I look forward to starting up again though. September 25 is when our quarter begins at UCLA TFT.

[burkhartmj]

just finished my third day of class here at Virginia Commonwealth University, and I'm glad to be back. It's my sophomore year, and I have an apartment actually leased by me [fucking HATED the dorms].

Don't miss anything at all from elementary or middle school [those were tough years for me], but highschool was pretty memorable. Main thing I guess I'll miss is singing all the time in my various choirs. With pursuing a computer engineering degree, I don't have much chance to sing anymore, save in my car.

[bobafettjm]

I have to say I am pretty happy no longer being in school.

[skin87]

This is going to be my first fall not going to school in 17 years. Maybe I'll go back eventually, but right now I'm pretty okay with just working as a bartender and enjoying life stress free.

[cryonix]

wow I don't know why, but this thread was depressing yet nostalgic. damn I hated school. but in retrospect i miss it. Living in Seattle on $25 a week... thank god for my family and the fact the culinary classes on the top floor who brought down their food to the lounge during night classes.

computer design school, and I didn't own my first computer for 2 years AFTER I graduated!

What I miss about school. Naps crackers and juice boxes. Kindergarten.
What I hated: Chicks discovering I was "attractive" just before graduation(high school), and consoling that fact with me knowing we'd never meet again. (Where were they for the prior 4 years!?)

[tectec]

Trapper Keepers and other school supplies ftw!

[tokenuser]

Well kids, its that time of year again... You get your lunch packed up, your boots tied tight, you may even hope that you avoid a fight, all while you head back to school.

Anyone have any fond memories, stories they want to share if they've already started?
YAY! I get my bandwidth back!!!!

I work from home, and use a residential broadband (cable) service. School holidays suck for me because cable uses a shared bandwidth model. Its still fast, and reliable, but now I get a greater share and my speed gets a bump (until about 4pm each day).

[bobwise]

First week of my fifth year at Grand Valley State University in western Michigan. This is actually the first year when I actually felt confident on the first day. Usually I get all nervous and panicky and forget where my classes are, but I guess after 5 years and tons of student loans I've just lost all desire to be here or do that well. I just need to pass.

Also, since when are teachers allowed to post assignments at 10pm the night before an 8am class?

[damnedeyez]

I'm quite content with not remembering/thinking about school, actually.

[eddielee]

Last year of high school.... nervous because grades actually count now, but excited because soon I will be freeee!

[yssman]

First week of my fifth year at Grand Valley State University in western Michigan.

Are you out at Allendale or are you in Downtown GR? I thought the campus out there was a bit "overwhelming" compared to Aquinas here, and I'm quite sure I'd have similar panic attacks if I was out there.

I've made it a personal goal to be as friendly to all of the new faces as possible at AQ this year, because I remember how scary it was to be a freshman.

[iggystar]

Trapper Keepers and other school supplies ftw!


That's the very first thing I thought of!!!

Trapper Keepers, ftw. You were nothing if you didn't have the latest one with the unicorn adorning it...nothing.

[royterp]

Trapper Keepers and other school supplies ftw!

Man, last week I tried to get a "vintage" 80s Trapper Keeper off ebay for the heck of it, put in my max bid of like 12 bucks, and the thing ended up going for almost $50, plus $9 S&H! That sure squashed that urge.

[taozoo4u]

well, Last year of high school and while i am excited as hell to get out of the most dreadful place on earth, I am sad because me and my friends are probably going to different colleges, but as a senior i just need to focus on getting my grades to stay where they are so i can get into a good college.

[joedubbs]

Man I feel old. Like everyone says college was great but I don't miss it. I miss the casual atmosphere with being able to hang out with whomever, whenever now that we all have jobs and some friends are still in grad school we can't get together as often.

I have tons of memories because I was really involved at school. I planned a couple of big concerts, homecoming and I started a Fraternity my second year at the university.

The best stories come from being an RA. You see all sorts of dumb/inappropriate stuff, really help a lot of kids get through some tough times and issues in school.

The one thing I miss from being young was buying the lunchbox and folders that had cool designs on them.

[joedubbs]

OMG does anyone remember filling the white spots on the marble notebooks with Sharpies or with a blue pen?

Miss that.

[-jedibitch-]

School! Love it!

My mom used to buy us new clothes and backpacks and I would be so excited that I would fill all my binders full of paper and sharpen all my pencils....

And then I would wear my new clothes, swing on my new backpack and walk around outside....

I still get almost as excited for school. I love it.

[tokenuser]

Trapper Keepers, ftw. You were nothing if you didn't have the latest one with the unicorn adorning it...nothing.Well, thats a cultural reference I had to look up.

My final year of high school I had a 3inch 3 arch lever folder, stuffed with PVC dividers, and PVC pockets that stuff would get cycled in and out of depending on the subject into 3 ring binders for each of my subjects.

Had a similar setup for notes pretty much all the way through highschool (grades 7-12) and even when I went to Uni.

I hated high school though - I was bored brainless - and was so happy to graduate, get a full time job (and study at college part time).

[yssman]

So much hate on High School, I've never understood why people didn't like it. Sure, when I was done and in my first year of college, I looked back and said "what the hell was that?" but just before the end of my second semester at AQ, I really started to miss it.

High School, if anything, is about growing up and learning how to make friends (in more ways than one). Unfortunately, I didn't get to do a lot of it because of some dramatic BS behind the scenes, but nevertheless, I still miss it mainly because I get to eat lunch with my best friends, talk about our massive games of Rainbow Six or Halo 2 and re-enact every moment, hold debates on the minute details of Star Wars, and pull-off EPIC skips to go out for lunch, or to see a movie, or whatever.

Not that my life is much worse these days, but, college is just a different kind of animal.

[stubadub]

To prove to dad that you're not a fool?

I guess I was subconciously aware that it was that time, because I've felt a little melancholy recently while remembering my college days. All the little things like the walks across campus, late night study sessions, all nighters trying to finish a group project, etc. A lot of the things that seemed like a pain in the ass at the time look a lot better when I look back. I did the on again, off again thing so much with college that it's hard to believe that it's been several years since I graduated.

I do development work here in "the real world", so I'm surrounded by computers and people working on computers, but I still really miss the feeling of being in the computer lab with all the other CS students working on some of those programming assignments. All of us trying to swap ideas on how we could complete the task at hand, getting together to go up to the professor's office to get the next piece to the puzzle. I still remember the point when I had the realization that he was intentionally holding back information, waiting for us to think about it enough that we were asking the right questions before letting us in on the big reveal.

Yeah, probably not the things that most people miss about school.

[tokenuser]

... but I still really miss the feeling of being in the computer lab with all the other CS students working on some of those programming assignments. As much as I hated high school, I loved Uni ... and you nailed my favourite part.

[k4ng]

Jr high and high school were just absolutely terrible for me. Jr high I had a group of friends but I just didn't really fit in. High school I was in marching band which was fun but I was way way waaaay down on the social ladder and I NEVER had class with fellow bandos so that was awkward. Also, my counselor hated my guts.

College freshman year was... interesting. I made good friends and had fun but also realized how much I love my family/home and how much I hate being away for so long. I'm gonna try to transfer to UCI or UCLA so I'm not so far away.

I really hate binders. I like organizing my notes in those paper folder things with two pockets. Also, I really wish I'd tested for gate when I was in elementary school. My friends that were in gate together are super tight and they still have reunions.

[straylightrise]

I've pretty much been screwed by way of school experiences. k-HS were all horrible mostly cuz of my parents (believe me there's some awful crap that went down) then college got all messed up because I had to leave one school to go to school in my home state (again parents were behind that). So yea.

I have 3 months left of school then I am done forever. I'm going to live a much more exciting and fun life post-school neway

[scootman]

just started senior year of high school this week. i will say that my classes this year are better than the previous years and i get to help on the school bulletin, except math which has caused me to have 1st lunch rather than 2nd lunch aka senior lunch. very much looking forward to high school ending but am afraid most of me and my friends will part. as much as i love my friends, i'm basically the only nerd i know. except another guy whose into star wars but i mean i more wider grasp on geek stuff

[-mk-]

Holy hell I feel old.

[giggleloop]

Just started back to school on Monday (St. Louis Community College, whee!). Yay, another 4 months of no free time and being continually exhausted!

BUT! I did get a new lunchbox:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dayetriper/2806205551/

AND a freakin' Trapper Keeper!:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dayetriper/2806232715/in/photostream/

Still need a decent bookbag though. I've been using an old messenger bag, but it's too small for all my books now. :(

[k4ng]

Just started back to school on Monday (St. Louis Community College, whee!). Yay, another 4 months of no free time and being continually exhausted!

BUT! I did get a new lunchbox:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dayetriper/2806205551/

AND a freakin' Trapper Keeper!:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dayetriper/2806232715/in/photostream/

Still need a decent bookbag though. I've been using an old messenger bag, but it's too small for all my books now. :(

That lunchbox is so cool! I think I need to get one for the fall semester.

[torx]

in respect to the latest episode.. this thread/email brought back some memories ive almost forgotten.


this is what i remember...

depressing sunday night before school, there was never anything on to take my mind off of the upcoming nervous monday.

middle school high school
clothes shopping for school was usually nike and shoes fila, british knights
trapper keepers where you could put your own artwork under the plastic covers
lots of hard wood pencils for use in "pencil break", college lined paper
i was the "efficient kid" of the class with the suction cup full size pencil sharpener that way i didnt have to wait in line to get my pencil sharpened.

early elementary
ghostbusters backpack with thermos and lunchbox, a sad "i love you" note from my mom or dad that i would have to read at lunchtime the first day of school.. GAHhhhh..