DePaul Testing

Just a quick one tonight folks. I've been doing a pretty good job at getting to bed at a reasonable hour lately and I don't want to quit (even though I think I figured out why my subconscious has been telling my body to say up so late, but that's a story for another time).

The other night I wrote about my short stint on prescription drugs, I initially began the blog with a different story to write about, however, if you've been following me this far you can probably guess that I rarely stay on the subject at hand and I quickly follow tangents going into Lala Land (or Pink Fuzzy Train Land as was the case the last time around). I began with the intent to write about the struggles I was having getting myself organized enough to start at DePaul next month. One of the first requirements before orientation or registering for courses, or even before speaking with a counselor is that I have to take math and writing placement tests.

Website fail.

After reviewing a few of the necessary algebraic equations and rules about linear matrices I was ready for my big debut. I installed some calculus review programs on my iPhone, pulled out my trusty ol' HP RPN calculator, even reinstalled my old copy of Mathcad on my computer (even though I wouldn't be able to remember how to use it). Now I'm ready for the test. Last minute refresher: check. Log in to the DePaul website: check. Search the horrible website layout for the minuscule link buried deep inside the student section to take my test: check. Click the link: check. Read the rules about only clicking on the link once because the site will kick me off if I click twice: check. Click the start button once: check. Wait for it, wait for it, 5 minutes later and still waiting for it: check.

I was getting more and more nervous about taking the test. I refreshed the page only to see: Thank you, your test has been submitted. Aw crap. I guess I'll have to call tomorrow to get this straightened out.

So I decide to take the writing placement test. Same story. The link doesn't actually do anything so I can't read the article I'm suppose to write about. I try the dreaded second click on the link and get the same response as I got when I refreshed the page. Guess I'll have to call about both tests.

Today I finally got around to calling. Sue in the admissions office was nice enough to give me an external link and the required information to take the test through a site not related directly to the horrible design of the DePaul student site.

The math test has a two hour time limit, I'm definitely not taking that tonight. For the writing test I have to read an article about John Adams and write an argument as if I'm a student proposing this article be debated in a class. Why would I do that? I don't like reading articles more than three paragraphs long, much less one 8 pages long about a historical figure I don't want to debate about. I don't even like confrontations, why do I want to write an article presenting reasons TO debate when I've got the personality of a 'back of the classroom observer'? These people presume I actually want to discuss this article when in reality, I don't even want to read it! If it had something about explosions or gadgets or any myriad of other techie/geeky types of things then I could probably pin my eye open long enough to scan and comprehend the article, but it's about John Adams... I hate history, I leave that for the historians! I want to do chemistry, math, physics and/or tear apart computers. There's very few historical figures I'm interested in enough to read an article about, and even fewer characters I would be able to find reasons to debate on the greatness of the person. Nikola Tesla is one of those people I'm absolutely enthralled with. Maybe it's just because I love mad scientists, but learning about that guy could keep my attention for days.

It's getting late and I work in 6 hours.
/rant

Oh, by the way, the new Transformers is going to be awesome.