Applied Nerdage

Recently I have been working out the most cost-efficient method for me to finish taking classes. Including this semester, I have 36 credits remaining before I can graduate from King's. My basic options are 1) finishing all my work at King's, in the form of this spring semester, one full fall semester, and one 6-credit spring semester; 2) finishing 30 credits at Kings, in the form of this spring semester and next fall, and taking 6 credits at another school in the city (either over the summer or during the school year next year).

Taking outside credits is certainly cheaper than King's on a per-credit basis ($300 for some City of New York schools compared to $875 for TKC), but I lose some financial aid from King's if I don't take their classes. Anyway, my analysis suggests that I should take classes in Spring 2011 and graduate with the rest of my class in May 2011 (instead of the semester-earlier graduation I was considering). Why? Most simply, staggering TKC and CUNY classes can allow me to receive more state and federal financial aid, and the benefits I would reap from graduating early are limited (for example, I won't be moving and starting a new job right away because of our current lease in Astoria).

This analysis did reveal some interesting facts about college tuition, however.

Married Life: Summary

Hello all,

As you may have noticed, I return to this blog from an exceptionally long absence from writing. I think I have a pretty good excuse, since I got married in January.

The wedding was wonderful. It went by very quickly--so quickly, in fact, that the only food Alyse and I ate was two bites of cheesecake apiece and a sliver of cake that we shared. The ceremony came off without a hitch--although my groomsmen could watch me bending my knees so that I wouldn't faint--and the reception was beautiful, thanks to Alyse's cousin Justyn.

Recently, we have been trying to determine our summer plans: if we should stay in the City (where we both have jobs but need to pay for housing) or move back to Iowa (where we can stay with Alyse's father for free, but don't yet have jobs). Also, we have both received interesting job offers for the future: Alyse may be able to teach an art class at a Manhattan YMCA and I have the opportunity to tutor high school students in the fall.

I also have my fall classes lined up: Culture and Aesthetics with Prof. Middleman, Ethics with Prof. Kreeft, History of Economic Thought with Prof. Tokarev, Constitutional Law with Prof. Tubbs, and probably Financial Accounting with an incoming business professor. Alyse and I will be living off campus, so I'll fill in the hours that I'm on campus with my work for IT.

I do have some new topics to write about. In my next post, I want to discuss how marriage has changed how I manage my time, what I have learned and how I need to improve. Additionally, I will talk about how Alyse and I are developing our communication skills. Later this summer, I will hopefully be able to develop my conception of the original three spheres of government (not executive, legislative, and judicial) and their proper organization.

Until then, I'll try to make an effort to update more regularly. I hope you are all well and enjoying spring in all its beauty (and not New York fickleness - we had flurries the other day!). And on Easter, I will be thinking of all my family and friends as Alyse and I celebrate Christ's conquest of death and sin.

Take care,

Jordan