Last post, I was a day away from starting school. I commented that I had been slow to post, in part, because things had "been a bit of a clusterfuck". Well, we're beyond just "a bit" at this point.

Bottom Line

I'm really not sure what to say without going into it full-on, and tonight I don't think I want to write a novel. The bottom line is this: I was wrong. I was wrong about Univ. Michigan - Dearborn.

Flat out wrong.

This isn't "an extension" or "sister campus" of University of Michigan. No, this is a commuter school.

This is a high school. They take attendance like it's grade school, and threaten nonsense like "pop quizzes" if attendance drops. Yes, I'm talking about a graduate school program.

Registration has been a nightmare. I've already gotten into my first, umm, altercation?, with a teacher here. I've sat in the offices of and complained to both, the Dean of my college and Chair of the Data Science program. Within the first two days of the term.

Yes, I'm quickly making friends. 😐

And they seem to love group projects here... which... 😠

It's not all bad, but it's pretty much all bad.

One of my classes may end up one the most boring classes I've ever taken. This is the mandatory "Fundamentals of Database Systems" class. Did you just fall asleep reading that title? Yeah, that's about right.

I'm also taking an "Intelligent Systems" class that introduces some of the smaller machine-learning technologies in concert with their use in physical systems. So, honestly, this could be a super, super fun and interesting class for me. So, like I said, it's not all bad.

My third class, "Intro to Big Data", is on Mondays (tomorrow as I write this) and so it was missed last week due to Labor Day. This week will be the first class.

So...?

There's much else to talk about. School stuff, and non-school stuff. But for tonight we're keeping it short.

So... then what's the story with the Masters? Well... I'm here now, so I'm going to have to make it work. I'll explain more when I share more details later on, but my tussle with the schmuck of a teacher was with a teacher in the College of Business... so while he's a complete cunt, it's largely a reflection on the CoB and (hopefully) not the school at-large.

My experience with the College of Engineering & Computer Sciences folks... where the MSDS degree program is housed, is a mix of really positive, and slightly disappointing. But even with "slightly disappointing" it wasn't due to people acting like assholes, but rather a... ummm... an unfortunately lethargic individual or two in positions you'd want to see occupied by more energetic folks. 😐

How's that for vague? 🙂 I'll keep my lethargic friend(s) anonymous, let's not burn bridges just yet... 😉

So anyway, as of now... there's still a tiny chance I may relocate to another apartment (I have 2 more weeks to decide)... but they've fixed many of the issues and there are other fires to fight right now.

I'm here, at UMD, for the foreseeable future. There's a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny chance that I find a way out if I do something maybe a little crazy... but let's see about that too. 🙂

There are two angles I am looking into...

1. Is there an option to transfer to Ann Arbor, maybe even just for the 2nd year?
2. And also... hahah.... well, I sent an email to CUNY to ask if I can defer my starting term by one term and start in the Winter.

Pack up, move to NY, live in my car again, find a place to live again, and then try this once more. Crazy-person shit, right? Again, it's not likely...

Let's see. 🙂

Meanwhile, my stuff is still my storage pod. I've paid for another month of rent on it. I still have no knife, pan or air fryer. Or furniture.

The struggle is real. 🙂