Financial Aid

Well, looks like I did get financial aid after all! $4250 in scholarships, not even loans! That makes my payment to Semester at Sea cheaper than my bill to USD! I just wish I had worked on the financial aid sooner, or at least paid attention to the due dates better. I had to overnight my application for work study, costing an extra $14, and I didn't end up getting it. And I missed the deadline for the full-ride scholarship by a few days. If there is one thing I've learned, it's not to procrastinate. Even though this paperwork is in no ways fun, it is so necessary to get them done early, or else I end up scrambling and stressing about getting them in on time. And making copies of everything is so important too! I've turned in a few papers so far without making a copy beforehand, and I've had to get them re-signed a few times. My disciplinary clearance form didn't arrive so I had to get the school to fill it out again, and I had to have my adviser and the psychology department chair sign my declaration of major form twice because I didn't make a copy before turning it into One Stop. Overall, this process requires a lot of diligence, something I have been overall lacking :/

5 AM: Class Registration

Well, I have officially begun the countdown. 99 days and counting. I woke up at 4:45 this morning to make sure I got the classes I wanted, and it was well worth it because I got all of them! I have Culture in Personality Development with a USD psychology professor, Religion and Human Experience in Global Perspective and Intro to World Music to look forward to next semester, along with the required Global Studies course. It was hard to choose only three classes; they all sound so interesting! I think once I board I'll look into what classes still have openings and register for one. Yes it is more work, but with some many interesting offerings it is so hard to limit myself!
It is all starting to sink in a little more now that I am registered for my classes. Before, this whole thing felt like it was some distant fantasy. But now I realize, I am going on this amazing journey that will take me around the world to experience all kinds of new people and cultures. I don't know what to expect other than that I will not be returning the same person. How well will I connect with my roommate and other passengers? This is no doubt a rich man's expenditure; will my fellow passengers embody a rich, white, entitled culture or a global attitude? Will the citizens of each country we visit look at us with disdain or will they welcome us into their country? And how will the transition home be? Will I have trouble adjusting and reconnecting with everyone here? Overall I am having a hard time knowing what to expect because this is such a unique experience. The good thing about going to USD is we have so many students who choose to participate in Semester at Sea and so when I return, I will not return completely alone.