Beat the dog

You are all undoubtedly familiar with the phrase "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". I am finding that there is a great deal of truth to this assertion. For better or worse I have returned to the ivy covered halls of academia in pursuit of a graduate degree. Perhaps it would be more appropriate if I said virtual ivy as my classes are conducted online. That will help explain in some small part why posting has been somewhat erratic.

The threshold class for the program is centered around mastering a writing format from the American Psychological Association, commonly referred to as the APA format. It is hard to convey the appropriate venomous tone as I type those words.

Unlike an undergraduate program where to succeed the only real obligation is to learn facts by rote and spit them back on demand, most commonly during an exam. The hard part about graduate school is that they actually expect you to master new skill. Thus the term masters degree I suppose.

Having just completed my first written assignment for this class I wait with baited breath the first filleting of my submission. It will not be pretty. Whimper.