1. Unhappy with current expected graduation date.

My old advisor quit. When I went to meet with my new advisor for the first time, we started out by making a graduation plan together so that we could be on the same page. Unfortunately, the timeline that she made for me had me graduating at the end of 2014. This is not the impression I’d gotten from my old advisor. I had been expecting late 2012 or early 2013 prior to the meeting.

I’ve been in touch with my new advisor, and we’ve been able to wrangle it down to late 2013. I’d have a heavier load, but it would be achievable. Graduating in 2013 is a lot better, but still, the can of worms has been opened.

2. More specialization.

I was originally a Digital Arts & Communications major, which was great. When it was announced that my major was being merged with the much larger Computer Arts department to create Web Design & New Media, I was disappointed because it seemed like a lot of the stuff that I wanted to avoid (3D animation, video editing, audio design, etc) was now being shoehorned into my college experience.

The new director personally assured me that Web Design & New Media would still allow me to specialize in what I wanted later on in the degree. Maybe that’s still to come, but I’m now midway through my third year of college and I think that I could get more of the specialization I want at another school.

3. Live in different cities before I settle down.

Before I went to college, I actually had a plan of doing my first half at AAU here in San Francisco and my second half at SVA over in New York City. The idea was that since I loved both cities, I wanted to “try them both on” before I graduate from college so that I could better know where I wanted to live. Since then, the plan changed because it turned out that SVA didn’t have an undergraduate program I wanted after all (ironically, what they’ve got sounds similar to what I’ve ended up in here at AAU), but if I did transfer somewhere, then my old hope of experiencing new places would be revived.

4. More social possibility.

AAU doesn’t have a lot of clubs, doesn’t have any athletic programs of interest to me, and doesn’t really have a lot of events designed to help students meet each other. In the years I’ve been here, I haven’t really made a lot of new friends in my classes either, at least not compared to other people, or more importantly, compared to how many I’d like to have. For this aspect of the college experience, it’s great that others have done well here at AAU, but maybe I need to go elsewhere to thrive.

5. Moving time.

There’s a very good chance that I’ll be moving out of this apartment soon anyway, so the timing is good. Pretty simple.

The Reservations

1. New graduation date is acceptable, and San Francisco is great.

When I was able to get my expected graduation date back down to 2013 here at AAU, that was very, very good. I love living in San Francisco, and yet only recently felt like I’ve got an idea of how much fun I can have here. It makes sense that it takes a while before you know your city well enough to get the most out of it, and I’m just getting there now!

2. My academic performance has been outstanding here at AAU.

I’ve been doing very well here at AAU. I have a GPA of 3.75 (all A’s except for two B’s so far, woo!), I’m on the President’s List, and there are a lot of great teachers here who remember me and will definitely write glowing letters of recommendation when/if I try to get into grad program later on. Would I academically kick ass at those liberal arts schools the same way I have here? I’m used to having giant projects all the time, and that’s hard stuff, but I know that the type of work I’d get would be different if I was at a liberal arts school instead of an art school. Different and unknown is scary.

3. I’d miss my biological family.

They were a factor in my deciding to come here, and I want to see more of them. We’ve gotten really close, but my father has spent the majority of my time here unable to do stuff because he was switching jobs and is now looking at new homes. It would be really sad for me if I left just when he was ready to start regularly spending time together again. Also, I’ve been spending a lot of time with my Aunt Toby, and she’s a ton of fun, so it would also be really sad to not get to see her often. Uggh. Just thinking about them makes me want to come up with more rationalizations for staying.

4. Moving is daunting.

When I moved out of the dorms, I got to experience how big of an operation that really can be. As smooth as it was, it was still very unpleasant. And then when I moved into this apartment, my roommate wasn’t around to help for the first few weeks, so I also have the memory of what it’s like to move in to a new place pretty fresh in my mind. If I’m going to be leaving this apartment regardless of transfer though, then I suppose it’s not terribly relevant, but moving within the same city and moving across the country to a brand new place are pretty different.

The Possibilities

I want to be a user experience designer, which is a pretty specialized focus. Here are links to the programs around the country I’m most interested in:

University of Washington

• Interaction Design
• Visual Communication Design
• Informatics with Human-Computer Interaction Option

Carnegie Mellon University

• Communication Design

UCLA

• Design Media Arts

There are other schools on my list to check out, but right now, those are my favorites. Of these, I’m leaning most toward the Interaction Design at UW and Communication Design at CMU. UCLA gets some special points though because my mother specifically asked me to look at them, and also I remembered that I have a close friend from back home who is thinking of moving to Los Angeles in the near future.

The Likelihood

So in closure, let’s say that I’m 60% leaning toward transferring to a new school. It could go either way, but it’s a very real possibility.

Time for school again now. AAU messed with my schedule a bit right before the start of classes, so here’s the final result. They’re all 3 credit courses, which is normal at my school.

Tuesdays
Developmental Psychology, 8:30 am–12:00 pm
Book Arts 1, 3:30 pm–9:50 pm

Wednesdays
Designing Careers, 12:00 pm–2:50 pm

Thursdays
Digital Imaging 2, 12:00 pm–2:50 pm

Hours after my last class of the semester got out in San Francisco, I was stepping off the plane in Portland. My longtime friend and roommate, Mason, is from nearby Tigard, which is basically Portland but pretends it isn’t.

I had a blast running all over the “City of Roses” with Mason. I got to meet some of his friends, who I really think would fit in perfectly with my own crew back home and look forward to seeing again. Also, his family was about as gracious as hosts get.

Thursday

1. Flew into Portland
2. Met Mason’s family and his friends Donovan and Marcus
3. Hearty spaghetti dinner and birthday cake (belated celebration for Mason’s 21st)
4. Bannigan’s Pie House

Friday

1. Mason’s dad made breakfast
2. Walked around Washington Square Mall
3. A gallery/toys/lol place I wish I could remember the name of
4. Theo’s Sandwiches
5. A comic book shop I also can’t remember the name of
6. Saw MacGruber near Pioneer Courthouse
7. Mason’s dad made steak dinner

Saturday

1. Met up with my old pal Zach at Rocco’s Pizza
2. Powell’s Bookstore
3. Deschutes Brewery, then said bye to Zach
4. Met up with Marcus and headed to Saborro’s Sushi
5. Tea Chai Te
6. Joined by another guy named Jon on the way to Ground Kontrol Arcade Bar

Sunday

1. Elmer’s Diner
2. Saturday Market
3. Voodoo Donuts
4. Widmer Brewery
5. Max’s Brew Pub
6. Ordered from Pizza Caboose
7. Hung out with Donovan and Marcus

Monday

1. Another amazing breakfast made by Mason’s dad
2. Sushi Hana
3. House of Reptiles
4. Bounty Hunter Saloon
5. Bannigan’s Pie House again
6. Flew back to San Francisco

Portland was fantastic. It’s definitely on the list of places I can see myself living, and I can’t wait to go back again.

Without further delay, here are some of the lessons other people have taught me and other things I picked up from them.

Brent

• Introduced me to the Venture Brothers.
• Find out who needs help laughing and help them. Everybody will be happier. Surrounding yourself with happy people will make you happy. Doing this regularly will give you a happy life.
• Remember to be generous, even to the ungrateful and nonreciprocating (but more so to the grateful and nonreciprocating).

Chris Ramm

• Introduced me to good music, video games, fine art, movies, literature, and most other things. I’ve known him longer than anybody, so this was easy.
• Even if you know for certain that you will win doesn’t mean you have to fight.
• Trying to be different is just as mindless as trying to conform. Don’t worry about that stuff at all and you’ll be just fine, and plenty rebellious.
• If you suddenly find that your tastes or interests have changed, then move forward. It doesn’t have to be permanent, and it doesn’t have to be temporary either. You can go back anytime, too. Life is an adventure like that. Never be ashamed of changing tracks.
• Integrity means acting in accordance with your own beliefs just as much as not bowing down to other people’s beliefs. Sometimes this will mean upsetting others, no matter how gentle you really are.
• Loyalty is when love shows itself most clearly.

Christopher Villareal

• Brought me into the open source world and introduced me to most anime.
• Everybody wants a little respect and praise. Find a way to give it to them (but stay honest always). Tactfulness is 99% of everything.
• Working with others does not mean letting them walk over you. If others start to disrespect you, then don’t stick around and act childishly with them. Don’t wave attract attention to what happened, but don’t hide it either. Just have a spine and leave.
• Don’t deprive yourself because of vanity. If you think there’s something embarrassing about something you want to do, then have the self-discipline to set that aside and just go for it. Have fun, and in a counter-intuitive way, let the embarrassment add to the fun if possible.
• It’s okay to be shy, but don’t let it be a problem, and definitely don’t intentionally exacerbate it.

Collin

• Introduced me to computers as fun things to fiddle with (we even sang David Pogue songs together in 5th grade) and Dungeons & Dragons. Didn’t realize that so much of my geekiness stemmed from him until now. Thanks a lot, Collin.
• It can make perfect sense for somebody to be rational as well as spontaneous.
• It is irrational to live a life without spontaneity.
• You don’t lose your sentience and become an animal when you start feeling attracted to the opposite sex. It’s okay.

Eric

• Original partner in appreciation of giant robots. Introduced me to numerous sci-fi shows.
• Not all people with valid opinions have to debate a lot or carry on until they “win” when they do.
• When somebody is spouting nonsense, often it doesn’t deserve any response.

Justin

• Introduced me to Linux and is my original sushi buddy.
• Know where you really are on the ladder and act appropriately. Don’t present yourself as any more of an expert or novice than you are. Speak confidently when you know what you’re talking about, but try not to patronize.
• Don’t hold back praise for others when they do something you admire, and if somebody is looking up to you, then try to pull them up to your level without holding back.
• It is much wiser to view discussions as collaborations instead of conflicts. The only possible prize that anybody can leave with is to be liberated from fallacies they once had. Otherwise, you’re stuck with short-term pride and hurt feelings.

Kendra

• Introduced me to most of the ridiculous web memes that I know.
• Something’s enjoyability is absolutely irrelevant to its moral acceptability, so stop being judgmental and feeling guilty. Enjoy life.
• Being serious all the time isn’t good, smart, or fun.
• Sexuality is a spectrum, and a very big one. Acknowledging this doesn’t make you gay, bi, or anything. But it does make other people make more sense.

Krystal

• Introduced me to Coke Zero and rekindled my appreciation of double-bladed lightsabers.
• A glance and a pause is often all it takes to help somebody stop and put his or herself in your shoes and know exactly what you mean.
• Do not hold back how much you love your family.
• Allow yourself to be passionate about whatever interests you, but you don’t need to bounce off the walls.
• A bit of edginess is good for everybody. Root for the villain every once in a while.

Mark

• Introduced me to German-style board games.
• Being mindful of your own interests doesn’t mean you’re selfish. You can care about yourself and others at the same time, and if others try to get you to do things that are against your interest, then they’re the ones being selfish.
• Don’t worry about becoming a leader or follower. Instead, just focus on doing whatever it is that you want to actually do with people.

Mason

• Introduced me to evolutionary biology and atheism. (My old church would like a word with you.)
• Any analytical process that doesn’t consider other people’s feelings isn’t all that analytical.
• If you want happiness, help others be happy.
• Expertise does not justify arrogance.
• It is absolutely fine to walk around in your underwear in your own home every once in a while.

Nathan

• Introduced me to Mad Magazine and brownies. Yes, I had brownies before I started going over to his house, but understand that him sharing his mother’s brownies with me in elementary school made me a lifelong chocoholic.
• Don’t let anybody tell you that being more logical means having less heart or vice versa.
• You don’t always have to have an opinion at all. Remember that not everything matters. In fact, most things don’t.

Phil

• Introduced me to Starcraft (and then made me hate it later by kicking my ass at it) and rekindled my appreciation of football.
• Find out where your interests overlap with other people’s interests. Do not turn life into a zero-sum game.
• If you can set boundaries with people at the beginning without making them feel like boundaries, then you’ll be happier.

Ryan

• Introduced me to roller coasters that go upside-down (but I’m still sort of a wuss).
• Experiment. Be creative. Be playful. Enjoy life. Try not to worry about things that will stop you from doing those four things.
• If you are honest, then people will understand you and will probably like being with you.
• When you’re excited, let yourself be excited, and let others be excited with you. You’re as boring as you are foolish if you don’t.

Stephanie

• Introduced me to good music made after the year 1995 or so, a bunch of television shows, and the cardigan sweater.
• Having a sensitive or romantic mind is not pathetic or weak.
• I am not the only person on earth who empathizes and wants to help others.
• If you want to know somebody, start by finding out what they are proud of and don’t step on that if you don’t have to.
• Girls are not out to get me.

Steve

• Introduced me to beer (in moderation) and fashion (in moderation).
• Everything can be put on a number scale. It’s a great way of forcing yourself to assess how you feel about things.
• Being able to appreciate material things does not make you materialistic. Denying yourself any small happiness under the pretense of not being materialistic is just as externally dependent as being obsessed with things.
• Find out what other people’s goals are, and if you have any goals yourself, then don’t lose your focus on them.

If you weren’t on the list, then please don’t feel slighted. I didn’t do my parents either and they’d both have the most bullet points if I put them on here, so you’re in good company. Also, it’s 3:45 in the morning now.