Tomorrow marks the beginning of the last week of the quarter at Kaplan.  I can’t wait for this session to be over.  I am suffering from burnout.  The good thing is that after the short break in between sessions (which is a couple of weeks) and the fact that “new” classes are coming along soon, I am hoping to be as excited about learning as I have been for the past few years.  But I’m just not feeling it right now.

I think the primary disappointment from this quarter has been my Organizational Communication class.  I love communications, project management, team-oriented activities, etc.  They are fun to me, and I learn a lot when I take those classes.  The course objectives for this particular class are:

• Evaluate how organizational structure affects the quality and quantity of communication
• Apply organizational communication models and theories to professional contexts
• Evaluate how communication may vary in different industries and cultures
• Analyze how interpersonal and small-group relationships (teams) affect communication in organizations

Instead of learning these things, the class turned into how to write in APA style.  We’ve touched very little on any of the class objectives.  As a matter of fact, my perception is that 90% of the class was focused on writing style and 10% on the actual objectives.  This bothers me.  In return, I am hoping to get a grade that ranges from 80% - 85% for the quarter.

This is the lowest grade I’ve made in a while.  I don’t think it will affect my 3.6 GPA too much since I am going to get a very high A in the other class I am taking.  If I had made an 80-something in this class when all of the objectives were touched on in an appropriate manner, then I might not feel so bad.  But since the class turned into APA 101, then I am bothered by it.  My grade is based on how I write and not how I understand the principles of Organizational Communication.

After this quarter, I will have five classes left in order to graduate.  Those classes are Operations Management, Project Management, Web Marketing and E-Commerce, Advanced Career, Development Strategies and the Bachelors Capstone in Management.   Somewhere in there, I will need to set aside some time to study for and take the GMAT.  Taking the GMAT marks the beginning of another chapter in the learning experience: The road to my MBA.  It is something that I am looking forward to more than anything.

I am just riding it out at this point and hoping for a fresh perspective in a couple of weeks when I get to take a short breather.