ALMOST BATTING A THOUSAND: Let me tell you the final results of the "four major tests in a week" week.

Histology: This is one of those classes where your grade is always a work in progress, measured on a curve against your fellow classmates across the course of a semester. Plus my professor is a data-collectin' fool so he's comparing our results against classes over the past twenty years or so. I got a 79 percent on my test. In this class--in this context--it was an A.

Biochemistry: This one I was really fearing, because our professor (it's his first time teaching this course, remember) gave us an amazingly difficult quiz before the test that we all did pretty lousy on. Then he wrote us all an e-mail letting us know how awful we did. So we had no idea what to expect going in. What we got was half multiple choice and three essayish questions and just with that I had a B+ and then he tacked on extra points because people weren't finishing on time and this nets me the big A. I think he was almost overcompensating this time for a perceived harshness of grading the initial quiz. Well, hey--it's still an A.

Microbiology: Did I mention this class? With the quizzes that allow us to build up extra credit points before the test because our professor doesn't believe in curving? I had a 21 point cushion going in. End score: 98.

Genetics: This--this class is the one I avoid because 1. it's so hard to go back to work at 5 P.M. and get anything done and skipping this lets me get there around three and 2. I loathe the gimmicks our professor uses to spur on class involvement. Let me just sit back and learn, okay? So I was worried about the class where I am attendance-challenged. And I was right to worry, because I missed some stupid questions on that test and got a C+. But then--came the gimmick. Our professor went over the test. It took awhile--it went over our alotted time, in fact. And he said people could go if they wanted to, but he didn't want to use the next class period in going over the test, so you could go or stay if you wanted to. So I stayed because I knew I had the last question right. And I was right. Others stayed for the same reason. We were right. Somebody suggested we who stayed to the end get an extra three points. Our professor agreed, and the way this particular bell curve was constructed, this moved me from a C+ to a B+. But the catch is--we can never mention it to our fellow classmates, else we only get a single point, which helps us little. So. Plus: B+. Minus: I am now involved in a conspiracy of silence against my fellow classmates. I am such a sellout.

Well, okay then. Next thing: two twelve hour days on Friday and Saturday. I should get some rest.