It looks like we have a solution!

[Tina Seward]

After talking to the prez at CCR and my teacher and financial aid person, here's the plan from now till June:

1. I don't enroll at CCR next semester.

2. I work, work, work, work, (and did I mention work?) on my theory until then.

3. I will have an instructor from CCR helping me.

4. I can get a 6-month grace period on my loans (need to speak to my lender about this)

5. If necessary, I can get a forebearance on the loans for a year.

6.  Re-enroll in June at a higher speed. :-)

Sounds like a plan to me!!!

[Maria Ellicott]

I can certainly understand your hubby not wanting you to take out private loans. I'd stay clear of doing that as well. (but then I'm trying to save up $5,600 for Court Reporting at Home)

[Tina Seward]

I.e., he does not want me to take out private loans.

[Tina Seward]

Maria, mine were federal.  I have borrowed the maximum I can borrow.  And my husband does not want me to take out any more loans, period.

[Maria Ellicott]

May I ask what kind of loans you got? Were they private, federal, both?

[Janiece]

Karol, very nice advice.  I like your idea on the mental part not just for court reporting but for other things too.  :-)

[Karol Hill]

I just wanted to add one more thing to my last comment.   Practicing the small words and phrases and the difficult words, plus the meditation every day, you do still have to practice at a speed above your comfort level.  In fact, I think even two speeds above your comfort level.  But once you are automatically writing those small word phrases, believe me, it's so much easier.   Like I had said, I got up extra early in the morning to practice those small word phrases and the difficult word tape, then I went to school for the rest of the day.  Forgot to add that.  lol

[Karol Hill]

I wanted to suggest something I wish I had done so much earlier during my time in court reporting school.   First please find a list of small words and combinations of small words like:  and, the, that, for, to, on, etc.,  and then add combinations such as:  and the, for the, with the, for which, on the, on that, and all the rest that I'm sure are on a list you have somewhere.  Get up every morning before anyone else in the house, Mon-Fri, practice with that audio for at least 15 minutes or however long it takes.   That will help you to listen and hear those words and automatically write them without thinking.   It made a big difference for me.

Then make another tape with difficult words or words that you always hesitate on, I had a ton of them.  If you have to, come up with another way to write them so that they're easy to write when they come up in dictation. Practice those words another 15 minutes or however long you can.  You'll constantly be adding to that list and you will be surprised when those words come up during dictation and no hesitation, it's a great feeling.

But this is the part you have to trust me on.  I could not believe how well it worked and I didn't even think it would, so trust me on this.   Starting off at least three times a day or even twice a day every day, start pretending in your mind that you have passed the RPR or CSR or whatever test.  Make sure to feel it all over, how good you feel and how good it feels to be such a great writer.  Even if you're driving, just start feeling like you have passed the test and how great you feel about it.   It worked for me.  I would go to school and be so nervous, it was horrible.  All of a sudden I wasn't nervous anymore, I had the belief.   Students who sat around me didn't believe me when I would tell them I wasn't nervous at all, but I wasn't.   I just wanted to share this with you.   Once you pass the test and start working, do not forget to still imagine these things because when I started working I started getting nervous again and was writing horribly so I started doing it again, I was writing like a charm.  Wne to work for a court and was supposed to write realtime and choked again.  I was practicing like crazy and making no progress.  Finally I remembered about the meditation exercises and sure enough, I was writing perfectly.  It really works.  Even if you don't think it's going to work, do it anyway and just see what happens.  Please keep me posted.  I just had to share this with you because I had a hard time in school too.   You still have to practice, etc., but you also have to do the meditation exercise, otherwise you're just spinning your wheels.  The power of our mental beliefs is huge.   I just didn't believe in myself and so I basically "tricked" my subconscious.

Good luck!  Use your time doing the right things so you can get out there and start making money.  All three things I suggested you do are just as important as the other two.   I would love to hear great news from you!!

  

[Keith Rowan II]

Amen, Mary Jo.  Love your selective dropping.  That's definitely tough to learn in school, but something you get better and better at as you are out in the field.  Sometimes when it's going fast, you have to do that, and if they ask for readback, you still have it whereas if you dropped, you're going to have a bit more trouble.  

[Mary Jo Cochran]

STENOMASTER CUT AND PASTE:  I originally bought and learned another theory while attending a court reporting school. This other theory was very stroke intensive. I used this other theory for four years. Then, I decided to study and learn the StenoMaster Theory and diregard my first theory. I love this theory. The StenoMaster Theory is easy to read, offering consistent strategies for beginning of word phrases and endings. The Theory is well worth the investment but you have to be serious about putting in the time to know this theory, and practice the combinations of word phrases. Most of the words you will learn are incorporated into one stroke. (You do not come back for "d, g, s, y or vowel" endings) I would highly reccomend this theory to any beginning students. I wish I had learned this theory first.

 

Tina:  The book is on Amazon used for about $240.  I stopped coming back for the d, g, etc, a very long time ago.  I use mt for ment (statement - stamt); I drop the t past is pas.  I leave out the middle of words that have multiple syllables (conversation - con-sabgs).  If I get it the first time, that's enough for me. Mr. Jones becomes Jones.

WRITE SHORT AND SWEET!!!!!!

[Keith Rowan II]

That's what I thought.  Phoenix is the most complicated theory ever and the most stroke-intensive.   So it's not surprising you wouldn't be strong in it.  If I were learning Phoenix, I would ditch it and use something better.  Of course, I am very particular about my theory.  I didn't love Sten Ed either and knew I needed something better.  So when I was doing 80 WPM, I got the Stenomaster theory book and learned that from the beginning.  Best decision ever.