Don't Go to School, Kids

I had such wonderful dreams last night. Before bed, I realized that as a senior I could register for summer and fall classes today! I looked at my degree evaluation from my advisor and took note of the 10 classes I lack and decided to log on first thing this morning and register online.

Bear in mind...one year ago, in January my advisor told me I could finish in a year and a half-going full time. I did a full spring semester, took a maymester and 3 summer courses. Then I took 15 hours in the fall. I met with an advisor again mid-December for the 3rd or 4th time last year who told me that even after a full year of taking classes I still had 2 1/2 years to go.(????????????)

Not exactly the kind of news to give a hormonal pregnant woman the week before she's due!

I currently have 111 credit hours. If I had gone their way I would have graduated in 2 1/2 years with 165 hours...and just a bachelors degree. That just didn't make any sense to me when a normal bachelors degree is between 118-125 hours. So...that is why I dropped my courses for the current semester. I wanted to make sure I was taking the classes I need to take to graduate...but also to find the best degree plan and the shortest route possible.

The past 3 months I've spend trying to get someone to listen. Eventually I found one person who was sympathetic to my case, emailed me back and forth every week, sent me my revised degree plan with the 10 classes I need to graduate and gave advising over the phone instead of me having make an appointment, and troop to Denton with Rémy in tow. She says I can FINISH my degree online. ALL of it.

For the past few weeks I've been savoring this wonderful news. I even dreamed of graduation last night...I threw my hat so high I ended up not being able to find it, but it didn't matter because I was so excited and relieved to finally be finished. I got up extra early this morning to register, and made coffee (no morning can begin without a cup of strong coffee).

I log on to the UNT website and start inputting the classes one by one that I need. One by one I see that they are not offered in maymester or summer. Well, that's ok, I'll just register for fall. I had kind of hoped to just take maymester and 4 summer classes and then 15 hours in the fall to graduate in December, but ya know, I'm flexible so I can just take 15 in the fall, 15 next spring. I mean, it's been 8 years so far, what's another year? One by one I check the classes for fall....one by one I realize they are not offered.

I immediately shot an email to my one sympathetic advisor asking why she would have me sign up for this degree plan and tell me this is the way that I can graduate the fastest if the classes aren't even offered....FOR A YEAR. I WANT to go to school, I want to pay them exhorbitant amounts of money and in return get a slip of paper that says 'graduated' on it. Why does it have to be this difficult, convoluted and downright confusing. No wonder so many students never finish. And out of the 10 classes I need, why is it that not a single one is offered for a year. Of course, I was much nicer in the email.

So, as if saying goodbye to a beloved friend, I am putting school out of my thoughts for now. I'm considering it a closed door and waiting to see what's next.