Let's Get Ready For School!

The summer before I went to kindergarten, I watched the Berenstein's Bears Let's Get Ready For School video almost every single day. I also, erm, sang the theme song a lot at that age. (Yes, I was nerdy and obsessive even as a small child.) Now I am getting ready to move away from home for my junior year of college, and you couldn't force me at gunpoint to watch the Berenstein Bears and yet that song is still stuck in my head . . .

This point was driven home to me yesterday when I drove up to my future college with my grandparents to pay my room and board fees for this semester.

I still don't know my way around the campus too well, so I stumbled through two different buildings looking for the cash accounts office. This wasn't a bad thing, because I at least found a vending machine that offers cinnamon rolls and Danishes. Not bad to know when you're running late and need a quick breakfast. After we found the office and paid, I asked where I could find out what dorm I am in. (Room assignments hadn't been posted on the website yet, though they were supposed to be up this week.) I was told to go to the Dean of Students' office, back in the other building I'd wandered around in. Luckily, I noticed this office when I was studying the vending machine that may be providing my breakfast one day, so it wasn't too difficult to find.

Once I got there and asked, the woman at the desk told me that the assignments were posted and that I could log into a computer at the library. Yay! Now I just needed to find the library . . . After getting directions, the woman asked me if I had my ID card yet. Nope. She asked me if I wanted to go ahead and get one. One less hassle during orientation. I decided that she merited some sort of canonization for thinking of that.

In turn, I was rewarded with the best ID photo I have ever had. Usually my driver's license and student ID photos are hideous. My hair is always crazy and I look like a demented geek on speed. This one wasn't necessarily a glamour shot, but at least I won't mind anyone seeing it. (My student ID at the community college I attended was so bad, I wouldn't use it to get discounts at local stores just because I didn't want anyone to see my picture. My forehead had caught some weird reflection in the room, so it looked like I had a huge silver mark on half my forehead. *sigh*)

I was then asked if I wanted to go ahead and register my car. Sure! One less thing to do at orientation. I was asked how many transfer credits I was bringing in to determine if I was officially a sophomore or a junior. I earned 64 credits at my old college, but apparently only 60 were showing up on the computer. That would officially make me a sophomore and that required a different tag. Eeeep!

I walked over to the registrar's office and asked what was up with my credits. The guy at the office told me that they were still processing transfer transcripts and that mine should go through with no problem. I think it must be my geology class that hasn't been officially accepted yet. I sure hope they take it. I made some of my worse grades ever in that class. It was, in many ways, an easy class. But the labs always got me. They were based on visually identifying different rocks and minerals. For those of us with crappy eye sight, that was a major challenge. I, erm, sorta, kinda almost failed my igneous rock quiz. They all looked alike to me. *sob* But I did well on the worksheets and the lecture tests and went on the extra credit field trip, so I still ended up with an A. But, point is, I really don't want another dance with geology or, God forbid, chemistry to fulfil my physical science requirement. But if only one course doesn't transfer, I can't complain too much. I've talked to people who had to repeat several after transferring, so I am in pretty good shape, as far as all that goes. However, not being able to officially say that those 4 credits were accepted means I am in limbo between sophomore and junior and must wait to get the tag.

Oh, well. I was directed to the school post office where I got my first personal address. Yeehaw! I now have a post office box. And with it came a key that almost refused to go on my key chain. Mean post office key. You will learn to love me and my key chain . . . or else. ^^

I finally made my way to the library where I fell in love . . . with the library. It was a gigantic library full of books! *happy nerd dance* One of the places I applied to work for work-study was the library. I am really hoping I get that job because a) I have over two years experience working in libraries with that very same computer database system, b) I like working in libraries, and c) I found my dorm assignment and realized that my dorm was very close to the library and the building that houses the English and history departments. This means that, conceivably, all of my classes and jobs would be next to each other and easily within walking distance. Also, the building that houses the college printing press, which is the home of a publication I would like to edit at some point, is right there, too. Oh, all of the admin buildings are nearby as well. Whoohoo! The only bad thing is the cafeteria is quite a ways away, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to walk there. I am not a gym rat, so I guess the exercise will be good for me, especially considering you can get pancakes for breakfast every day if you so choose . . . ^^

So . . . in all of three weeks I will move in. I am looking forward to going, but I am not really looking forward to the move in part. I hate moving with a passion. There was that nightmarish year when I was ten that I moved eighteen times in eight states. Did I mention I hate moving? But it's just part of getting ready for school, I guess. But so is pancakes every day for breakfast. :P