By REGINA IANNIZZOTTO
Opinion Editor
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 1, 2011
Do I pick the 9 a.m. or the 10:25 a.m.? Do I want this teacher or that teacher? Do I want ENG or COM? Should I take this class over the summer or just stick through it now? If I take gym at a different school, I won’t have to do that stupid packet. It never ends.
Every year, twice a year, we all sit down and imagine out ideal schedule. We schedule around our extracurriculars, our jobs, our friends, and particular teachers. In the end, I sometimes wish I could be given my schedule, like in high school. On the other hand, it is nice to have control of my own schedule and make my own decisions. That is – until I get closed out of my dream class (like in Freshman year when I got closed out of a really cool music class and had to take something stupid instead—Thank you very much past upperclassmen).
One thing that drives me crazy every semester is the hidden things we are never told about and have to find out through other students in our major. For instance, for education majors, we have to attend workshops (pointless workshops, I might add) about child abuse and other things to look out for in a classroom. No offense Saint Rose, but one workshop is going to do nothing for me, especially if I take it in the beginning of Sophomore year so I will not remember anything by the time I graduated. Truth be told, I did homework in those classes. I hardly paid attention because I did not get graded on it. I know the basics and I know what to look out for, but not because of this workshop, but because it is a) pretty obvious to look into a sketchy situation regarding a student and b) previous teachers have included stories and lessons into their classes giving me firsthand accounts of these situations. Also, I had no idea we what tests we are supposed to take to be certified. I still do not know. I took the LAST, but only because my friend said I had to, and it turns out I did not even have to because the rules are being changed in what tests we have to take. Thank you for making me waste somewhere around $90, if I remember correctly.
I wish there was a piece of paper that listed every single thing I had to do before I graduate so I can just teach some elementary school kids how to do their ABC’s! If there is one of these magical pieces of paper, can someone point me in the right direction of it? I am assuming it is in Lally, but then again, we all know what happens when we assume.
So there is my advice to you Freshmen, uninformed Sophomores, transfers and whoever else this applies to: FIND OUT THE SECRETS OF YOUR MAJOR! Find out what tests you need to take so you can graduate and be certified to teach kids how to spell. Discover what pointless workshops you need to take that you will only forget in a week’s time. And most importantly, FIND A TRUSTING ADVISER. If you do not believe your adviser, do what I do. Find one you do trust and believe, and get your advice from them. If you do not want to switch over because you think it is too much of a hassle, just get their advice, make your schedule, and get the okay from your “real” adviser.
It is that time of year again. That time to ask all of the stupid questions that stress us out. Soon we will be refreshing the course description page every five seconds to make sure we do not have to go from our “ideal” schedule, to our “okay, but not ideal” schedule, to our “not super happy” schedule, to finally our “I’d kill myself if I have to do this” schedule. Do not go insane. Just cover all of your bases and find out what your major may be hiding from you.
