The Observer, January 27, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 14
Worst Case Scenario: Lost
After 3.5 years of doing this semester scheduling, I ought to have mastered the art of new routines. Yet still, in my final term, I find myself wandering around, wondering what day it is and what classes are next.
Still, as embarrassing as this minor confusion is, I was much relieved to hear one of my professors say she showed up on Martin Luther King Day, baffled by the parking lot's emptiness (but delighted at the ease of finding a spot).
I presumed that this confusion would subside after a week, but when I walked to my Tuesday class on Monday, I realized my haze had actually thickened. I don't even have classes on Mondays.
As usual, the correct solution was a nap. I chose a couch in my home, but I also highly recommend the couches in Thwing, the chairs in Nord, or your significant other's lap. I've tried them all. I especially suggest your significant other's lap.
While my nap was entirely comforting, I awoke to find myself no more certain of where I needed to be and when. Several strategies presented themselves:
- If you can't remember classes, they must not be important enough to attend. I found this approach supported by the oft-touted concept of prioritization, specifically applied based on my memory's hierarchy. This is also known as truancy.
- Camp out on the quad, then follow people in your classes as you see them walk by. The only problem is that these people may actually have other courses as well, so you might unwittingly and unwillingly end up in O-Chem for a day, or even a month, before you figure out that you're not actually enrolled in anything remotely scientific.
- Check your schedule. Some may feel that this option is much too simple, and offers little in the way of a challenge, except when my.case.edu is down, and the world stops. Besides, you may not have actually registered yet.
- Take another nap. Obviously one just isn't enough, and two can't be too many. Third one's the charm, perhaps? Go for it.
- Wing it. No thinking, go with the gut reaction, walk to Mather House if that's where you feel a pull. A very mystical, even spiritual experience, especially since Mather House houses the Religion Department. You never know what adventures you may find, if you leave going to class up to fate.
Anyway, I highly encourage any and all of you to try any and all of these methods for attending class. I guarantee your most interesting semester ever.
