I
awoke, startled, to the sound of “Bring it Back” by Travis Porter blaring from
my phone. It was 8:30…I still had a few
minutes so I hit snooze. At 8:45, my
alarm went off once again. This time I
knew I had to get up.
My
first registration appointment was set for 9:15. In the meantime, I sat at my computer
reviewing my strategy for which classes I would choose. Our advisors urged us to plan out our
classes, and have several options in case our first choices filled up. So I heeded their advice; I had a plan, and
backup plan, and a backup to my backup plan.
In
our first registration period we’re allowed to sign up for up to 4
classes. 9:15 came, and all the classes
I wanted were still available. I clicked
accept, and the classes went through. No
problem. That wasn’t too bad.
My
next appointment wasn’t until 12:45 so now I had some time to kill. In the meantime, my roommate and I went to
the dining hall, grabbed breakfast, and came back to the dorm to relax. So far, registration had been a breeze, so we
hung out, listened to music, and didn’t think twice about the second
appointment.
For
the next round, my roommate registered first.
Once again, he got his classes without any complications. It was 12:15, and all my classes were still
open. We high-fived, and began our wait
once again.
At
this point, my second registration appointment seemed like a formality. The classes I wanted were available, as well
as both of my backups. But in a matter
of moments things went downhill fast.
First one class closed, then another.
Then the first one reopened. It
was 1:25, and my schedule no longer seemed so secure. The next wave of registration was at 1:30,
and my worst fear came true. Two more
classes closed. Luckily, my English was
still open, but just like that I was out of a sixth class.
Now,
I was on the clock. I had 15 minutes to find
another class that fit my schedule and wasn’t full. I raced through the course atlas, but
seemingly each one was already closed.
Finally, at 1:44 I gave up. I
needed to make sure I at least got my English class. The clocked turned and I clicked “register”
immediately. I was in.
Now
I just needed one more class. But I didn’t
know what to take. I had thought about
taking a philosophy class, perhaps one on the human mind or the philosophy of
law, but they were both full. I looked
back at the philosophy homepage and spotted Philosophy 132: Intro to Philosophy
of Art. In desperation, I punched in the
4-digit code. It was open. Not exactly what I’d wanted, but it would
have to do.
In
the end, I had to foul off a few curveballs, but I made it through registration in
one piece. Classes start tomorrow, and
that should be a whole different ballgame.