Status Symbol

It’s the Fall semester of ‘2010 and I am excited. It’s not the dawn of a semester which excites me, nor the trees changing their leaves, or even the fact I will soon be moving. I’m excited because I have completed a total of 12 additional super duper credits. At my age I have almost completed enough units for a MEng in Project and Construction Management.

While a student at UBC I was named to the dean’s list twice, maintained a GPA of 3.7 and managed to get ‘A’s’ in two of Professor Vasilevichs’ classes. (If you have never had Vasilevich, getting an ‘A’ in even one of his classes means more than being on the dean’s list). Sorry dean.

Like a few graduates it’s taken me longer than expected to get here, but like all graduates it has taken some sacrifices, some sleep and some very hard work. So, I am excited. I am proud and I am relieved, but most importantly I am on my way to being a graduate student.

Well, at least one day in the future I will have the requisite credits needed to ultimately graduate. My account is ‘paid up’ and I have no financial obligation to the University. My academic performance is well above what is required to be ‘degree worthy.’ What more is there?

Last week was pure hell. Four exams back to back. I was thoroughly prepared but my nerves kicked into overdrive and I was breaking out into acne as though I was a sixteen year old in young love. It was ghastly. Suddenly without warning my mood begins to fluctuate, personality morphs into someone I don’t recognize. I mean I turn into super bitch. My temper goes haywire. Not pretty. Thank G-d exams are over.

You see, even after taking 23 credits at UBC, and after more than a dozen papers and numerous exams before my University will bestow upon me the moniker of graduate, the University wants to know if I can write an essay.

As the: “The Trustees of the UBC have directed that “all students entering the UBC Program… be required to demonstrate their proficiency with regard to writing skills as a requirement for graduation…”

WTF - Seriously? I was under the impression that’s what the classes, tests and papers were for.
The newsletter further states: “…the UBC faculty decided that at this institute students would meet the requirement by writing an acceptable test essay.”

I don’t know if I should be insulted, flattered or worried. Insulted that the very University that named me to the “Dean’s List” has the gall to tell me they do not think I can form a sentence. Flattered that the UBC Trustees actually believe I have the skills and fortitude required to cheat on every exam and paper I have written. (Wouldn’t it be easier to just study and write your own papers? Which is what I did). Worried because the degree that I will have is from an institution that believes its very own system is so flawed and shabby that I would be able to complete a degree with a 3.7 GPA and still not be able to write a coherent or grammatically correct sentence.

It is not only the students that should be insulted, but the faculty as well. Do the Trustees have such low regard for the caliber of their faculty that they feel it necessary to test the writing skills of their students? Wouldn’t any junior or senior who is unable to write a simple essay have been ‘weeded out’ by now? Maybe the teaching abilities of the professors should be tested.

Besides the embarrassment of attending a University that feels compelled to assure them that their graduate students can demonstrate a, “…proper use of English grammar, diction, and mechanics,” we are required to pay a $20.00 fee. According to UBC’s own numbers, the undergraduate student body in the fall of 2009 is numbered over 33,000. If even only half of these students take the test that’s over $660,000.00.

Now they may say the money is needed to pay those grading the essays who are, “…a panel of faculty readers…” and I agree, they should be paid. But I would have rather paid $20.00 more a year, or even a semester, to see more classes offered in my chosen...yada yada yada....
I just need a hug.

BACHELOR DEGREE

When you think it's just about over it never truly is. So I wrote one exam today and it went seeminly well. Then I learnt I must write the next within ten days. Which means I don't get to scratch my rear end. What it really means is if look up form my book even for a second, some curse is going to get me. For example lets take Nobert here if I just stare at him forever why the hell do I need a Bachelors degree. He has earned his Masters degree and I already have a Bachelors. He a bachelor and I'm a bachelorette with that combonation we have earned a PhD. Afterall who wants to do homework when Norbert is coming to town to celebrate my birthday this weekend. I'll just have do a different kind of studying but not the kind common to writing an exam. Just my luck. What's a girl to do???

STUDYING IS FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED TO GET THEIR PRIORITES STRAIGHT #2

Guess what I am doing at the moment, come on it’s not that difficult. Oh come on guess. It’s in the title for Pete’s sake. Fine then if you aren’t going to guess then I have to tell you. I am studying, otherwise known as the most boring activity this side of the Galaxy unless there exists a planet on our side of the galaxy where a commonly engaged activity is to repeat the word boredom to oneself for 8 hours straight. So I’m studying you ask, what’s the big deal we all had to do it when we were at school, that or you are still at school. The point is that studying sucks, not in particular that it sucks for me. I believe that if you are being asked to learn things which require you to go over it every few months to remember it then clearly you are not cut out for that particular area of study and should be removed from it immediately. That or your teacher sucks.

For the former, I think you should just drop that subject on the spot. Because if the subject holds so little of your interest then, clearly you are not going to go into any field that requires it. But you scream in protest “Einstein failed high school mathematics and look at what he did.” To which I reply AHA. In my opinion if Einstein did poorly in maths at school it probably had something to do with him having a rather unimaginative teacher which didn’t grasp Einstein’s interest in mathematics and all it’s other cousins in the Scientific world. So when Einstein re-examined this stuff in his own time and found he liked it, well then he became good at it very quickly and several years later due to contributions on his part Japan had TWO less cities to manage. So putting aside that maybe having an unimaginative and dull teacher was the universe trying to steer Einstein away from indirectly destroying two cities we can see that if you are good at something then you will probably find interest in it at some point.

Take me as a second example, until about the seventh grade I found English interesting but due to a large quantity of uninspired teachers I lacked understanding in portions of the critical field of punctuation and still to a degree today. But it does not hinder my feeble attempts at writing.

But returning to the topic at hand. Imagine how much happier a place academic institutions would be if lets say you could drop Math in favour of something you enjoyed. Sure we partially get choice in grade 10 but we are still stuck with a few subjects that some of us would rather not do. Computers Science should be made optional is what I’m getting to. Anyway I am going to crawl back to my books and continue studying now...

TODAY!

Today I woke up with the belief that I was going to take it easy. Well yes I'm going take it easy. Three former school pals are coming over at 5p.m for dinner. We decided it would be a nice way to toast the end of a great month: Black History month. Fast-forward –So I dragged my tired heels to my desk. Turn on my PC. Checked my school email and low and behold a letter from the University in my inbox. Immediately my stomach goes into overdrive which turns into panic. My stomach begins to do that churning thing. I begin to hyperventilate and immediately I grab the cordless phone called my tutor, who I have utmost respect for and fully trust.

I like to think that I'm a pretty reasonable woman, but sometimes I can get carried away. In the case of what I am about to say, I've taken a couple hours at the gym today and the corresponding shower time to attempt to exhaust the anger out of me. But that didn't work, so here goes. I attend University of Buckingham. Buckingham is the name of the street where I live. I’m taking all my soft courses long distant because I thought this would somehow keep me connected and current. It's not a bad school, but it's not Harvard or Stanford or Richmond. Despite being in Newfoundland, this school bills itself as a fine university.

SCHOOL FUCK'D ME UP...

For all the fantastic things that studying brings to your life, it does not bring easy times.