I’ve mentioned before that as a quick entry student I’m the last to register for classes. My registration date is for this Winter quarter is November 30th, which happens to be today.

When my alarm went off at 7 am I did something which I consider to be pretty amazing. I got up. No snoozing today, I’ve got binness to take care of. Onto the computer I went and logged into PSU’s horribly, crappy website. Then when I went “Add or Drop Classes” I was told: “Stop You are not permitted to register at this time.” Ass!

So I’m guessing the day hasn’t officially “begun” yet. It’s 7:41 now, I’ll check again in 19 minutes to see if 8:00 is the magic time. Now it just so happens that the two class I’d like to take are each only offered once this quarter. It also just so happens that both were nearly full last night. :/ I’m not sure how many QE students are out there, or who else hasn’t registered, but I’m going to try to be the first of the last and secure a seat in these classes.

Wish me luck.

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

~Aristotle

Act 1

So I went to orientation on Tuesday. I was there from 9:45 to some time after 3:00, yet really there isn’t much to talk about.

There was a lot of data dumping, but I couldn’t help feeling that it was the sort of data dump that didn’t need to occur. PSU’s website (at least with regards to new students) is horrible and the day was spent being told orally what should really be presented clearly and online.

I did have a few questions going in to orientation and they did get answered so that was nice. But other than that the day just kind of went along without too much benefit. During the day we had two sessions where PSU presented a handful of presentations and we chose which two we’d like to find out more about. I went to a session about working/internship opportunities and the real lesson was that as a quick entry student I get no help. The career center also helps find off-campus jobs but, again, I don’t qualify for their services. So yeah, super beneficial.

By day’s end I did have myself signed up for classes though. I’m taking “Physics w/ Calculus” and “Digital Design”. I’ve gotta tell you, I’m more than a little afraid of the physics class. Not because of the physics, but because of the calculus. In order to take the class you have to have taken calc. I did, like 10years ago. While that’s enough to get entry in the class, I’m still not sure that it was a smart idea for me to do so. I remember 5 things in math: y=mx+b, FOIL: first inner outer last, a² + b² = c², circumference = 2πr, area of circle = πr². Notice that none of those are calculus. Notice that I only know five things in math! Yeah, I’m worried.

Act 2

After the day ended, but before the day was over I decided to head over to the school bookstore. Might as well buy my books. Walking through they e’s I found the book for my digital design class (ECE 171). $139!?!?! “Hold on, there are some used books right there.” $104.25?!?! It was at that point that my now-clenched heart sent the OK to my digestive system to go ahead and shit my pants.

Before the stink began to spread throughout the store I quickly moved to the p’s and found “PH 221.” $196????? For a fucking physics book? As darkness began to tunnel my vision I reached for the bookshelves to steady myself. Though blood was throbbing in my ears and air was entering my lungs through ever-more-shallow breaths I was able to focus enough on the used book price: $147.

I swoon.

I stumble my way out of the store as on-lookers look on, their expression worried at first and then disgusted when the stench of my poopie pants hits them. I head home. Twice along the way I cry.

Act 3

When I arrived at my apartment building I happen to run into my neighbor Ken and his college-aged son, Ken. Ken (senior) is also planning on attending PSU to finish his degree and we talk about orientation that day. Talk inevitably bleeds into the book prices. At this point Ken (junior) chimes in that he gets all his books at half.com as their prices are so much cheaper.

Tunnel…

..Light…

..Hope.

Shortly after I’m sitting at the computer checking out half.com. They’re an eBay company. Which means you look for a book and anyone and their mother may be selling it to you. Which means it’s just fucking eBay with a different logo. Now personally, I don’t like using eBay. I know people who’ve used it countless times without problem, but it’s just not for me.

So I head over to Amazon. The Amazon marketplace is much like eBay, however at least this way all of my order processing is done through Amazon. On top of that Amazon ratings seem to matter to people, and therefore hopefully to the companies which sell through the marketplace. I know I myself will look at Amazon ratings of products even if I’m not planning on buying through Amazon.

I’ve found both books, used of course, at prices much less painful. Digital Design: $139, now just $73. Fundamental of Physics: $196 now just $66! It doesn’t feel good dropping $140 on two stupid books, but it’s much better than dropping $335.

Conclusion

So that was orientation. When I’m not going to school I’m going to be busy reading math books and frantically trying to get up to speed.

Nothing causes activity like setting one’s self on fire…

…though often times heightened activity is followed by no activity at all.

As some of you may recall, my first year of school in Portland is going to have to be part time while I wait to establish residency. This requirement has presented me with an opportunity in the forced change of plans.

I had originally planned on attending community college for the first year (as they don’t have out-of-state tuition rates) and then matriculating to PSU (Portland State University) in my second year. However PSU has an option know as Quick Entry (QE). QE allows any resident of the state (city?) to attend PSU part-time and pay in-state tuition prices. Pretty sweet huh? There are some caveats though, the three most notable being that a QE student is not eligible to get financial aid, he/she is limited to 8 credit hours per quarter and that said student get’s last pick of all classes. The first trip-hazard isn’t a problem as I am fucking rich, check that off the list. An eight-credit limit is also not a problem as that’s my limit if I want to get residency. The third hurdle means that with school starting on Sept. 28th I was unable to register for classes until today, the 14th.

We’ll get back to that in a second, for a moment let’s digress together (come on, you know you wanna. oh yeah. oooh yeah, digress you naughty, naughty thing.). PSU also has orientation days at least once a week for the several weeks before school starts. You sign up for it online, you simply need your student ID which I happend to have received in August’s third week. I only found out about these orientation classes last week (by a neighbor), and shortly after finding out I went to enroll myself. Hitting the website I punched in my student ID and clicked the “Sign up” button. Do you know what their website told me? It told me to bugger off (I think it’s British) and that QE students aren’t important enough to attend orientation. So I was to remain disoriented as I awaited the morning of the fourteenth day of the month of September. And with that we end our digression and return to the story:

So this morning I popped out of bed (when when I say “popped” I’m referring to an ugly sound my back made) and headed for the computer (and when I say “headed” I’m referring to the four steps it takes me to go from bed to computer). As I logged in to the PSU system I reached for the course-requirements sheet I received when I visited the engineering college some weeks back. Though the sheet doesn’t cover general education, it at least points me in the right direction for the core classes.

Digital Circuitry – four credits. Found it. Click the check box. Hit “enroll”. Bam, that’s done. Now Physics w/ Calculus – four credits. Found it. Click the check box. Hit “enroll”. Wait, error? Hmm… seems I need a lab to go with Physics? Ah, so that’s what the “PH 214″ was at the bottom of the little physics block on that sheet. K, got it. Physics lab. Found it. Click the check box. Hold on again. 1 credit? That puts me at nine credits. Mother fucker. But wait, let’s look at that physics block again. There are two course numbers after all. I wonder why. So “PH 211″ is a four-credit physics course entitled “Physics w/ Calculus”, and “PH 221″ is a three-credit physics course entitled “Physics w/ Calculus”. So PH211+PH214 is too much, but PH221+PH214 is juuust right (like that porridge I had for breakfast).

But why exactly are there two courses, same name, but worth a different number of credits? And what exactly is the penalty, if any, for taking the three-credit versus the four? So many damn questions! I’m just a dumb freshman! Wait. What’s that you say? I live just minutes away from the campus??? I should go there and talk to a human being? GREAT idea!

Moments later I’m in the Admissions Office. They tell me to get fucked and go to Registration. So I go to Registration and wait in line. Making my way to the front I’m informed that I should get fucked, or go to the Adminissions Office as they might be able to help. So, with a subconcious adjustment of my Lemmings hat, I head over to admissions. This time they listen to me. Then they call the Physics Department. Shortly after they call the Engineering Department. They tell me that PH221 is physics for engeering student. Perfect. Things are falling in to place finally.

But I’m not leaving her office just yet. I’ve got whining to do. “I can’t find a course list for general ed. classes!” “They won’t let in to orientation!! waah!” Such was the case that I soon found myself walking to none other than the Orientation Office (ahhh… like a cool glass of lemonade). By end of the discussion with the fine folk in orientation I’m invited to a campus tour which would occur 15 from the time of invite. I’m also granted permission to attend the orientation class tomorrow from 9:45 to 5:00. I’m almost like a real student now!

So I have yet to sign up for classes. Tomorrow I should meet with a course advisor and get one or two final things ironed out. Then I’ll sign up for school. I should get a student ID card too, which means I can use the bookstore. Hopefully they’ll tell me where that is tomorrow.

Are number 2 pencils still important?