– The registration department at SJSU has no record of me filing for a leave of absence.
– I may have to reapply for the MA program and finish my degree next semester.
– We won’t be able to move to PA until the middle of next fucking winter.
– Going through my last semester of grad school with an infant.
– More boredom over the next few months because I will have precious little to do between now and the baby coming.
– Being denied my easy path to moving to PA that I have gotten good and set in my head.
+ Hey, more time to read for the MA exam and memorize some god damn poetry so I don’t potentially fail that portion of the comp exam.
+ All the Powers That Be within my actual department are fighting like mad for me to be able to finish this semester and they are arguing with registration as I type. Go them.
+ I will have much less stress during the pregnancy.
+ I will maybe be able to take Spanish classes at a community college and waive the language exam requirement if I have the time off from school.
+ I could take some classes for fun at a JC credit/no credit so that I’m adding no stress but some interesting learning. (Could be neat.)
Alright, I’ve managed to talk myself out of being super pissy, but this is still frustrating.
The bureaucracy of academic world always frustrated me to the point of insanity.
I understand why certain academic idiocies (like grad student=slave labor) happen, but I’ve never understood why so many college bureaucracies are so functionally incompetent. From what I’ve been hearing on my f-list, it sounds like SJSU has gotten worse than SFSU, which takes some doing.
Hopefully you’ll get it all worked out soon.
Why sir, I take umbrage at your statement. SFSU takes pride in its ineptitude, and is astounded that anyone would besmirch its title so unjustly.
Academic bureaucracy is painful. However, there are often sufficient loopholes and forms that can be filled out (particularly by “department chairs” and whatnot) that the initial hopelessness is often overridden. I wish this for you.
Gah!
I know your frustration with registration’s bookkeeping. There was one quarter when I took the (required) stats class and signed up for P/NP grading at the beginning of the semester. Imagine my surprise — and my father’s fury — when the report card came back with a C. I KNEW I had a C, dangit — I was working for that minimum! It was a PASS. But they couldn’t find my request sheet. Until I bugged them over the phone a couple times during spring break. Oh… whoops. It had been filed under my name in another YEAR.
Hope yours is as easily resolved!
I’m very impressed. You’re taking it better than I would. With all that stress, I would have busted a nut or something putting up with all that. You’re a strong woman, Ms. rightkindofme.