Taking the Scenic Route

Until about three weeks ago I was a happy little college student pursuing my B.S. in Biology, hoping to transfer all that knowledge to a DVM (veterinary) program elsewhere.

Now, not so much.

Working full time during the day requires me to take night classes. Due to the complete lack of Biology-related courses offered in the evening, I had to find another program that DID offer classes in the evening. To be fair, to say that earning the Bio degree would have been entirely impossible is deceiving since my employer was willing to work with me and let me take some day classes. However, sticking with the Bio program meant having to attend classes until my mid thirties, just for the B.S degree. Yeah, I’m still in my 20’s. I don’t THINK so, Joe – next idea, please.

Those who know me well often throw some well-deserved ribbing my way for having changed my major three times while in the associates program. Now I have to change again, which I’m sure won’t be a real shock to anyone, but this time it’s for reasons outside of my own flakiness and that kinda sucks. I don’t want to change, but if I’m going to be a student for the next seven years, you’d better be calling me “Doctor” by the time I’m done with all of it. Know what I mean, Vern?

Resigned to my fate, I scoured the Schedule of Classes for degree programs that were a little more “9-to-5” friendly. With my choices limited to Business Management, Psychology, and Political Science, (none of them provoking any stirring interest out of me), I paused to consider. Business Management was a no-go because, as I stated in an earlier posting, I refuse to take accounting classes when QuickBooks will suffice and I’m betting that any economics classes will just cause me to cry over my shriveling 401k. That’s just a poor use of my time. Psychology seemed like a reasonable, even interesting, possibility, but then my thoughts turned to my poor friend and fellow student, AC. She transferred to Mason as a Junior like I did this fall. She is a psych major, has had half her classes this semester run by TA’s (teaching assistants), and is suffering miserably. I don’t think I could survive studying the mind and mental processes while being taught by nitwits. Well, I could, but I would probably be kindly asked to leave the campus after attempting to set some nitwits straight.

So a B.A. in Political Science it is or, as it’s called at George Mason University, “Government and International Politics.” Ugh. Sigh. I remember once saying to myself, “there is no WAY I’d ever be interested in Political Science…BORING!” Unfortunately, I still feel that way. At this point it’s all about getting that stupid piece of paper (degree) so I can move on to something else. However, there are a couple of cool things about the GAIP program. First, T-man is in the same program and has already taken some of the classes. Now I won’t have to go to class all the time and he can just fill me in on what I missed. Next, it will require absolutely zero brainwork out of me – just the use of my already fine-tuned bullshitting skills. It will also give me a chance to vent at the end of a crappy work day when I argue, I mean, debate topics with others. Plus I got to drop organic chem., which was sucking like a kitty on a titty. No hard feelings there.

It won’t be so bad, I guess. As T-man puts it, when presented with a less than appealing food choice, “it’ll make a turd.” The worst part about the part about B.A. over a B.S. (besides its credibility, or lack thereof - *sigh*) is the additional foreign language requirement. Damn! I guess I’ll just take French since I already wasted three years on it in high school. And I was SO close to forgetting all of it, too.

Does this mean I’m derailed off the beaten path to veterinary school? Not necessarily. Prospective students can major in anything they want, provided they take the appropriate prerequisite classes which I can do later at NOVA if I want. In finding a silver lining to this raw deal, this allows me to accomplish roughly the same goal, but in a much less stressful manner. And who knows, maybe I’ll abandon the vet school idea and run for public office. Tippecanoe and Simmons, too. Yeah? Whatever.

Oh well. At least I won’t have to wear those ugly laboratory goggles that put funny lines on my forehead anymore. Woo hoo!!