I had my Senior clearance meeting this morning, and it went better than I expected. My academic advisor was new - a fact that had me slightly on edge. My former advisor and I had an established rapport: she understood that I was jaded and had an unfortunate tendency to fall through the instituational cracks, and I was completely candid with her, opting to save otherwise warranted dancing and sliptongue for professors I didn't fully respect and/or trust. My fears were allayed, however, when The New Girl was able to follow the maze of my transcript without issue, and without feeding me any bullshit policy lines.
As it turns out, I have to stay in Boston an extra minimester (May through mid-July) to complete my degree. The final slight was my decision not to turn in the final portfolio for Creative Writing at the beginning of the summer. I have a rather mean self-righteous streak, so when a certain English professor informed me that I was fighting for a "D", I silently flipped. How, I keep asking myself, could all of my work be A-Level and I be given a "D" because I missed two-and-a-half classes. But she was firm in her draconian penalties --despite my arguments that I did, literally, six times the work of any other student and was present for more than eight-six percent of the course hours-- so I opted to withhold my work. It was easily the most bone-headed stunt I've ever pulled in the name of anything, let alone a relative non-cause; and now I've paid dearly for it.
I will, however, still be allowed to walk with the rest of the class in April. Considering that I anticipated being trapped here for longer than that, I am relieved. I just have to be certain to play ball for the next six months, as I don't have the slightest amount of wiggle room in which to exercise intelligent, individual thought until I graduate. I can't say that I care too much at this point, though. More than anything I want only to be out of college. For now I'll suffer being the clever sheep, stay low, drink marginally on weekends, and concentrate on projects that actually matter beyond a fucking piece of paper bearing both my name and the word University..
P.S. I think I'll apply to Clarion West this year.
As it turns out, I have to stay in Boston an extra minimester (May through mid-July) to complete my degree. The final slight was my decision not to turn in the final portfolio for Creative Writing at the beginning of the summer. I have a rather mean self-righteous streak, so when a certain English professor informed me that I was fighting for a "D", I silently flipped. How, I keep asking myself, could all of my work be A-Level and I be given a "D" because I missed two-and-a-half classes. But she was firm in her draconian penalties --despite my arguments that I did, literally, six times the work of any other student and was present for more than eight-six percent of the course hours-- so I opted to withhold my work. It was easily the most bone-headed stunt I've ever pulled in the name of anything, let alone a relative non-cause; and now I've paid dearly for it.
I will, however, still be allowed to walk with the rest of the class in April. Considering that I anticipated being trapped here for longer than that, I am relieved. I just have to be certain to play ball for the next six months, as I don't have the slightest amount of wiggle room in which to exercise intelligent, individual thought until I graduate. I can't say that I care too much at this point, though. More than anything I want only to be out of college. For now I'll suffer being the clever sheep, stay low, drink marginally on weekends, and concentrate on projects that actually matter beyond a fucking piece of paper bearing both my name and the word University..
P.S. I think I'll apply to Clarion West this year.
velocity:
Clarion is said to be gruelling, but worth it. The only problem with it is that anyone who works to support themselves generally can't take 8-10 weeks off to go. That's why I've never gone.