SECOND TIME AROUND COLUMN: Overloaded? You're not alone, but it's your fault
By B. Eddie Bauman
Is anyone else feeling overwhelmed about now? I definitely am, but I have no one to blame but myself.
When I was signing up for this fall, I know that I had to take basic algebra. When I took my placement tests before entering school, I realized that I had forgotten any math more complicated than balancing my checkbook. The class is basically a review of high school algebra and does not count as college credit, so I decided to take a full load on top of it.
I signed up for a criminal justice class, a psychology class, a sociology class and a theater class. This would give me 12 hours in addition to the four that wouldn’t count in math. Then I got it in my head that I better take Spanish right away because I might want to minor in it.
Of course I needed to be in a Fitness class so that I would be able to use the fitness center. That’s 21 hours and I’m not done.
I got a letter in the mail informing me that I qualified for the Honors Program. Can’t pass that up. That’s one more hour for the colloquium and 25% more work in two of my classes.
Then Dr. Kuester decided to do the play Harvey, one of my favorites, so I signed up for play production and got myself a nice big part in the play. (Are you keeping up? That’s 25)
So now I’m in class five days and one night a week. I have rehearsals two nights a week and all afternoon on Sunday. I have to keep up my GPA in order to stay in the Honors Program so I’m studying like a maniac.
Now my kids have signed up for everything offered at their school and I’m the only driver in the family. I have to leave an hour early two days a week to get them to academic team practice. I have to pick them up late four days a week from their play practice and I have to drive them back and forth to dance classes.
Maybe I shouldn’t have volunteered to be on the Project Success Advisory Board, or the President of the Criminal Justice Association, or to write this column for the Apache. But I did.
And I will get everything done, somehow. What I need to do is get it done without losing my mind in the process.
My first clue that my sanity was going was the day I waited around for an hour for a class to start only to find out it was in session during the hour I was waiting around. My second clue was when I showed up for my night class an hour early, and couldn’t figure out where everyone was.
These experiences let me to three important decisions. First my family will have to live on fast food until after the play is over. Secondly, I will look at my watch before all classes. Finally, I will never again attempt to carry a load of 25 credit hours. (I should mention that I was repeatedly advised not to take on so much.)
Next semester I will plan more carefully. In the meantime, please forgive me if I am not terribly sympathetic if your studies are cutting in to your social life. I have no social life or family life right now and I still managed to find time to write this self-pitying column.
I know, I know, I brought it on myself.