How It Panned Out
(Note: this post was started Thursday night but wasn't published until after midnight. So "today" means "Thursday.")
Pretty well. A little weird, but pretty well.
Around 9:30, the manager from the bookstore called and left a message (because I couldn't reach the phone fast enough) asking where I was. I called her back and told her the other manager I spoke with yesterday said it was O.K. Not my fault if someone can't write a note and leave it on her desk, or if my prof said I had to come to school. That's kinda more important than selling a few books at the moment.
The school's web portal, which houses the e-mail system underwent some maintenance over the weekend and has been on the fritz ever since. It's so bad right now they have a message like this posted on the login page: (paraphrase) "We know, we know, it's finals week and this sucks. Don't e-mail us to complain. We're aware of the situation and are doing our darndest to get it running again ASAP."
I hadn't received a response from Dr. D. confirming the time and location of our meeting, so I called her cell phone this morning. She was on the train from New England, so she was brief. And full of surprises. Same location as the one for August. . . and she already submitted our grades. I don't think that registered with me until well after the call had ended.
So, while I still went over to my parents' to print off the one lesson from the elementary school that my laptop couldn't open, I didn't drive myself crazy formatting it. The portfolio review was more or less a benefit to me now, because it didn't affect my grade (good thing b/c I missed something but put something else good in its place), and also because I could get Dr. D. to critique my resume'.
Thanks to the monsoon-like weather today, it took me almost as long to get there as it the duration of the meeting, but it was fine. The nice attendant at the parking garage took pity on me for being a dippy online student coming in for a final and gave me a one-day pass, so I saved $11 (yippee!). I got the information I needed--most of it, anyway, from a handbook/checklist I didn't know about (arrgh). I got a bunch of paperwork filled out that at some point will help with my certification, once I take my last certification exam and, you know, fill out a form and send in money I didn't know I needed to send (thanks, handbook/checklist). I didn't, however, get to the bookstore for any school shwag afterwards, because rush hour was starting and the weather was just as terrible to walk in as it was to drive in. Maybe sometime in a few weeks when the weather is better.
I can't complain, though. For the most part, my portfolio was deemed good, and my resume' is marked up with suggestions. I got to see my classmate from NJ who is really, really lovely--I hope we continue to keep in touch.
When I finally got home, I was able to get into the web portal to see my final grade: A+. (Yup, I did a screenshot of that and sent it to Mom.)
The first thing I did when I got home was get out my rain-soaked corduroys. As I looked at the very wet hems, I had a bit of a flashback. The first time I set foot on campus, for an information session for the program, it was a very windy and rainy Saturday in April, 2006, and my too-long pants had gotten just as soaked as the pair I had on today. Kind of a funny coincidence for my last time on campus, as a student.
I can't believe that I've done just about everything except get the degree in the mail.
It feels a little strange, but an O.K. kind of strange.
I think I'll go with it.
Pretty well. A little weird, but pretty well.
Around 9:30, the manager from the bookstore called and left a message (because I couldn't reach the phone fast enough) asking where I was. I called her back and told her the other manager I spoke with yesterday said it was O.K. Not my fault if someone can't write a note and leave it on her desk, or if my prof said I had to come to school. That's kinda more important than selling a few books at the moment.
The school's web portal, which houses the e-mail system underwent some maintenance over the weekend and has been on the fritz ever since. It's so bad right now they have a message like this posted on the login page: (paraphrase) "We know, we know, it's finals week and this sucks. Don't e-mail us to complain. We're aware of the situation and are doing our darndest to get it running again ASAP."
I hadn't received a response from Dr. D. confirming the time and location of our meeting, so I called her cell phone this morning. She was on the train from New England, so she was brief. And full of surprises. Same location as the one for August. . . and she already submitted our grades. I don't think that registered with me until well after the call had ended.
So, while I still went over to my parents' to print off the one lesson from the elementary school that my laptop couldn't open, I didn't drive myself crazy formatting it. The portfolio review was more or less a benefit to me now, because it didn't affect my grade (good thing b/c I missed something but put something else good in its place), and also because I could get Dr. D. to critique my resume'.
Thanks to the monsoon-like weather today, it took me almost as long to get there as it the duration of the meeting, but it was fine. The nice attendant at the parking garage took pity on me for being a dippy online student coming in for a final and gave me a one-day pass, so I saved $11 (yippee!). I got the information I needed--most of it, anyway, from a handbook/checklist I didn't know about (arrgh). I got a bunch of paperwork filled out that at some point will help with my certification, once I take my last certification exam and, you know, fill out a form and send in money I didn't know I needed to send (thanks, handbook/checklist). I didn't, however, get to the bookstore for any school shwag afterwards, because rush hour was starting and the weather was just as terrible to walk in as it was to drive in. Maybe sometime in a few weeks when the weather is better.
I can't complain, though. For the most part, my portfolio was deemed good, and my resume' is marked up with suggestions. I got to see my classmate from NJ who is really, really lovely--I hope we continue to keep in touch.
When I finally got home, I was able to get into the web portal to see my final grade: A+. (Yup, I did a screenshot of that and sent it to Mom.)
The first thing I did when I got home was get out my rain-soaked corduroys. As I looked at the very wet hems, I had a bit of a flashback. The first time I set foot on campus, for an information session for the program, it was a very windy and rainy Saturday in April, 2006, and my too-long pants had gotten just as soaked as the pair I had on today. Kind of a funny coincidence for my last time on campus, as a student.
I can't believe that I've done just about everything except get the degree in the mail.
It feels a little strange, but an O.K. kind of strange.
I think I'll go with it.
Comments
Elizabeth--thanks! (AC22, is that you?)
'Fly--Woo-hoo and thank you!
Dave--thanks and aw, shucks!