School: Week 1

I should preface this by saying that I most definitely prefer the class registration process at CNU. There, we just sit down, type in the classes we want, and if there is a spot available, we get in. Simple, easy, done. Now, as it is with almost everything in Scotland, everything is backward from what I am comfortable with. Of course, I wanted change when I came on this trip, but I was secretly (or maybe not so secretly) hoping that I would not have to change how I handled taking classes, especially since the classes I wanted were unique to UofG.

Registration at UofG is not done by the student. At least not if you’re international. I don’t know about full-time, four-year undergraduates. Don’t really care since it doesn’t apply to me. However, the school seems to have a knack of not telling us vital information for when we register. The classes we preferenced at the beginning of the application process are selected for us after the person at the head of the department of a certain subject approves you. This could mean that you meet all of the pre-requisites, or that you have somehow demonstrated an adequate amount of understanding of a topic. These approvals are then sent to the study abroad people, who then register for you. Now, the only way that you know if you have gotten into the class that you want is if you check your student timetable and it appears. Otherwise, if it is not there, then a couple things could have happened (emphasis on could): (a) you actually weren’t approved and they didn’t tell you, (b) you had time conflicts with another class and they didn’t tell you, or even (c) it is not offered to international students and they didn’t tell you. Bottom line being: they just don’t tell you anything.

So I managed to get into the Functional Anatomy class, where we use real life cadavers (a paradox, I know) to apply what we learn in the classroom. This came a shock to me, since I thought I would have to fight for that one the hardest. I was also put into the Scottish Enlightenment course, which was at the bottom of my list, and I have since dropped, but may need to pick back up again. The two classes I did not see on my timetable were the Drug and Disease biology course and the Theater and Society course. Both of these are necessary for me to get my major and minor, respectively, but they just hadn’t appeared yet.

I tried emailing the study abroad people at the school, and they took forever to get back to me. And I mean, like, forever. I also emailed the head of the theater department and the Biology department, and I heard from them sooner than the study abroad people. The theater people made sure I was enrolled on the timetable, and that’s when I saw why it didn’t pop up. I had a Monday and Wednesday lecture, along with a Wednesday seminar, but the Wednesday lecture interfered with my anatomy class. I emailed the professor about being able to get the notes off of the online system so I didn’t fall behind, but he said he wanted to talk to me about it in person first. I tried relaying this to the study abroad people (who finally got back to me) but they said that I needed to choose. I figured if I got written permission from the professor to be able to miss one lecture, then it would be ok. I have a meeting scheduled with the lady in study abroad Tuesday, so we will hopefully have it figured out by then.

Still no word on Drug and Disease. Details to come.

All while I am trying to get the registration hell figured out, I was actually attending classes. My favorite, as predicted, was the anatomy class. We began dissection on the first day!! A lot of what we have been learning thus far has been a review of IB Bio and Anatomy in high school, but I have not had the opportunity to take that information and be able to use it so literally. It was a little shocking to see an actual human who had once been alive laying there on the table, but as it had happened before in high school, once you start focusing on your work, you kind of forget what you are working on. It is supposed to be a really difficult class, which I guarantee it is, but since this is what I am passionate about and this is what I love (and I mean LOVE) to learn about, I think with hard work and persistence, I will thrive.

Oh, and I don’t have Friday classes.

For right now.

That being said, I have planned a trip to the Isle of Arran for two days!! I look forward to another adventure. This one is going to be by myself, which is pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone, but I needed to do it, and I think I will thank myself later once it’s all said and done.