What Have I Done?!

I spent several hours yesterday talking to all the various parties in order to coordinate the whole school thing - my undergrad school (UVM), UMUC (where I took my grad classes last time before I got laid off), the grad school where I'm going to apply for next May, and the community college where I have to take the classes to get into the grad school. It was like being on a transcript merry-go-round.

This morning, I went over to the CC to register. First, the advisor couldn't find my transcript. Then, when she finally did, it hadn't been evaluated as far as what my undergrad classes would qualify as pre-req's for. So, the advisor decided to do it herself, rather than having me go to one of the people who is supposed to do it. Then, to her, my algebra class had had a funny name, and UVM has changed their class names and numbers since then, so the description of what I took versus the name, versus the number, were all different, and thus she proclaimed that it was not acceptable as being algebra. (Now, who on earth can graduate college without taking at least one college-level algebra class? Hello!)

Then she decided that she should ask the professors for permission to take me into the class. No one was answering any phones. Finally, she went down to the trig professor's office, and of course he said it was fine. Then, she flat-out told me that he's a difficult 'asshole', and I'm going to have to email him for help, since I've already missed the orientation class that was on the 20th (the semester doesn't even start until the 28th). There's also the chance he might try to kick me out because of that, she said, but that I can appeal it and it will be fine. ?!?!?!?

Next, I found out that there was a typo in the CC catalogue, and the bio class I'm taking (which at first she couldn't figure out if I had taken enough english classes to qualify for - um, why do I need english for biology, and also, I actually had enough english credits for a minor!) actually has a three-hour lab on a different night, meaning I will be in class from 5:30-8:15 on Thursday, and in lab three more hours on Tuesday, rather having the two combined as the online catalogue showed.

So, to sum up, I'm barely squeaking into a trig class, taught by a reported asshole who may or may not try to kick me out, that I don't even want to take, and the bio class is twice as much time as I thought it was going to be, and I may have to have some teenager as a lab partner for three hours. What have I done?!?!

The kids have karate on M-W nights. I will have class on T-Th nights. I've already dropped out of the MOPS volunteer program, and I think I'm going to have to leave choir, which is my favorite thing ever, for the semester, because it's right after karate on Wed nights, and I already feel guilty enough that I'm going to be away from the kids so much.

This is such a huge change, and so fast. I've been at home for seven years, and now not only am I maybe going to be substituting, I also have to take really hard classes with a large group of strangers who are probably going to think I'm a geriatric pariah. Josie and Patrick are going to be upset that I'm gone so much. Between the nerves and guilt, I've been close to or actually in tears ever since I left the community college this morning.

I have an appointment with the grad advisor next Thursday to go over all my stuff and talk about what I need to do to get into the MA in Teaching program. Here's another scary thought - what if I do all of this and I either a) don't do well enough to have it count or b) do fine but still somehow don't get accepted into the grad program for another reason? *looking for paper bag to breathe into*

I need to drink. A LOT. But, it might kill brain cells that I apparently can't afford to spare.