It matters not how strait the gate
How charged with punishments the scroll
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul.
Well kind of, but not really.
Registration time is here on campus for all students, and yet again, I feel the nervous energy of deciding my academic future for the spring. During the five semesters I’ve spent on campus, registration has always been a rather involved process for me.
I used to sit down, plan out the courses I needed and subsequently fit them into a timed spreadsheet. Again and again, I would contemplate the advantages of the shorter Monday / Wednesday / Friday classes with the biweekly Tuesday / Thursday options. I attempted to micromanage everything from start and end times to distances between classes in the terrible snow and DeBartolo Wind Tunnel. My good or bad DART time would hang over my head.
Frankly, I worried far too much. Registration neither decided my future nor carried nearly as much weight as I had originally thought. Although it was important, it wasn’t the be-all and end-all I made it out to be.
Instead, this semester, I’ve enjoyed preparation for registration a little bit more than before. I had a bit of a paradigm shift and decided to look closer at the teachers and the course material than to just jump into my ideal “schedule.” I am hoping I will be able to sign up for one of my favorite professors that I had freshman year along with taking classes with some new professors whose courses I have heard good things about through my classmates and friends.
As with many experiences, I look back on my previous registrations with a bit of regret. It would have been far easier to go with the flow and worry less about my “schedule” as much as the professors and trusting suggestions from colleagues. However, including this semester, I have three opportunities to make the most of my time left here on campus.
For the first time I’m happy and not too worried about the courses I get to take, and I hope an improved attitude for myself will lead to a better experience overall.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms the Horror of the shade
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
Zachary Llorens is a photo editor. Contact him at zllorens@nd.edu
