Forty Year Old Blind Grandfather Returns To University*

Yes, indeed he does.

I managed to get through New Student Orientation on Monday and Tuesday, a process that seems designed to weed out the weak right away, as Monday went 14 hours long! However, by Tuesday I was registered for classes. I am returning to university after seventeen years.

Highlights of the two days.

Parent orientation was going on at the same time, and I had a very nice woman (who's daughter is an incoming mortuary science major) ask if I was there with my new student. I smiled and told her I was the student. She was silent for a few minutes, but her daughter chuckled.

I was the oldest person in my orientation group (big surprise). I was older than the orientation coordinator. I'm about the same age as my academic advisor.

The one person I really connected with was my academic advisor, who pretty much approved my schedule without question.

New students coming to orientation are required to stay the night on campus, regardless of whether they are squeaky new incoming high schoolers, veteran transfer students, international students, or just really older than everyone else. I got on the bus and went home Monday night. Please, I have a wife, and we've never spent a night apart since our wedding day. I'm not about to let the university interfere with that. Best moment concerning the overnight stay: my advisor, Carol, leaned over to me as we were talking in the hallway in Coffman Union, and whispered in a conspiratorial voice, "So, you're not really staying overnight, are you?"

Every time I told anyone I'm a Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies student, they would look at me in horror and say something like, "But there's so much writing in CLCS!" to which I would smile blissfully and say, "Yeah, I know."

I was about 200 times more prepared than everyone around me. At one point during registration, mortuary science girl looked at me and said, "You're so organized," in a plaintive little voice. An amazing number of people had not even prepared in the most rudimentary way.

Last night careswen slept with a college guy. Go careswen!

Now, I will admit that there is a little part of me that is wondering exactly why I'm going back to university. Honestly, I'm doing what I really want to do (writing) and I have no plans on making a big career change. So why?

I suppose the reasons are varied, but here are a few.

State Services for the Blind expects me to. And since they were good enough to pay for my time at Vision Loss Resources, and since the state is picking up my University bill, well, why not.

Because I want to. I can look at a course catalog and see tons of things I would love to study. I am intensely curious about almost everything (except math) and really, what better place?

Because I can. I've spent a lot of my life not being able to do the things I want for one reason or another, and suddenly I have this big opportunity. I should take it. Having an official piece of paper (or two) from a major university never hurt anyone's life.

That being said, there are some considerations. For instance, if by some fluke of the publishing world I should sell this first novel and sign a deal for another book or two (about as likely as being hit by lightning three times in row, I realize that, but still...), I might stop going to university. Like I said, I'm doing what I want to do with my life (writing) right now. I'm not going to let anything interfere with that.

The current plan is for me to attend classes during fall and spring, after which I will reassess the situation. Is this right for me? For my family (we want to buy a house. Maybe I should be working part-time instead of going to school part-time)? My career goals (is school taking a big chunk out of my writing time? Have I found myself placing my own work on indefinite hold to do assignments and write papers for class)? Is this helping me along or slowing me down? I think two part-time semesters will be a good indicator of how university will affect my life, goals, and work.

So I'm wary, but I'm also pumped. Go small, burrowing rodentia! Er...

In Peace,
Michael

*careswen gets credit for the title of this post. She said it last night in bed. Called me a human interest story, she did. We both had a good laugh.

Forty Year Old Blind Grandfather Returns To University*

Yes, indeed he does.

I managed to get through New Student Orientation on Monday and Tuesday, a process that seems designed to weed out the weak right away, as Monday went 14 hours long! However, by Tuesday I was registered for classes. I am returning to university after seventeen years.

Highlights of the two days.

Parent orientation was going on at the same time, and I had a very nice woman (who's daughter is an incoming mortuary science major) ask if I was there with my new student. I smiled and told her I was the student. She was silent for a few minutes, but her daughter chuckled.

I was the oldest person in my orientation group (big surprise). I was older than the orientation coordinator. I'm about the same age as my academic advisor.

The one person I really connected with was my academic advisor, who pretty much approved my schedule without question.

New students coming to orientation are required to stay the night on campus, regardless of whether they are squeaky new incoming high schoolers, veteran transfer students, international students, or just really older than everyone else. I got on the bus and went home Monday night. Please, I have a wife, and we've never spent a night apart since our wedding day. I'm not about to let the university interfere with that. Best moment concerning the overnight stay: my advisor, Carol, leaned over to me as we were talking in the hallway in Coffman Union, and whispered in a conspiratorial voice, "So, you're not really staying overnight, are you?"

Every time I told anyone I'm a Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies student, they would look at me in horror and say something like, "But there's so much writing in CLCS!" to which I would smile blissfully and say, "Yeah, I know."

I was about 200 times more prepared than everyone around me. At one point during registration, mortuary science girl looked at me and said, "You're so organized," in a plaintive little voice. An amazing number of people had not even prepared in the most rudimentary way.

Last night careswen slept with a college guy. Go careswen!

Now, I will admit that there is a little part of me that is wondering exactly why I'm going back to university. Honestly, I'm doing what I really want to do (writing) and I have no plans on making a big career change. So why?

I suppose the reasons are varied, but here are a few.

State Services for the Blind expects me to. And since they were good enough to pay for my time at Vision Loss Resources, and since the state is picking up my University bill, well, why not.

Because I want to. I can look at a course catalog and see tons of things I would love to study. I am intensely curious about almost everything (except math) and really, what better place?

Because I can. I've spent a lot of my life not being able to do the things I want for one reason or another, and suddenly I have this big opportunity. I should take it. Having an official piece of paper (or two) from a major university never hurt anyone's life.

That being said, there are some considerations. For instance, if by some fluke of the publishing world I should sell this first novel and sign a deal for another book or two (about as likely as being hit by lightning three times in row, I realize that, but still...), I might stop going to university. Like I said, I'm doing what I want to do with my life (writing) right now. I'm not going to let anything interfere with that.

The current plan is for me to attend classes during fall and spring, after which I will reassess the situation. Is this right for me? For my family (we want to buy a house. Maybe I should be working part-time instead of going to school part-time)? My career goals (is school taking a big chunk out of my writing time? Have I found myself placing my own work on indefinite hold to do assignments and write papers for class)? Is this helping me along or slowing me down? I think two part-time semesters will be a good indicator of how university will affect my life, goals, and work.

So I'm wary, but I'm also pumped. Go small, burrowing rodentia! Er...

In Peace,
Michael

*careswen gets credit for the title of this post. She said it last night in bed. Called me a human interest story, she did. We both had a good laugh.