Getting enrolled and all that jazz

If you are an undergraduate, enrolling in a graduate level course isn't easy, but it's not impossible if you have decent grades. Thankfully, I do. What you have to do is follow the procedure. In other words, get the paperwork and deliver it to where it needs to go. Be patient and polite. Notify people when something is done and awaiting their attention. This works really well, and the more polite you are the better it works. I got no less than 2 letters each from the professor and the department chair. Don't forget to say, "Thank You!" You'll be remembered for it. Once you have the signatures be patient and keep on with the process. Take the paperwork to the enrollment services office, or whatever variation of that title your university has, and give it to the registration clerk. He/she will then get you enrolled and the professor will be glad to see you in class. That is what happened to me....pretty much.

If you are fortunate, your registration clerk will be a knowledgeable, sympathetic person who will answer questions about your financial aid and other, important to your survival, things while you are there. If you are unfortunate, as I was today, the answers you receive will be informationless and make you feel like they think you are just an idiot who is expected to follow directions instead of thinking and trying to manage your life like the mature and responsible adult you are, or are trying to become. You will be told repeatedly something along the lines of, "It isn't about you." which is what I heard...twice! The letter they show you stating the policy will be a near duplicate of the one the university sent you. They won't be able to tell you when your financial aid questions will be answered nor will they care. You will leave there frustrated and wondering if you made the right decision in not asking for a service comment form and complaining on it about the poor response to your important questions.

All that being said and done, I'm glad to be enrolled and am looking forward to the start of classes. I trust that my financial aid will come through and I won't be hurting for the late registration in this course. This was actually the first time I have been treated so unhelpfully by anyone in the enrollment services department. I hope it isn't a new trend because, in the past, I've had excellent help that went beyond the call of what was required of them. They've escalated paperwork and called in questions to the appropriate person so that I left, not only knowing what I wanted to know but, having any necessary paperwork completed well in advance. Thank you to all the good and helpful people who work in enrollment services.

Now I sit back and wait for classes to start...next week!