Incompetence

REALLY getting tired of it.

Dear Pathophysiology department: Either get out your handouts on time, with some structure, and in order, or at the very least, stop sending us threatening course announcements because enough there aren't enough students participating in the latest experimental learning style of the week that our class keeps getting subjected to. If you're wondering why students aren't using it enough, it's probably due to them being very busy attempting to sort out the 2500 cardiovascular slides (think I'm exaggerating?) that you have yet refused to issue in order or prior to the lectures. It seems to many of us fairly hypocritical that we are being chided for failing to meet the expectations of us when you are unwilling or unable to meet your own. Also, please cease telling us not to print handouts from the library if you have no intention of providing them. It wasn't our idea to put white text on dark backgrounds for 2500 slides, so if you want the insanity to stop and the library staff to stop getting angry, you know what to do.

Dear library: Sorry guys.

Dear Pulmonary guy: Thank you for being a good instructor and for sensing our frustration at not having the handouts for your class, and I'll go ahead and apologize for you having to teach through that, particularly with our class's pretty solid irritation at the disorganization this term. I'll extend the apology myself, since if the department treats professors like it treats the students, they're certainly not going to.

Dear other hapless victims who are on the faculty but don't have control over this sort of thing and the persistent scheduling problems that trailed after us from last term: we know it's not your fault, and we feel your pain.

Dear Pharmacology department: your class is hellishly difficult and due to my own biases, I like the subject material way less than I would hypothetically like pathophysiology if it were consistently being taught to us. Despite these prejudices, your department seems well run, organized, relevant, and empathetic. Kudos.

Dear finances: I don't know whose fault it is this time, but I would REALLY like my loan check. Considering I had to apply for it twice (as did over half the people on loans) since the company initially recommended to us for our loans went bankrupt, which cost me another hard credit pull, and considering I had to fax in the paperwork twice despite not being told there was an additional problem with the MPN until the first day of class which nearly cost me the ability to register, I think I've earned it. Some friends of mine, who received their third term loan checks after fourth term started, do appreciate receiving theirs though. Really helped them with the overdue rent.

Sincerely,

An *Extremely* Frustrated Student

Whew

Sorry for the sparse updates, folks, but wow. Recovery from the trip I just took hitting straight back into not only hard work, but hard work that's a week behind, is tricky business, if fulfilling.

I did manage to register RIGHT before it shut down, which was also tricky business, since my registration voucher didn't get issued due to all sorts of loan problems which I'd been trying unsuccessfully to solve earlier, so while it's straightened out to the tune of letting me register, I have no idea when I'm going to see money, leaving me living off credit cards for groceries, so that's a complete pain. Turns out that again thanks to that little hyphen in my name, my loan check hasn't even been sent from the company yet. Not good.

But, believe it or not, being on the Rock is still pretty sweet. I'm running into a ton of people I really like, everything's been running efficiently island-side (all my problems with loans and registration stemmed from the US), and I actually attended classes! I did my hospital visit on Monday, which was really cool and involved going into several minor maxillofacial surgeries, so not bad. Hard to get back into the swing of things though.

Dear SeaFrance

6 hours for a 1.5 hour crossing without apology. Well done!

Speaking of irritation, not only do we suddenly have mystery clickers with the school, but there's yet another mishap with my loans, which I found out today, so no money for Ishie until I fax something from a youth hostel! Woo hoo!!!

ONNN the other hand, Canterbury, and my current hostel, rocks. More later!