There comes a time in college when a person discovers new things about themselves. I discovered one the first week of my Freshman English class. You see I was mistakenly under the assumption that I liked writing essays. Two minutes was all it took to dissuade me from said assumption.
“The piece,” the professor began ”is quite simple in actuality.” I half ignored her; I had already finished the assignment. There was no need to pay attention. I continued to put my books and papers into my bag.
“I want you to re -write your piece as though it happened in one day.“ My hand froze as the ramifications that her announcement had on my paper came down on my head like a sledgehammer on concrete.
“One day?” Another student obviously as aghast as myself at the loss of an entire night’s pondering and pain asked the same question that rang in my mind.
“Twenty four hours” she quantified cheerfully, oblivious to the horror struck and pale faces around the room.
I left the room and hurried to my next class angry at my paper’s now useless state. My friend Samantha caught up to my focused walk, breathless.
“What’s with you?” She stopped, wary of the daggers flying from my eyes.
“The paper’s useless.” My voice was venomous, and I knew it. I never could hide any of my emotions from anyone.
“What paper?” The fortunate girl was not in my English class, and she was blissfully immersed in a far less strenuous class.
“How. I. Made. A. Difference” I spat the last word.
“OK,” she looked me over “You know it’s just a paper.”
I didn’t respond and she left me to fume. We met others, but my smiling hellos were as false as some old men’s teeth. I held the door open for the other students as Samantha and I entered the lecture hall, happily allowing my muscles to fight against the heavy wood and forget about my writing for a moment.
I couldn’t focus on the lecture. The words from the speaker were ringing in my head not making any dent against the soundproof wall now erected around my consciousness, a wall called irrational anger.
“There are many different opportunities that you can have even as a freshman to. . .” The lecture started to break through the wall, muffled, but gaining strength as the subject matter became more interesting. The wall receded back into my subconscious allowing the soft-spoken woman to be heard in my head.
“For those of you who wish to continue on through Graduate school or Medical school there is an office on campus that you can visit to help you in your plans. “ Samantha nudged me at this and mouthed ‘let’s go after.’ I nodded; I needed some scientific distraction to take my mind away from the paper matter before I ripped my first draft into a white flurry of parchment.
We laughed as we walked to the Advisement Center, dodging the unfortunate souls who still had classes to worry about. The advisement office was on the second floor of the building, just beyond a mass of starving college students mobbing the various food venues. We cautiously wove our way around the students, past the Taco Bell and to the nearest staircase. We entered the brightly lit room and marveled at the mountains of papers and fliers arranged neatly along the bookshelves. Each piece was different in shape and color, as though someone could have just as easily used the paper for scrap booking as opposed to information regarding the different careers.
“How may we help you? ”The man at the desk looked very professional in his shirt and tie; his bright gold badge pronounced his name to be Kenneth.
“I’m looking for some help on planning my major for grad school. I don’t want to miss any classes that I need to take.” I smiled warmly, fingering a lurid pink paper regarding the MCAT.
“An excellent decision. Starting in your freshman year could get you into grad school in three years.” He sounded like he knew what he was doing.
“That’s why we came,” Samantha piped up behind me, her red hair bobbing with enthusiasm.
“What are you majoring in?” He turned to me, his smile matching Samantha’s warmth.
“Epidemiology.” I had done some research about my major. I was happiest studying diseases in history, the pandemics and the epidemics. I sat transfixed whenever I read about them, and about how they spread across the country and the world. There were other careers, but none of them as interesting as Epidemiology for me.
“Epistemology?” His smile froze on his face.
“Epidemiology. The study of disease.” I felt my own face freeze into a pleasant expression. Between the assignment in English and this I could tell that today was not my day.
“Um. . .Doug, will you come over here?” His face had become as white as a person with influenza.
“Yeah Ken?” Doug’s head popped out of an office, with his mouth full of something.
“You have any academic plans for Epidemiologists?”
“For whatty-whats?” The food spattered as he struggled to swallow. I wondered if I would need to perform the Heimlich.
“Disease studiers.” Ken rubbed his temples at his co-worker’s reaction, probably wondering what to do if Doug didn’t know the answer.
“Errr. . .I really don’t know, try public relations, that would be pretty good.” Samantha looked at me nearly bursting with laughter.
“There’s an Epidemiology class if you want to take it.” Ken’s head was still in his hands, eyes closed in concentration.
“I have to take immunology before I take the class.” He nodded weakly and I added, “Thanks for your help anyway.”
“Oh. . .you’re welcome, I guess.” He turned to Samantha warily, bracing himself for another unknown career like Epidemiology” What do you want to do?”
“Become a doctor.” Her chirp brought the color back to his cheeks.
“I think I may be able to help you.” He helped Samantha with her goals and classes, while I sat at the table staring aimlessly at a purple paper about law degrees and medicine.
“Why don’t we call the M& M bio guys about that Epidemiology stuff, that was rather awkward,” we heard Ken say as we left.
“At least you helped the next guy,” Samantha said from behind her monstrous stack of papers about becoming a doctor and going med school.
“I guess I did make some difference.” My heart stopped, I knew what I was going to write my paper on now.
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