All or nothing

Here at The Ranger, we are big believers in doing something only if you are fully committed. Hey, we do not judge what it is you are committing to, whether it’s watching Netflix instead of studying or sleeping instead of going to class; you do what makes you happy (of course, you probably will fail … but we do not judge). That being said … Do not lead a lukewarm, halfway life. Be all in or all out. Enough with this in-between, wishy-washy mindset. Nothing is truly accomplished if it is done partially or halfheartedly. So go forth and lead a full-force, all-the-way life. Be passionate and certain of your choices. We dare you.

Dear academic advisers: Please take into account this mindset. It was hard enough just to get registered, let alone try to make a coherent schedule with a random mix of eight-week and 16-week classes. We are all good with the whole embracing change thing regarding these eight-week classes … but please pick eight or 16. Please. We beg you. It is so confusing having both. In having the option of a mixture of both eight and 16 classes, it makes scheduling nearly impossible, because one class that is eight weeks most likely will conflict with another that is 16, and then fitting in a work schedule is next to impossible. Quite frankly, it just does not work or make sense.

There are many benefits to deciding on having all eight- or all 16-week courses. If it is decided, there will be no confusion on when courses meet, conflict and how to fit it all together. Life will make sense again. We understand that having both is like a free sample – a trial, if you will – but Amarillo College already has announced that 80 percent of courses will become eight-week courses, so why not commit fully now? What kind of trial is it if you already have made up your mind? That is not real or efficient.
Another concern is that there now is no consistency with courses. It is like the professors have free rein to do whatever – which we get, that probably is nice for them, but it makes our lives really hard. Once we are able to locate the courses we need to take, we soon realize hardly any of them will work with each other because the mix of eight and 16 weeks makes everything impossible. OK, I found English … good … now I will locate a history … oh, nope, never mind, my English class meets for eight weeks, and no history class avoids conflict with the time it meets … cool … who needs history anyway? We get it, college classes are challenging, but choosing a schedule and registering should not be this hard. If you ever had any fleeting doubts that maybe the college life is not for you … well, this mess solidifies that … it is not. So advisers, faculty, administrators … whoever decides this … decide. Put yourselves in the students’ shoes, fully commit and ensure consistency and compatibility. We promise it will make all our lives much easier. That is what you are here for, right? No? Oh well, decide anyway. For the good of the college and the students … please.

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