Here is what my schedule could look like at Gallaudet. If I could totally pick and choose my classes and schedule, this is what I’d take, assuming my English placement results were as high as I expect them to be. I will be taking the placement exams on May 25th, but I don’t know if I have an advisor assigned yet.
MWF

9:00 - 9:50 - HIS 101 - World Civilization I (3 credits)
10:00 - 10:50 - PHY 107 - General Physics I (3 credits, might require math pre-req?)
11:00 - 11:50 - SOC 101 - Intro to Sociology (3 credits)
2:00 - 6:00 - VRS - working hard for the money

TuTh

9:30 - 10:50 - DST 101 - Intro to Deaf Studies (3 credits)
2:30 - 3:50 - ENG 120 - Accelerated College English I (3 credits)
4:00 - 8:00 - VRS - so hard for it honey

I suppose it would be possible to work in two shifts on Tuesdays and Thursdays - eat lunch at 11:00, work from 12:00 to 2:00, class from 2:30 to 3:50, and then work again from 4:00 - 6:00. That would make for a shorter day, but it might be harder to get in the VRS groove with such a short shift. (The minimum shift is two hours.)

Well, I have finally heard something from the Hearing Undergraduate (HUG) program at Gallaudet! Yesterday I was super excited, but today I am kind of more muted. The good news is that I did make it through the first round of cuts. Because the number of slots for hearing students is so small (only 5% of the student body), they go through the paperwork and cut people. Then the remaining get invited for interviews, and after that they pick who they’re actually going to offer admission to. So making it through the first round is a good thing, and the few people who’ve heard me talk about this say they think I’ll get all the way through with no problem.

The part that made me more muted today is that they goofed when they told us the interview dates. Yesterday I was told it would be March 20-21, for both admissions interviews and the Sign Communication Proficiency Interview (SCPI), which basically tests “can you communicate in ASL, or not?” I replied immediately when I got the e-mail, said I was still interested, and subtly suggested that perhaps my RID certification would waive the need for the SCPI - I’m a certified interpreter, do I really need to prove that I can sign? The admissions guy said he’d check into it and let me know; I’m hoping they’ll waive the SCPI because it will save time, and also save me the $150 fee. But unfortunately…the dates were wrong. He meant to say February 20-21, when I am supposed to be in Las Vegas.

So I promptly e-mailed back and said I would be out of town from Feb 14-24, and could they please schedule me outside of those dates? I drove home and got progressively worked up on the way, until I felt like I was going to be sick. When I finally got home, I pulled up my e-mail, and he hadn’t responded. He sent out the correction at 4:50pm and I replied at 4:58, so he had probably already gone home. And then I proceeded to have a panic attack because I thought I was going to have to choose between Las Vegas and Gallaudet. I was totally flipping out by the time A got home, but she was able to calm me down. She said they would probably be flexible, but if not we would just change the dates, I could go for part of it, and then fly home for the interview, and she would fly home when her conference was over (it ends Feb 21st).

So, hopefully they will be flexible. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it yet here, but attending Gallaudet has been a lifelong dream. Seriously, since I was a little kid, I have wanted to go to Gallaudet. I used to say I’d be a janitor, I’d work in the cafeteria, I’d do anything just to be on campus. Then they implemented the HUG program in 2001, and now I’m applying to it! So I really would be living my dream…making my dreams come true…if I went to Gallaudet. I hope they’ll be flexible with the schedule!