Why is it so hard to get a hold of college faculty?

[Lorizael]

So here I am, back in community college, trying to get myself an edjamacation. And it is ridiculously difficult to find anyone to talk to about all this.

My plan is to spend two years in community college learning all the math and physics I can and then to transfer to a 4-year university to finish my degree. But when I look at each school's respective websites to see how the physics program transfers from community college to university, I come up with information that seems to indicate my community college's courses do transfer, but not to the right classes for a physics major.

So I send out emails to advising professors from my communtiy college and the university to see what's up, and they either don't respond at all or take weeks to do so. And when they do respond, they give me vague statements like, "We'll accept MC's introductory sequence, for the most part. How well you're prepared for our upper-level courses will depend a bit on how well you master the material from MC's introductory sequence," and, "In the past (and I assume the future) the three courses at MC have transferred to give you credit for the physics majors courses at UMCP."

Okay, good, I guess, but I'm about to spend two years (and a lot of money) preparing myself for university, and I don't want to find out then that I've wasted my time. Aren't advisors supposed to, I don't know, advise me? Rather than offer ambiguous reassurances?

Now I'm trying to figure out what textbooks I need for a stupid 1-credit health class that starts on July 9, so I sent out this email to the professor on Tuesday.

Professor Monkeyface,

I'm a student in your upcoming web-based HE100 class and I have a question regarding the required texts. According to the Booklist on MC's site, your class requires both Your Health Today and Your Health Today with Connect Plus Access Card. Is that the case, or do we only need one of those two?

Thank you,

Lorizael

And I get no response.

So now it's Friday, and I send out an email to the person in charge of distance learning for HE 100.

Professor Turdswallow,

I'm taking an online HE 100 class during the Summer II session and I have a question regarding the required texts. According to MC's Booklist, the class requires both Your Health Today and Your Health Today with Connect Plus Access Card. Are both of these books required, or do we only need one and not the other? If you're not the person to ask about this, can you direct me to the right person?

Thank you,

Lorizael

She responds fairly promptly with:

Lori,

You should contact your instructor to identify which book you will need for the course.

Prof. Turdswallow

Which is useless to me! So I respond with:

Okay, thanks. That's what I figured. I sent Professor Monkeyface an email on
Tuesday but hadn't heard back from her yet, so I was just trying to
see if anyone else had the relevant information.

- Lori

And she goes silent. Am I being a passive aggressive little ****? I'm just trying to get some information, goddammit. BLARGH.

[ColdWizard]

This is what happens when you live in a crappy place like Maryland.

You should go talk to a transfer adviser as they specialize in that sort of thing.

[Lorizael]

The transfer advisors tell me to talk to the department heads.

[Asher]

This is all part of the test.

[Lorizael]

I don't need tests, dammit. I've been working in the real world for a decade now. And the real world is not this bad. GRRR.

[ColdWizard]

The transfer advisors tell me to talk to the department heads.

This is what happens when you live in a crappy place like Maryland.

[Ben Kenobi]

You're dealing with what I had to deal with myself.

Advice - the instructors are the ones who will let you into the courses. Simply get permission from them to take the course, (based on your years of prior awesomeness), and that should work. I finished my degree that way, taking 6 history courses a term for 12 history courses in a year and 36 credits, of both higher and lower levels. Pre requisites be damned.

[Lorizael]

Did you escape?

[ColdWizard]

Did you escape?

I've never had to live there (thank everything) but I have worked there on two separate stints. Escaped the first by going back to school after a few years. Escaped the second by finagling a transfer back to Virginia. I still have to travel to Maryland from time to time but I can't even flee as quickly as possible due to unspeakable nanny-state speed cameras.

My transfer and academic advisers at Nova were invaluable.

[Lorizael]

See, I despise Virginia. Every time I cross over the border the roads inexplicably get worse.

[ColdWizard]

Driving at a reasonable speed causes greater wear and tear on the roads. Alas, American road construction has been done on the cheap.

[Lorizael]

You just have to know where the speed cameras are, man. And you have to know that you can go something like up to 9 mph over the limit before it hits you. Everyone seems to think you need to be going 5 or 10 under.

[ColdWizard]

All I know is that if I'm stuck behind someone slow, they tend to have Maryland tags. (Followed by BMWs and Priuses of any state, often Virginia given my driving patterns).

[MOBIUS]

All I know is that if I'm stuck behind someone slow, they tend to have Maryland tags. (Followed by BMWs and Priuses of any state, often Virginia given my driving patterns).

I've never driven in a more frustrating or annoying country than the US...

[ColdWizard]

I've never driven in a more frustrating or annoying country than the US...

Try China.