# Go ahead--pit the first day of the fall semester **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 25, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593 "2009-08-25T03:09:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/101 "2009-08-29T05:02:46Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > My classes start on Monday, and both are currently full. I’ll be interested to see how many extra students turn up wanting to get in. We started on the 24th at this CSU. The answer? Dozens for each spot. Heartbreaking stories, but the students seem to be directing the frustration at professors and administrators, not the legislators in Sacramento, so nothing will change. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/102 "2009-08-29T05:20:30Z")
> [@Chief\_Pedant](#): > > But what, basically, is the deal with so much complaining and so little trucking off to other jobs in the green green non-teaching fields? In my area, from grade school to community colleges, teaching positions are sought after and have a waiting list of applicants. And the current teachers are not quitting in droves. > > Life is too short to keep a job that sucks. And with teaching there will be someone to take your position the next day if you walk out. Unless I am completely wrong (which is possible; I don’t follow this very accurately, and my info tends to come from children of my friends who want teaching jobs but have a hard time finding them). Depends what you mean by a teaching job. I’m talking here not about school teachers, but about college and university academics, people who have PhDs and who teach at the post-secondary level. I can’t speak with much authority about the school teacher situation; maybe someone else can weigh in on that. And the fact is that when you have a PhD in a field like history, or English lit, or philosophy, there aren’t always a whole lot of non-academic employers beating down your door. Sure, those who get their doctorates in economics or chemistry or biology can often move on to jobs in (usually higher-paying) private industry, but in the humanities it’s a lot more difficult. Also, most of those people took the time and effort to get their PhDs because they love the teaching and the research. They love being able to read about and study and teach in a field that they find interesting, and they often feel that they’re doing important work in helping the next generation of college students to think analytically, to write, and to become informed citizens (yes, i know it sounds corny, but plenty see that as a key element of their job). You’re certainly right that there are plenty of people lining up for the job. The United States tends to produce more PhDs than there are college teaching positions, so competition is extremely tough. It’s also the reason that people often hang onto jobs even when the jobs are getting worse—because they may not get another one. You try leaving a job in California right now, where the official unemployment rate is in double digits. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2009, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/103 "2009-08-29T13:30:03Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > From my perspective, the arguments are \*\*so \*\*absurd and the trolling is \*\*so \*\*obvious that it’s funny. As opposed to somebody like curlcoat, who I just want to garrote with her own intestines to do the world a favor. Reminder: [QUOTE=Pit Rules] Do not threaten harm or wish death on another poster Do not threaten another poster with physical harm, or wish for their demise. This includes hypothetical statements like “it would make me happy if someone ran you over” or “I hope you say that to [someone prone to stabbing people] and they stab you”. [/QUOTE] [Revised Forum Rules for the BBQ Pit: read this before posting - The BBQ Pit - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=507985) Please do not threaten or wish harm on other posters. No warning issued. **Gfactor** Pit Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/104 "2009-08-29T16:38:02Z")
> [@andiepandie](#): > > I’m scared to go back to school this year for several reasons. First, it is inevitable that I will pick up some virus (H1N1?) from some twit who refuses to stay home from class when they’re sick. Luckily, it won’t kill you. It’ll make you mildly ill for a short time, and then you can return to your normal life. Big deal. ---
**Author:** ![MissIntent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/97f17d/32.png) [@MissIntent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissIntent)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/105 "2009-08-29T18:44:59Z")
I’ll be that sick one who drags herself in. I’m paying for private grad school myself, and I realized that I’m pretty much paying $180 each time my professor holds a class, whether I show up or not. Plus interest. If I can get in the car, I’m going to class!! Oh, and this isn’t really a pit place, but reading about how tough teaching is for those profs without TA’s… Thank you. My undergrad program didn’t really use TA’s, most of the profs did it all themselves. I feel very very lucky for that. I was close to many of my profs, still email a few of them. I’m sure it’s more work to teach the classes and do the work yourself, but some of us really appreciate it. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/106 "2009-08-31T15:56:16Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > Please do not threaten or wish harm on other posters. No warning issued. Whoops, mea culpa and my apologies. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/107 "2009-08-31T18:59:16Z")
> [@MissIntent](#): > > I’ll be that sick one who drags herself in. I’m paying for private grad school myself, and I realized that I’m pretty much paying $180 each time my professor holds a class, whether I show up or not. Plus interest. If I can get in the car, I’m going to class!! > > Oh, and this isn’t really a pit place, but reading about how tough teaching is for those profs without TA’s… Thank you. My undergrad program didn’t really use TA’s, most of the profs did it all themselves. I feel very very lucky for that. I was close to many of my profs, still email a few of them. I’m sure it’s more work to teach the classes and do the work yourself, but some of us really appreciate it. ## Thank you. And I just have to add a post from RateYourStudents that leaves me gaping: [http://rateyourstudents.blogspot.com/2009/08/brynn-from-beekmantown-on-balls-balls.html](http://rateyourstudents.blogspot.com/2009/08/brynn-from-beekmantown-on-balls-balls.html) I guess my hourly rate isn’t so bad after all. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/108 "2009-08-31T19:36:54Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I accidentally went to Target on move-in day. I would have turned right around and gone home, but I needed toilet paper and kitty litter and those are not things you can do without. You can make do with one or the other in a pinch. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/109 "2009-09-01T00:49:17Z")
Had my first class today. All 50 enrolled students showed up, and there were 4 extras trying to get in. The faculty here has pretty much agreed that no-one is going to allow any extra students into classes, because the students need to be made to feel the pain of this budget crunch too, otherwise they’ll just ignore it as something that doesn’t affect them. When rejecting requests to join already-full classes, faculty are handing students a link to an online complaint form where they can make their dissatisfaction known to the university administration and to Sacramento. Probably won’t do much good, but at least it makes clear that there’s a reason there aren’t enough classes, and that faculty are as much at the mercy of the system as students are. The class itself seemed to go fine, but it was mainly just introductions and going over the syllabus. We’ll see how keen they are on Wednesday, when they have to discuss some readings in class. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/110 "2009-09-01T14:29:57Z")
Student checking in. September 8th will be my first day of grad school. I am both nervous and excited. Excited because I absolutely love going to class, reading books, walking around on campus, writing papers, and just generally doing what students do. Nervous because it’s a completely new environment, new topic of study, and this full time schedule is attached to a 24-hour weekly internship doing something I have never, ever done before. No matter how hard I try, I’m going to be a little bit dumb. As far as bitching goes, I have one legitimate bitch. Three months ago Student Health Services contacted me to instruct what immunizations were required for my matriculation. Measles, Mumps and Rubella I get, but Hepatitis B? Really? So waaaaay ahead of time I went in and got all of these taken care of by my local doctor. _This week_ I get an e-mail telling me that – surprise! – they changed their mind about the TB screening and I have to get a TB scratch test or else I can’t register for Spring classes. And also – surprise! – I’m not allowed to get it done anywhere except on campus. Oh, and only between the hours of 9 and 11, but not until a week after school starts, nevermind that I have a class from 9:00 to 11:30. And I have to come back 2 days later for the results, which means I have to make a trip to campus on an internship day. Which means despite all my attempts to do the responsible thing and avoid this exact scenario, I now have to miss the first half day of my internship in order to get a damned scratch test. This wouldn’t be so bad if the school made any attempt whatsoever to communicate in any way with my internship supervisor. But considering that she recently called me to ‘‘see if I was still interested’’ (IT IS A REQUIREMENT FOR GRADUATION) I’m going to just go ahead and consider it par for the course. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/111 "2009-09-01T15:16:33Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Measles, Mumps and Rubella I get, but Hepatitis B? Really? IIRC, Hep B is required by a lot of schools now. I think I barely missed the cutoff in highschool (class of '01), but my younger brother (class of '04) had to get one, so I got one anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/112 "2009-09-01T23:56:15Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > IIRC, Hep B is required by a lot of schools now. I think I barely missed the cutoff in highschool (class of '01), but my younger brother (class of '04) had to get one, so I got one anyway. I must have missed the cuttoff then. I got one Hep B shot before spending some time in rural Mexico, but never followed up on the series. So adding to the chaos was disagreement between my doctor and the school whether or not that shot counted toward the series, and when I should have my next one. So now that things are sorted out it’s going to take me until January to complete the series. Gotta love bureaucracy. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2009, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593/113 "2009-09-02T00:27:28Z")
Fuck you, intricately engineered System which causes domino-ing problems when starting the 3rd term of one’s MA if one doesn’t have a very good handle on what one wants do to for a thesis/creative component by the end of the 2nd term. Fuck you right in the ear. A good definition of grad school, after all, is “reasonable people making unreasonable demands.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/go-ahead-pit-the-first-day-of-the-fall-semester/507593.md?page=5)