frustratedOnce there, it was easy enough to find street parking - much easier than at Saint Mary's. There were many people outside to greet us. We were directed to go to the cafeteria. Along the way, I looked about in wonder.
The cafeteria was well-packed. I picked my way to the far corner where there were still some chairs.
I surveyed the people. Wow, there are so many cute girls here!
"Dental Assisting, please follow Jocelyn."
And then they all got up and left.
No, that's not completely true. But the female-to-male ratio went from maybe 1.5:1 to 1:10. Ouch! On the plus side, the ones that stay are very easy to converse with since they tend to speak Geek.
It was to be a short day - we were further subdivided into classes, and then one faculty member took responsibility for us and conducted a tour. Then on our own we filled out forms and stood in line for things. A free lunch was offered.
It was kind of nice not to be subjected to the rah-rah-rah of a frosh week. I don't think I would have been up for that. I can already tell that the dynamic is different than university - I mean, I love university, but there's a notion that it's knowledge for the sake of knowledge. I'm all for that. The problem is that a lot of students (including me) weren't really focused on one thing. Here, everyone wants to get their training and get out into the Real World™ as quickly as possible. People seem to have a fairly realistic mindset.
So those are my off-the-cuff impressions of an institution before real classes have even begun. Take them with a ton or two of salt. In other news, I am a little bit worried about my nerve situation - my right leg, in particular, is killing me, and the stop-and-go traffic won't help that at all - and I almost wish I hadn't been in PEI last week because I missed the chance to get my ultrasound. Heaven knows when I'll get another shot!
The health plan here kind of blows. The vision care at Saint Mary's was pathetic; here it's non-existent. At SMU there was a cap on physiotherapy of $300, but you were covered for $45 per visit. Here there's the same cap, but you're only covered for $20. Balls.