I distinctly remember my senior year of high school as one of the easiest things I accomplished in my life. I had four classes a day plus yearbook staff, and everything was coasting down to the final end for graduation.
Now imagine my astonishment (and utter stupidity) when I learned of something college advisers affectionately call an "intent to graduate." Sure, I knew how to apply for housing, get a meal plan on my student ID, and even balance a full load of painstaking public relations classes along with various organizations' events, but's my senior year, and with a simple 12 hour course load my last semester, I was planning to let it ride out similar to how I spent my senior year of high school.
Wow, was I wrong.
You see, an "intent to graduate" is something all graduates need to complete...on a DEADLINE. That I conveniently MISSED.
As a stickler for deadlines, I, myself was shocked. Sure, I've had a little (ok, much more than most students) help from my wonderful family with filling out the required coursework for all things university related. So it was not easy to tell them that:
1. I slipped up and forgot a deadline.
2. I might not be graduating in December.
3. I would still have to go to school next semester.
But by the grace of God and a wonderful woman in the communications department, I am on the December graduation list! And on a lighter note, this fiasco was later found to not even my fault. Supposedly, an email sent to all seniors was never delivered to me.
If I was a conspiracy theorist, I would say the university is just trying to get more of my money.
