In a popular song by the rap group Cypress Hill, rapper B-Real belts out, “Here is something you can’t understand, how I could just kill a man!”

On the contrary, Mr. Real, I can understand. I attempted to add classes on the first day of school at Sacramento State, and the anger and frustration inflicted on me might have led to murder. Luckily I was able to contain my frustration and use it as motivation to write this column.

School is an option. Students wouldn’t be here if they didn’t choose to. Enrolling in courses, attending classes, and receiving the units for them is the student’s primary goal. But sometimes classes are not easy to obtain.

Even though college departments practice senior priority when adding classes, some senior students are still having a hard time.

As a graduating senior with only three classes left it seems the Admissions and Records Office assumed that I was on the ‘decade’ degree program and failed to compute my correct status into the system. The first week of school was about as fun for me as a chicken awaiting the axe from President Gonzalez.

When it comes down to it, the professor decides how many students can enter a class. Most professors are helpful, but some are under the delusion that their classroom is the hottest night club in town and will keep students waiting only to turn them away.

Couldn’t professors just add a couple more desks to a classroom or correct a few more papers?

Many students would go to great lengths to get into some classes. I’d be willing to stand on my head for the entire class time, or even act as a servant to the professor and students. I could fetch them snacks, valet park student vehicles, and clean up spilled cafe mochas from the floor. Dare I say kill? Let’s just hope that desperate times don’t call for violently desperate measures.

Not all students share my problem. I admit, other students are more skilled when it comes to locking down a tidy schedule. There is no shame in procrastination,though. We all do it on occasion.

After talking with fellow seniors I have formed a list of four helpful tips for students to ensure a desired schedule in the future. (Undergrads should read carefully, or else you might end up in the same boat as me.)

1) Petition to graduate as soon as you can. Even if you are unsure about your graduation date, you can change it later.

2) Don’t cancel out summer school or winter intersession. Some classes are hard to come by during the regular school year, but easier to obtain while other students are on vacation.

3) Check in with the admissions office every once in a while. Make sure they are doing their job when it comes to your student status. This could save you from the classic horror story about the student who thought his or her college career was over, but soon discovered something called the General Education Upper Division Requirement.

4) Keep in contact with your friends here at Sac State. There is a lot of time to forget about this wonderful place over the summer vacation and winter break. Make sure that you are on the same page as your fellow classmates, especially if you share the same graduation year.

Hopefully these tips will prove to be useful. At the end of the day, you only have yourself to blame for not graduating on time (define “on time” as you like).

Maybe it’s just the summer heat, but the thought of murder was not far from my mind when I attempted to add classes last week. Call me a nerd, but as for now, school is my life. Now if you would excuse me, I have to ask the State Hornet faculty advisor to sign my add sheet.

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