Paperwork hell

I am a firm believer of violence towards administrators at university level,- and politicians. I think it should be allowed to slap them around a little…Action without an equal and opposite reaction. Newton go home. You are not wanted. The world would be a much better place without all the damn paperwork…For instance; if you wish to study abroad for a semester or two…something our dear politicians (I actually wrote “dead” as a typo there…I fixed it, but might as well have left it in there) encourage us to do, you have to first apply using a form that consists of a certain number of pages. If you get consent, you have to fill out an additional form to the school in question (at which you already have applied to once through your own university). If you get consent here as well, they send you a 3 pound envelope filled with different forms that need to be filled out. These forms include; a medical examination form from your doctor, a bank statement form from your bank (telling them you have money saved up), a government form telling the school in question that you will receive financial help, a vaccine form, a family history form, a personal interest form, an acceptance form from the embassy of the country you wish to go to, and so on…By the time you have filled out all the forms in question you are so damn tired of the country you wanted to go to in the first place you actually start doubting whether or not you wish to go…And our politicians shake their heads and call students lazy and uninterested. Who wants to go abroad if you have to complete 10 exams on personal matter before you can go?

Which brings us to the subject matter I actually wanted to talk about. The midterm exam. This completely and utterly unnecessary piece of paperwork that modern students are forced to fill out. – Within a time limit even. Somewhere someone decided that it was a great idea to split up exams so that hard working students have to go through two exams instead of one during a semester. I will admit that the idea might have been good initially. I am sure the point of it all was to give students two chances to show what they are good for instead of that one dreaded final exam at the end of the semester…The thought was probably good. But it doesn’t work. It gives us twice as much to do in half the usual time. I recently had one of these so called midterm exams, and the only midterm about it was the date of the event. 9 of 15 book chapters, including the laboratory course as curriculum…Can someone please tell me how half of 15 can become 9? Ive never been really good at math…but Im pretty sure 15 divided on 2 is not 9. –And how are you supposed to get any studying done for an exam that comes 4 days after you finished the “all-day”-lab part of the course?

I am not lazy, but I have started to become uninterested. My interest would however increase substantially if I could show my “gratitude” towards this paper-work happy person with a little slapping…or a kick or two…maybe an innocent shot in the leg?

Life has endless possibilities…too bad Im a follower of rules and regulations.

And yes, that completes the complaining for this month.

from www.spookyland.com