Please forgive the initials, but ...

I am taking the summer off! I need to do well at work, and I want time to play with J and hang out with H. And I've been working really hard at school. So I will not be taking a summer course.

This is a fortunate decision, as there are no courses being offered that I both need and have the prerequisites for. But I could have taken one in concurrent studies, and I am not going to do it. So there.

However, this brings me to a dilemma for next year's course offerings.

I've gotten a list of course offerings proposed for the 2006-07 school year. I'm reviewing them, and trying to plan out my course schedule. I want to try for the Award of Excellence for Level 3, if at all possible. It's a prestigious award, and worth $1,000. So I'd sure like to get it if I can. But ... (Now here we get to the whole "initials" reference.)

If I take FA3 (Level 3) in fall (and I must, as it is the only course being offered that I need and have the prerequisites for), I can't get EM1 (Level 1) in winter and QU1 (Level 2) in spring, as I had hoped. The reason for this is that awards criteria stipulate that one additional Level 3 course must be completed prior to June. I could take FA3 in fall, EM1 in winter, and TX1 in spring. But that would leave me without the prerequisites to take a summer course. Or I could take FA3 in fall, QU1 in winter, TX1 in spring, and either of MA2 or AU1 in summer. The difficulty with that being that I would need EM1 to qualify for enrollment in FN1 (Level 3), and I need Level 3 complete in order to get acceptance to LU. Furthermore, FN1 is a prerequisite to the Level 4 FA course. And to complicate the situation even further, EM1 and FN1 are always offered in the same semester, making them very difficult to get.

The other options I have are: Take FA3 in fall, EM1 in winter, TX1 in spring, and FN1 through concurrent studies in summer ... OR ... Take no course in fall, EM1 in winter, QU1 in spring, and possibly MA2 in summer ... OR ... Take no course in fall, EM1 in winter, QU1 in spring, and no course in summer ...

Or I could just forego trying for the Level 3 Award of Excellence, and take what I want to take, grabbing FA3 in fall, EM1 in winter, QU1 in spring, and possibly catching BC1 (Level 3 business case) or maybe TX1 in summer.

If you're still reading, I commend you. Let me know what you think.