I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue

So I'm in quite the predicament with my college credits. There are three things that I am very picky about in my life: food, boys, and my 3 year class schedule plan. I had my academic advisement this morning and no matter how totally prepared I am when I go in to meet her, by the time I leave my plans are in shambles and I'm left with very little time to sort them out before registration. This semester's advisement was no different. I went through the trouble of preparing a 3 year plan for all my course from sophomore year through senior year, factoring in my advertising minor and a semester in England and it seemed to work out fine on paper. Perhaps it worked simply because I wanted it to work out, but when i got to advisement she told me that I was forgetting a shitload of lower and upper division art classes that dont count to my emphasis (intermedia studios, photography classes, etc). HOW COULD I HAVE OVERLOOKED THESE?! So I am now faced with the fact that there is no way I can get my cake and eat it too. In fact, I will be slaving away for the next 3 years just to graduate on time in busywork classes like moldmaking and metal. And college is supposed to be the best time of your life, eh? Here are my options:

1) get rid of the study abroad semester in england and work my ass off with 18 units every semester for the next 3 years to graduate in Spring 2007. I think this will be the best choice seeing as england was just a desire of mine and not beneficial to my schooling at all. Sigh, I'm really going to miss it though. It's the thing Ive been dreaming about since 9th grade and when things go bad I think "Oh its ok, because soon I'll be in sitting in hyde park with a cup of tea and a good book." I had all these plans to go there and meet my cute british boy soulmate at some cafe where he'd be playing acoustic guitar and get married and have cute british children. Sigh

2) Take as many advertising courses as I can squeeze in but not worry about completing the minor. I dont feel good about this option. I want that advertising minor to my name and if it means sacrificing my semester abroad to do it, so be it. With such a flimsy major such as fine arts you need something strong like advertising to back it up.

3) Do an extra semester at USC before graduation and be a 5th year senior. I, again, dont like this option but it may be my only choice. I havent figured it out yet, but even working 18 units for the rest of the time might not be enough and I'll be forced to be a really really old graduate. Shit.

It doesn't help that my advisor is perhaps the scariest woman on the face of the planet. So as I sit here with my STARS report and my 3 year plan (which is now worthless) trying to figure out how I am going to possibly squeeze everything in, I am jealous of people who have switched their major around 3 times and still are able to graduate on time no problem. Damn you all.