Well everyone, it’s that dreaded time of the semester again: course selection week. Trying to work out a class schedule is arguably the scariest thing about October, and it often involves much frustration, screaming, and threats of dropping out of school. It’s a hard-fought journey and true test of character. Though things always manage to come together in the end, there can be many ups and downs along the way. Here I’ve outlined the process of crafting a school schedule because misery loves company.

Get the first email telling you to sign up for classes.

Instant dread. It’s always an unwelcome surprise when you log into your school email hoping for a “class cancelled” email and instead get the “sign up for classes now!” email

Procrastinate starting for a couple of days.

You know that this process is going to be emotionally exhausting, and you’re just not ready to dive in to that yet. You have to mentally prepare for the commitment just like a runner physically must prepare for a marathon. Because, trust me, it’s a marathon.

Find a course list and go to the course search.

It’s finally time. You’re ready for battle. Depending on what year you are, you have a rough idea of what classes you need. The farther along you are, the less options you have, and the more stress that brings you. You take a deep breath and prepare yourselves for the terrible class times to come.

Add some classes into your cart.

You’re cautiously excited, things seem to be going ok right now! You have the basis of a schedule and things start looking up until you realize you only have two classes picked out so far.

Try to coordinate elective with your friends.

If you thought coordinating one person’s schedule was bad, try organizing two people’s. After many switch-ups, you’re almost ready to quit. However, you know it will all be worth it when you roll up to class three days a week next semester knowing you get to chat with your friend before class starts!

Find out your final class doesn't fit with the other classes.

The frustration sets in. All that hard work you just put into crafting your schedule all for naught. You find out the hard way that the important class should not be searched last. With a lot of grumbling, you clear out your cart and try (and fail) to calm down enough to begin the cursed process all over again.

Push away your emotions so that you can get the job done (and not commit a crime).

It’s fine. It’s all fine. You’ve made a schedule before, you can make one again. You try to remember happier times like when you had an actual schedule and knew where to go when. The impending emotional-break-down laughs in the distance.

Consider dropping out of college.

You don’t have to make a schedule if you don’t go to school! It makes perfect sense. You have enough skills to skate by in life right? A college degree can’t really be as important as everyone says.

Go see your adviser for assistance.

Advisors are there to help you, right? In reality, it’s a toss-up on whether a trip to the advisor’s office will be fruitful or not. Many times, you wind up just leaving without actually seeing anyone due to the long line of desperate students all seeking advice at the same time. Instead, you just go home even more defeated than before.

Intimidate the website in order to get the classes you want.

The calm cool and collected approach obviously didn’t work, and you’re at your wit’s end, so you (regrettably) resort to being bad cop. You are so far down into the hole of the course catalogue that you do not see any flaws in your plan to browbeat the website into doing your bidding.

Finally managing to pull together a half-way decent schedule.

You have no idea how you did it, but you did. The clouds begin to part. The light begins to come back into your eyes. You remember the meaning of life. You realize you will not have to drop out of college, and suddenly the skies seem bluer and the grass seems greener. You're now ready to enroll in the classes you want/need, and you feel like you can do anything in the wake of this tremendous accomplishment! Possibly throw an impromptu one-person dance party in your apartment.

Be happy...at least until you remember you’ll have to go through this again next semester.