Have you ever been so close to transferring to that nice four-year university you’ve been wanting to get into, only to go on WebAdvisor to register for classes and find out you can only take Biology 10 in the same time slot the Math 34 Statistics class you need takes place? That’s what happened to me this semester.

It’s always irritating that the few classes I require are offered at the same time, and are the only time sessions available. I needed four transfer courses, but I could only sign up for one. I ended up taking English 221, and according to my instructor Gregory Brown, that’s a class in high demand.

At least I now have English and am one step closer to transferring. However, that’s not to imply that I’m content. In fact, I wanted to wrap up my community college days this spring, but have to take classes this summer and next fall to complete my requirements because I could not get into classes I needed.

Now, I love LMC. I’ve met some of the most wonderful people in my life here, and I’ve learned more valuable life lessons here than I ever did in high school. But let’s face it, everyone needs to move on at some point.

I had a friend who has wanted to transfer from LMC since last year, but he still has to take at least a few more transfer-eligible classes before relocating up north.

I know it’s frustrating to get the essential classes you need to graduate, especially if you need to have more than 12 units to be counted as full-time for financial aid, but one thing you need to realize is that even if you’re able to sign up as early as you can, you’re not guaranteed to get to that class you really need. I almost didn’t make it into English 221 because my priority registration date was scheduled later than most of my fellow pupils. So unless it’s not a high in demand course, you’ve got to anticipate the possibility of not getting into the classes you need.

If you find yourself in that situation, don’t let yourself think, “I’m just wasting my time here.” Instead, you should consider this an opportunity to indulge in fun subjects that may enlighten you. It shouldn’t be some lame, boring class that you wouldn’t normally be interested in — I learned that the hard way by taking a business class, and I hated it. No one said you couldn’t have fun learning at college. Make your school semester a pleasurable one.

Take a class in photography and learn how you can use a camera effectively and make photos intriguing. This class inspired me to get into photography, and in turn photojournalism. Learn how to arrange your fingers properly to play the piano and read music notes in Keyboarding. You can even sign up for some P.E. classes, get into shape. I took basketball last year, played the sport diligently and it contributed to my weight-loss diet at the time. Or you can take Journalism 10 and learn about the mass media’s purpose and role in society, as well as learning how to write and report stories for the newspaper. You could write for the college newspaper, too.

If, for whatever reason, you can’t reach 12 units, it’s not the end of the world. Although every individual’s financial aid situation will vary, you might be able to settle for less. If you do find yourself with extra time, I suggest you that you join a club or start a new original one.

The point is to keep yourself occupied during the semester without feeling like you’ve accomplished nothing or wasted your valuable time. I say to myself that every semester I have will be enlightening and meaningful, and that from each one I will learn one more thing about the subjects this college offers, and about myself. I’m optimistic that my spring semester will be time well spent.