why'dya hafta go and make things so complicated?

i've been associated with Sarah Lawrence, as an institution, for four years now (my senior year of HS, as a prospie, and my three years of enrollment). for the very first time, tonight, i heard a graduation requirement with which i was not previously familiar: one must spend the entirety of either their junior or senior year on the Bronville campus.

this mucks up my plans, which were to go to Central America this spring (non-SLC program) and go to Cuba (SLC program) next fall, my senior year.

i have to petition the committee on student work to be an exception to the residency rule. i have to argue a case, essentially.

okay, so:
- I couldn't go to Cuba this year because I lacked the Spanish proficiency, so I want to do it my senior year.
- If I spend all my junior year here, I'm still not *sure* I'll speak Spanish well enough to do coursework IN Spanish.
- Doing Augsburg is probably the only thing that will equip me with the confidence in my Spanish to study in Cuba; hence, it is an essential stepping-stone in my academic development and my road to Cuba.
- I want to do the Augsburg program because I think it is unique, I like the structure of it, I adore the emphasis on considering a broader community; an emphasis I feel is lacking in most study abroad programs. The theme of the program is in keeping with my education and will be both personally and academically fulfilling.

so, I am constructing my reality this way:
- Either I win the Committee on Student Work battle and do both programs and everyone is happy, or,
- I just do Augsburg. I am unwilling to wager my entire opportunity to go abroad on the Committee's decision; furthermore, I do not know if I will feel comfortable enough with Spanish to go to Cuba if all I complete Isabel's Advanced Intermediate Spanish class. That isn't enough for me, at least not enough to feel reassured.
- There is no way I will just do Cuba.

Damn.

PS, don't you think, if you were the director of study abroad programs, you would make sure SLC kids KNEW about this? i checked the website, and this requirement is NOT listed by the registrar's office NOR the study abroad office. you have to go to "Undergraduate Study," then click "Academic Program Guidelines," and THEN go to "Requirements for B.A." - something most SLC students would NEVER do on their own, figuring 120 credits, that's it. SOOOO FRUSTRATING!!!!