![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Planet of the Robots
Feb. 3rd, 2004 10:55 amTutu is applying to UofT for his master's degree. Because his undergraduate studies were at a non-English speaking university, he had to take a TOEFL test to prove his competency in academic English. While the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in general demands a total score of 230 (out of 300) and a score on the essay section of 5 (out of 6), his potential department demands 250 and 6.
Six?! What marker ever gives full marks on anything? Tutu's marks were 273 and 5.5 which sent him into a panic that he'd be automatically disqualified. Last night, he rehearsed his phone call to the department in front of me and Snake. He sat up very straight in his chair with his knees modestly together, put a mime phone to his ear and chirped in an infomercial voice, "Hello!" at which point me and Snake fell on the floor pissing ourselves. After several minutes lost in parody, the rehearsal went well.
Long story short, he phoned this morning and all is fine. What I haven't said to him is how much I'm over begging a school to pleeeaasse let me come and give them thousands of dollars. I've paid for many years of education and, frankly, it's paid me back more in personal growth than financially. In other words, if I want to go to school again somewhere, I will consider them the ones who will benefit from my money and attendance and I will expect to be treated as a valued client.
Over dinner, Tutu complained that he just wanted the application process to go ahead with no problems. "No problems?" I said, "You've chosen the wrong planet to live on. We don't get 'no-problems' on this one."
"That's the Planet of the Robots," Snake added. "But you don't want to live there. They don't have flowers and sex and music on that one."
Six?! What marker ever gives full marks on anything? Tutu's marks were 273 and 5.5 which sent him into a panic that he'd be automatically disqualified. Last night, he rehearsed his phone call to the department in front of me and Snake. He sat up very straight in his chair with his knees modestly together, put a mime phone to his ear and chirped in an infomercial voice, "Hello!" at which point me and Snake fell on the floor pissing ourselves. After several minutes lost in parody, the rehearsal went well.
Long story short, he phoned this morning and all is fine. What I haven't said to him is how much I'm over begging a school to pleeeaasse let me come and give them thousands of dollars. I've paid for many years of education and, frankly, it's paid me back more in personal growth than financially. In other words, if I want to go to school again somewhere, I will consider them the ones who will benefit from my money and attendance and I will expect to be treated as a valued client.
Over dinner, Tutu complained that he just wanted the application process to go ahead with no problems. "No problems?" I said, "You've chosen the wrong planet to live on. We don't get 'no-problems' on this one."
"That's the Planet of the Robots," Snake added. "But you don't want to live there. They don't have flowers and sex and music on that one."
