Stark
      Raving
      Sane:
     
     
      On
      My
      Pit
      of
      Despair
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Catherine
      SWEET
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Yay!
      Catherine
      is
      finally
      grad-
     
     
      uating!
      Oh
      boy,
      oh
      boy,
      this
      is
      my
      last
     
     
      year!
      I'm
      sorry,
      but
      I
      can't
      really
      get
     
     
      excited.
      In
      fact,
      to
      me,
      May
      looms
      like
     
     
      a
      cavernous
      pit.
      I
      had
      a
      nice
      four-year
     
     
      cushion
      leading
      up
      to
      this
      year.
      I
     
     
      think
      I
      always
      knew
      that
      in
      my
      last
     
     
      year,
      I'd
      still
      not
      have
      really
      found
      any
     
     
      direction
      that
      grabs
      my
      attention.
     
    

    
     
      So
      now,
      this
      is
      the
      time
      of
     
     
      year
      that
      those
      of
      us
      thinking
      about
     
     
      Graduate
      School
      have
      to
      get
      applica-
     
     
      tions
      together.
      My
      problem
      is,
      I
      am
     
     
      interested
      in
      so
      many
      things,
      I
      have
      no
     
     
      idea
      what
      direction
      to
      go
      in.
      And
     
     
      then,
      just
      because
      something
      interests
     
     
      me,
      does
      that
      mean
      I
      want
      to
      make
      a
     
     
      career
      of
      it?
      Not
      really.
      I'm
      interested
     
     
      in
      everything
      from
      entomology
      to
      ety-
     
     
      mology,
      but
      I'm
      going
      buggy
      over
      all
     
     
      the
      choices.
     
    

    
     
      Why
      can't
      I
      have
      a
      passion?
     
     
      You
      hear
      about
      people
      all
      the
      time
     
     
      who
      knew
      from
      the
      womb
      that
      they
     
     
      were
      going
      to
      be
      a
      teacher,
      or
      a
      doc-
     
     
      tor,
      or
      a
      writer.
      When
      I
      was
      a
      kid,
      I
     
     
      was
      dead
      set
      on
      being
      a
      marine
      biolo-
     
     
      gist.
      When
      and
      to
      where
      did
      that
      idea
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      disappear?
      That
      would
      be
      great
      right
     
     
      now.
      I'd
      know
      how
      to
      scuba
      dive,
      I'd-
     
     
      be
      graduating
      from
      UBC
      right
      now,
     
     
      with
      a
      job
      lined
      up
      at
      the
      Vancouver
     
     
      Aquarium
      doing
      research
      in
      all
      the
     
     
      beautiful
      little
      inlets
      of
      British
     
     
      Columbia.
     
    

    
     
      There
      are
      some
      things
      I
      know
     
     
      I
      don't
      want
      to
      do.
      I
      don't
      want
      to
      do
     
     
      anything
      that
      involves
      dental
      hygiene,
     
     
      or
      small
      children,
      or
      asking
      if
      you
     
    
   
   
    
     
      want
      to
      supersize
      your
      order.
      I'm
      glad
      .
     
     
      getting
      my
      first
      degree
      will
      open
      more’
     
     
      doors
      so
      I'll
      have
      more
      options
      when
      I
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      graduate,
      but
      there's
      also
      a
      sneaking
     
     
      suspicion
      that
      I'll
      end
      up
      working
      in
      a
     
     
      field
      totally
      unrelated
      to
      my
      studies.
      -
     
     
      I
      know
      I
      have
      to
      make
      an
     
     
      appointment
      over
      at
      Student
      Services,
     
     
      but
      I'm
      expecting
      a
      lot
      out
      of
      this
     
     
      visit.
      I
      want
      them
      to
      have
      a
      giant
      list
     
     
      of
      careers
      that
      I
      can
      go
      through,
      cross-
     
     
      ing
      them
      off
      until
      I
      narrow
      it
      down
      to
     
     
      about
      10.
      Then
      I
      can
      rationally
      pick
      _
     
     
      and
      choose.
      Or
      better
      yet,
      I
      want
      to
     
     
      have
      some
      sort
      of
      supernatural
      experi-
     
     
      ence
      in
      which
      a
      Hobbit
      tells
      me
      what
     
     
      to
      do.
      Or
      Elijah
      Wood,
      I
      don't
      care.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      JOIN
      AN
      ORIENTATION
      TOUR
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