I had originally called my mom to tell her that I became the assistant editor of the Driftwood today, but we kept talking, and by the end of our conversation I had dropped a class.

I'm so glad I talked to her. It's not something I would have ever thought to have done on my own. But after I explained how much I was dreading the work, the mountains of reading and the lengthy papers, and how I didn't really connect with the professor, I realized what a drag it was all going to be. She told me that I was going to put tons of effort into a gen ed that I could easily take at our community college and probably enjoy a lot more, and I knew she was right.

It brings me down to 14 units, which almost makes me feel like I have to redefine my identity; I had been reveling in being a 17-unit student for so long. But I know I took those online courses this summer for a reason, and this is as good a reason as any. As it is, after I got off the phone with my mom, I no longer had to write a three-page paper comparing Columbus' impression of the New World with James Cook's. Instead, I went over to my friend's dorm room and watched episodes of The Office on her laptop.