Maybe I'm not *supposed* to go to Grad School

I'm pretty fed up at the moment with NC State, the way we have our medical records in this country and the fact that I can't register for Fall classes until I figure this BS out. And that I might have to get another shot, which I'm still a pretty big baby about.

So, part of the application and "becoming a student" process at NCSU and in the state of NC is prooving you've gotten all the immunizations you should have as a child. I get that, and I'm glad they do it. BUT... it's the most ginormous PITA. I admit, the first time I filled out the form my mom and I just wrote in dates. I missed the fine print about needing "official documentation" and getting it signed by a doctor. I called my doctor in NC and they didn't give a ratsass about it or act like it was a request they'd ever heard before.

Fast forward to NOW, when I'm trying to register for classes to take this Fall and I get a message that there's a hold on my account. A term that scares me bc it feels like I've been delinquent on a payment or am some sort of outlaw. I call the health center and they not so nicely inform me that I need my old immunization records. I also was given the option of going to a doctor where they could perform blood tests to see if I've gotten *some* of them, and readminister the others. God Bless my Mom who miraculously materialized the records from somewhere. It's what I got when I graduated High School.

So I fax it in to them. Then call and today's woman likes to evidently cradle the phone so it lies in her neck somewhere bc I can't understand a word she's saying. (Do they not teach phone ettiqute at State? Maybe they're just bating me to see how long it takes until I wig out on them.) Now they're saying I need a Tetnus booster or something, which I know I got less than 10 yrs ago (at least I think, time is flying now so who knows...) I'm in effect sending them a faxed form that was updated 8 yrs ago. How this is helpful, I don't know. (see, I graduated 8 yrs ago...ouch)

I called Susquehanna a second ago and have the option of getting my medical records sent to me for a fee of $25. Which is fabulous bc it might confirm the fact that I need the booster shot and then I'll get to pay for that too. And get a needle in my arm. The fun seriously doesn't end.

And on top of all of this - why are my medical records impossible to locate? They're MINE! This is all a little too hard for someone who was born in America, GOT the dang shots, got admitted to college and managed never to get polio and rubella and spread it around. Again I *get* the logic, but it should be a little easier than this.

Sorry to vent, but I just had to. If you ever want to go to a North Carolina state college, plan at least 3 months to locate these documents.