Highway to Happy

I was lazily climbing the stairs to the 2nd floor when I saw something familiar posted on the Bulletin board. A few more steps and I could already see it clearly from where I stand:

CBE Course Offerings, Third Term, SY 2007- 2008

Unlike most students, I just left and continued walking. There’s no need for me to approach the Board and join the flock of students in front of it. I didn’t have to choose my subjects and fix a schedule. Next term, I would be taking up six MAJOR subjects, pre- determined by the Accountancy department and there would only be two time slot options: 8:00- 11:00 am and 2:30- 5:30 pm. I only have the power to choose which slot I would be in. Besides that, I totally have no control of.

The Modular program consists of four terms; and each term is composed of six MAJOR subjects, which means, for a whole term, we don’t study anything else but financial statements. 12 days are allotted to each subject. The 13th day is for the finals. So even before non- accountancy majors take their first major exam (midterms), we have already taken practically three final examinations. To torture us even more, we have to get a minimum grade of 83 in each subject to pass.

As I’ve mentioned, the professors named it, The Modular program. Some students call it Hell. One guy refers to it as ModFuck, ModShit, DamnMod, etc; but I prefer to have it nameless.

I don’t want to separate those chosen terms from the others. Though they’re definitely more mind- boggling and more hellish,

they’re just like other floating terms: they end.

Modular sure rocked my world; but the program wasn’t intensified enough to actually break it into pieces. I’m still alive, and yes, I’m happy. Whatever was damaged (relationships and self- esteem) by all the stress brought by the previous term, the past 2 months of slow- phased life and more than enough sleeps definitely restored it to be as good as new.

So, to that dreaded modular program (for the third time):