TOEFL Day

I thought I'd quietly share what's been going on in my head for weeks/months/years now.

I am going to try getting into FIT Spring 2009 for a one year associate degree in Fashion Merchandising and Management. I am done wondering and now the ball's rolling. I have submitted my application to SUNY (State University of NY) which FIT is part of. Part of the requirement is also to take the TOEFL (An English proficiency test) as I didn't graduate in the US. Annoying!!! Anyway, I took it today. Talagang malas comes in threes (in this case fives).

1. I almost forgot the printout of my test registration. Good thing I remembered as I was pulling out of our driveway. As we weren't allowed personal items in the testing center, I left my house keys. It was early morning so everyone was still asleep. I was ringing the doorbell, banging on the door for a good 7 minutes (yes I timed it) and calling my mom's cell which she eventually did pick up. Always, always allot more than enough time!!!

2. On the way to the test center, I got stuck behind this mini van that was c-r-a-w-l-i-n-g. Law and behold, lolo at lola ang nakasakay. Dude, the speed limit was 25mph, I usually do 30-35 (my bad) and they were doing 20. Nothing against grandparents pero naman not today. Binusinahan ko nga. Of course wala parin nangyari. Anyway, nakarating naman ako. Again, extra time!!!

3. The test started half an hour late for God knows what reason. The test is over four hours long so the sooner we start, the sooner we finish. I started getting annoyed as I don't like delays at all. I was ready to talk to one of the administrators. Wala man lang explanation bakit. They could have made an announcement, EVERYONE started tapping their foot, finger, pens on the tables.

4. The test has four sections, reading, listening, speaking and writing. We had headsets on to hear the lectures and record our answers as needed. Majority of the test takers were Koreans and Indians. I was lucky enough to be seated to an Indian. Nothing discriminatory, PERO ang lakas ng boses niya, I could hear him through my headset. And you guys know how Indians sound like when they speak English. It was SOOO distracting. Naiisip ko si Apu from The Simpsons, you know the guy who owns the Kwik E Mart?

5. During the last section, our PCs stalled and showed an error. Of course you would expect the test administrators to know what to do in such cases but they sure as hell didn't. They were telling the test takers to "calm down!" "calm down!" pero obvious na sila yung nagpapanic. I started saying a silent prayer for the system to work again as I didn't want to have to deal with the possibility of retaking it. They called the help support line and finally fixed it.

I am glad that it is over and done with. After the test, I was drained. It wasn't hard but I'm just not used to taking tests or being in a school setting anymore. I went to the mall after to decompress (of course). Walang nabili ah, mahal mag apply ng school eh.

One other requirement is an admissions essay once I receive confirmation that FIT has received my application. I am done with that too, it is currently being reviewed by a coworker. I tell you, iba din ang written English ng laki dito. Good and bad. Parang tayo with Tagalog. I can't write a grammatically correct Filipino sentence ata (kita mo). The idea is for my coworker to give me suggestions so that I can tailor it to the American reader's taste. Lastly, is getting my college transcripts sent directly to FIT from DLSU. Madali na yun.

Like I said in the beginning, I am done with wondering. Should I go back to school or not? Is this something I am willing to sacrifice for? Will I get accepted or not? If they don't take me, then I guess the decision's been made for me and I can move on with looking for a better opportunity (I feel strongly that it will still be in the fashion industry). If I do get in, then I have to undergo another round of decision making. I just want to tick the what if box off. Wish me luck!!!