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“... okay, so, aside from your major requirements, you’ve got general requirements you’ll also need to fulfill before you graduate.” Lorne knew that already. He’d researched the website from every angle he could before he’d even seen the advisor. But he still smiled politely, nodding along to what he had to say; it was his job after all. “Besides, you probably don’t want to load yourself up too heavy on the sciences too soon. A lot of students burn themselves out doing that.” The advisor said it like he was providing some sage, secret wisdom.

Lorne appreciated the effort, at least, and tried not to fidget too much. He liked the advisor and all, but he couldn’t help being jittery. The sooner he got this over and done with, the happier he would be; next semester he’d be able to enroll on the computer instead. College started in a few weeks now, and he felt guilty for putting it off for so long - it’d be one thing if he had a job, but - well, okay. He sort of did. But that didn’t count in the traditional sense, and with Nadia passing her assessment and Colin working in the ballet, Lorne couldn’t help feeling like he was slacking. There was no putting this off anymore.

“Okay, so for your major we still have slots open in Chem and Bio, but they’re both pretty early in the day if that matters to you - oh, Intro to Arch is still open, that’s good.” The advisor glanced at Lorne, arching a brow as he sat there in silence. “Do you have… any kind of preference here? I know you’ve got your major laid out, but were you considering any minors? This is the best time to try stuff out, you know. Most of the stuff you take will count for something, even if you don’t stick with it.”

Again, Lorne fidgeted. His eyes trailed down to the desk and he pursed his lips, considering it. “I, uh… I don’t really know, “ and he’d been so focused on the Environmental Studies aspect, he hadn’t really considered it. “Maybe? I haven’t really… “

“Well, “ Lorne was never so relieved to be interrupted. “Your transcript here seems to reflect a strong background in Literature - maybe I’m biased, ” the advisor cracked a smile, “As an alum, but we have a really cool variety of Lit courses. Maybe you could try one of those out, see where it takes you?”

Another fidget, it stemmed not from nerves this time but a spark of interest. Lorne edged a little closer to the edge of his seat and glanced across the desk, wishing he could see the computer from the angle he was at. “M-maybe, “ and it was such a lackluster answer, but at least he managed to smile. The advisor, seeming to sense that Lorne had taken the bait, fished around in his drawers for a moment before tugging out a list of courses. “We’ve got Intro to Poetry, American Lit I, Brit Lit I, we’ve got special topics - some of those, you’d need to take another class if you wanted to be able to get in, but we could always talk to a professor if you were really interested, and - “

Lorne was ashamed to admit he kind of tuned his advisor out fast, taking his own time to look over the list and consider the possibilities. Finally, about fifteen minutes later, he emerged from the office with a schedule in hand, and his heart pounding hard from a combination of excitement and nerves. It was official: he was a college student.