I received a telephone call from St. John's College of Nursing last week indicating that I needed to schedule an appointment to meet with an academic adviser and to take the HESI entrance exam. As the school is 3 1/2 hours away from me, I inquired into the possibility of taking the test locally with a proctor and perhaps conducting a telephone conference.

The response was a deliberate NO.

The trip was schedule with my husband's support. He would drive me to Springfield on Monday evening and I would take the exam Tuesday morning. The meeting with the academic adviser would immediately follow the exam's conclusion.

Watching Sunday evening's weather report was a disheartening experience. A cold front enveloped the Springfield area and freezing rain was expected. By Monday morning, the situation was much worse and the town froze beneath a blanket of ice.

What a predicament.

So, I called the school only to discover it had been closed for the day due to inclement weather.

"But, I'm scheduled to take a test in the morning. Will I still be able to do that?"

"I don't know."

"What would you recommend I do?"

"I don't know."

I discussed the situation with my husband and we agreed to make the trek.

The closure we got to Springfield, the nastier the weather. Freezing rain clung to everything. Icicles pulled on tree branches until they gave way. Although it was pretty, I was filled with dread. Had I made this trip for not?

After getting some dinner, my husband and I snuggled down in the hotel room. The rain continued throughout the night.

Early the next morning, I turned on the television and learned St. John's had canceled all classes for the day and the building would be closed until 12:00pm. No longer faced with a rush to arrive by 9 am, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast followed by an adventure around town. By 10:30 am, we parked at the mall. I quick called the school to determine its status. It was still the same.

Shortly before noon, we headed toward the building. There was a sign posted on the door which indicated that classes were canceled and all other inquiries were to ring the bell. So, we rang the bell. The woman who came to the door was unable to provide any information as to what I should do. Obviously, there was no examination that morning and there would be no meeting with the academic adviser that afternoon. No one was available. A second woman came to the door and informed my husband and I that we should have called before coming.

We were faced with a long drive home. And...it was a long, long drive. My husband was irritated with the whole situation and that made for unpleasant company.

The next morning, I telephoned the school to determine a course of action. After explaining what had happened, I was told that I should have listened to the radio or watched the television before driving all that way. --We don't get Springfield stations in Leavenworth.--
Not wanting to argue, simply wanting to schedule the test and meeting, I chose to not inform her that I had called on the previous Monday, watched the television on Tuesday and called on Tuesday. I tried to convince her to allow me to proctor the exam locally. That was again, a definite NO.

--I wonder, what do the folks coming from a more distant location do? Are they expected to travel to the school to take a standardized entrance exam? Apparently so.
I just hope that next week, the weather holds out and that I am accepted to the school. It would be such a bummer if I jumped through all these hoops only to be denied acceptance.