Future Dr. James .

That's right. Future Doctor James. Today was the first day of that road. It's not that long, right? I mean, May 12, 2018 isn't that far away. I guess school hasn't technically started since I have orientation until Thursday. My first class and lab are on Friday. Everything will really pick up next week. And, after looking at the schedule, I believe them.

Orientation was fine and dandy for me. The professors were taking jabs at each other. We shared some laughs. A few tears  may have been shared as well. It was shaping up to be a fairly chill day. Everything changed when they introduced us to the color-coded codex that is our class schedule. Every hour of every day is blocked with nicely colored boxes that match a specific subject. I was sitting there thinking that this was going to be rough. Quite frankly, I was terrified. What had I gotten myself into?

The professor explaining the schedule didn't sugar coat things either; this is going to be a challenging four years. However, he quickly followed it up with a lot of reassurance. All the faculty is there to help me succeed. The professors may appear like my enemies come test time, but they are all on my side. And unlike Harry Potter with Severus Snape, I will actually know that they are trying to help me as I fight through the evils of mass memorization. Although I'm still scared about the amount of information that I'll be required to master, I feel like I won't be alone. I'll have classmates to commiserate with me, professors that will help me, and a loving and understanding wife in Sariah that will get me through these next four years.

If I had to choose a word for today, it would be reassuring.