Last week, I, along with many other Washington University students, registered for classes for the fall semester. When I logged into WebSTAC Wednesday morning, I found that the section of Argumentation that I wanted to take was full. This of course created a total last-second rearranging of my schedule.

Anyone who lives off campus and drives to class can attest to the fact that Washington University has a parking problem. Even though I live on campus, I confront the same issue whenever I drive somewhere between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and return to a completely full parking lot on Snow Way.

Those students living on the North Side might have noticed the addition of a badge-wielding security guard at the Village on weekend nights. It seems to me there might be two motivations behind the installation of this security. One is to ensure general order and prevent any unrest; the second is the prevention of theft.

Despite having a great time, though, I was surprised to find that there were quite a few things that I missed about Wash. U. while I adjusted to life at a new university in a new country. As someone who has, in his columns, frequently been critical of various aspects of Wash. U., my newfound perspective made me realize I owe it some words of gratitude as well.

Next fall I will be traveling to New Zealand to study at the University of Auckland for a semester. It is hard to express how excited I am to have the opportunity to live and study in a foreign land. Even though I am months away from departure, I am confident that living in another country will be an educational and life-changing experience.

Bon Appétit Management Company has, with a few exceptions, a monopoly on on-campus dining at Washington University. Also, Bon Appétit undoubtedly has an agenda. This agenda includes a preference for organic and local ingredients, an emphasis on healthy eating, and a regard for the environment. In fact, Bon Appétit’s motto is “Food services for a sustainable future.”

As a lifelong resident, I have very mixed feelings about the city of St. Louis. While I think it is a nice place to raise a family, I’ll admit that it is not the most exciting place to be a student. Still, the STL has its gems, and while it may not be as easy to find an exciting day in St. Louis as it is in New York City, it can be done. As a native, I know that many Wash. U.

College athletics, particularly basketball and football, were my main source of entertainment during the duller moments of winter break. While I enjoyed and appreciated the great skills of the players and coaches, I never had an avid interest in who won each game.

This semester I have decided not to lock my bike when I am on campus. This may seem crazy, idiotic, naïve and financially imprudent, but I have some good reasons behind my decision. The first and most obvious is that it is a pain to lock my bike every time I bike from class to class. Unfortunately, many of my back-to-back classes are located far apart this semester. This means that I bike everywhere and really depend on my bike to prevent me from being constantly late to class.

The only official pieces of information available to all students when choosing classes are a short course description that rarely changes from year to year and numerical course evaluation scores. Other information comes from unreliable sources such as friends who have taken a class (sometimes from a totally different professor) and websites like ratemyprofessor.com.