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The academic advisor frowned again, looking back at the screen to double check it, as though she had missed something. Clara rolled her eyes. She had expected as much. Lara was pretty nice as an academic advisor but it seemed to Clara that she didn’t pay much attention to the specifics of her degree path. Not that she blamed her, Lara had a shit ton of other students to advise, but even so, she could see right now how the entire conversation was about to play out.
“Oh, I see,” Lara said. Here we go. “It appears that in addition to all your other courses, you’ve signed up for Molecular Biology with Dr. Dankovsky as well as Human Anatomy with Professor Burakh,” Lara said, as if this explained everything.
“Yes?” Clara said.
“See, you’re only supposed to take one of those classes this semester.”
“Yes, that’s why I’ve come to you, to ask how to take both.”
Lara chuckled. “I’m afraid it’s just not possible. Not without getting completely radical with your schedule and moving basic courses around to happen much later in your degree path, precisely when you should be ramping up your pre-med focus.”
“But the precise problem is that I need to take Eurasian Occult History, which is only being offered this semester for the rest of my undergrad, and that directly conflicts with Professor Dankovsky’s section of Organic Chemistry, which will only cause problems for me later down the road.”
“Oh, well that has a simple solution! Just take Professor Rubin’s section of Organic Chemistry.”
“No, I want to take Professor Dankovsky’s section.”
“Why not take Rubin’s section? Look, frankly, you don’t want to be learning from Dankovsky and Burakh in the same semester, they have such different philosophies it’s bound to just be confusing. And many students find Rubin to be a more realistic middle ground between the two.”
“And I find him to be a muddled compromise,” Clara said. “I feel I have more to learn from Dankovsky, and if previous years schedules are anything to go off of, this will open me up to more Burakh sections further down the line as well.”
“Clara, even if I thought what you were proposing was a good idea, which I don’t, I think you’re gonna just lead yourself to burnout, it’s simply not possible with the class schedule you’ve planned thus far. In taking both classes, you’d be taking 21 credits. We cap full time students at 18 credits.”
“Look, I’ll do the work, I know I’ll have time. I just need your help to figure out how to take both sections. Come on, Lara, help me out.”
Lara looked at the girl perplexed, before thinking it over.
“I suppose if you really, really wanted to do this, you could email Professor Sahba-ötün to make Eurasian Occult History technically 1 credit hour, and you’d probably have to do the same with Professor Stamatin’s Physics course, as both would fulfill your degree requirement, but they’d probably still expect you to do the full course and coursework.”
Clara smiled. “Thank you, Lara.”
“And you’d probably want to email Dankovsky and Burakh themselves, just to fill them in. And to clarify, this is not a guarantee. If Professor Sahba-ötün or Professor Stamatin don’t agree to this modification, I will ask you to drop one of these courses, okay?”
Clara nodded vigorously. “All I need is one chance.”
Lara sighed. “I still think you’d need a miracle to make it through this semester with all these classes.”
Clara smiled. “Luckily, miracles happen to be my specialty.”
“Now, of course, metabolic processes are just a small part of biochemistry, and if that sounds at all interesting to you, I highly recommend you learn more about this field, it’s quite a fascinating subject.” As he finished this lecture, Professor Burakh checked the clock. “However we are out of time so that will end our introduction to biochemistry and our first class.” As he continued on, most of the students began packing up, including Clara (who was still attempting to listen). “Please, please review the syllabus again and go over chapter one if you want a rundown of what we talked about today. Hopefully I can start recording lectures so you can go over those too, and I’ll see you again on Thursday. Clara Saburova, can you hang back a moment?”
A few of her younger classmates whispered, perhaps wondering what she’d done to land herself in trouble so early on, but Clara did as she was asked, approaching the front of the room to talk with Professor Burakh.
“Thank you for sticking around,” he said. “I just wanted to have a conversation with you.”
“What about?” Clara replied, feigning innocence.
“Namely, the email I received,” Burakh continued. “Reading it, I was impressed. That’s a lot of classes.”
“Yup,” she replied. The two stood in silence for a few moments, just long enough to be awkward.
“I just wonder,” the professor responded, pausing to try to form the right sentiment, “I wonder if maybe it wouldn’t be better if you took this class next semester.”
“Nope. Has to be this one.”
“Right, and you thoroughly outlined your reasoning in the email, but honestly pushing this class back by a semester won’t hurt, and you’ll still get the chance to study with me if that’s what you really want, but the other professors here are all quite excellent in their own right.”
“Professor Burakh, with all due respect, I have gone over my options and this is the only one that works for me.”
“I get that. But there’s also the issue of studying under myself and Professor Dankovsky at the same time. See, we have something of a reputation both as difficult teachers and quarrelsome colleagues.” If the rumors were anything to go on, that was putting it lightly. “That’s part of why most pre-med students choose to stagger the classes they take from us. We’re… really quite different people, both in our teaching style and our practice of medicine.”
“That is precisely why I want both of your opinions concurrently, not consecutively. If I study under you one at a time whoever I learn from first might color my perception of the other.”
“I’d hope you’d be self-assured enough in your own beliefs to discern what you believe and wouldn’t be so swayed by a professor.”
“But unfortunately I’m only human, a comparison would be inevitable, and I’d rather see the contradictions outright.” She had been over this already with Lara, her parents, even her classmates. She knew exactly what she was doing and why.
Burakh frowned. “I just don’t want to see this lead to burnout. That’s the main thing”
“A concern already relayed to me by Lara, but as I told her, I know I can handle this.” When he didn’t look convinced, she sighed. “Look, you’re not the first person to tell me this. Not even close. But I researched the methods of potential professors I would have. I went deep into courses and degree paths. And I have determined I want to learn from you and Dankovsky, because I chose this degree and I chose to go here, no matter what others may think.”
“Why would anybody think you didn’t choose to go here?” Clara’s eyes widened a little in surprise. It was a little odd Burakh didn’t know, but she was sure he would figure it out eventually.
“Look, Professor Burakh, I can do this. Okay? Just let me.”
Burakh mulled it over. Then, he grabbed a pen and began writing something. “I still think this is crazy and you’re going to wear yourself out well before midterms, but if you’re determined to do this…” He gave her the paper he had been writing on. “This is my phone number. My personal cell. I don’t always read emails in time, and I think this will be useful for you to have. If you need an extension on an assignment, or need to just take a break, or even just need to review some concepts with me, tell me immediately. If you need to skip class or drop this course, I’d much rather you do that and let me know than you wait to tell me because you’re afraid of any repercussions. Your mental health comes first, and the rest we can figure out.”
She gingerly took the paper, looking it over as she memorized it to put in her phone later. It was a rather kind gesture, especially for a professor who didn’t know her that well.
“Thank you, Professor Burakh.”
“Feel free to call me Artemy. And don’t give that number out to everyone, I don’t need to clog up my phone with students faking illness, as if I, a doctor, won’t notice what’s going on.”
Clara nodded. “Gotcha.”
“Just take care of yourself, okay? And the semester should be fine.”
“I’ll be sure to do that.”
To: Clara Saburova
From: Daniil Dankovsky
Subject: Your Proposed Degree Path
Miss Saburova,
I received your email last night and I find your proposal to be unacceptable and, quite frankly, foolish. The degree plan is structured so that overzealous students such as yourself don’t wear themselves out and cause more work for the teachers later on down the line. Additionally, your reasoning seems rather flawed to me, as there is no reason why you can’t take classes from myself and Burakh at different times and no reason you should endeavor to take them at the same time, as it would lead to poor performance in my class. As such, I do not agree to this arrangement and require some time in person with you to work out an alternative. Please meet me at my office hours tomorrow so we may discuss how best to move forward with your courses for this semester and which you will have to drop to take my course. I don’t care that you think you can do whatever you want just because of your parents, while taking my course you will study in a way that is conducive to my class.
Dr. Daniil Dankovsky
Bachelor of Medicine
Central Steppe University School of Medicine
“So, you regretting the choice to take this course yet?” The woman asked.
Clara responded with a sly smirk. “Not in the least, Professor Sahba-ötün.”
“Can you please just go back to calling me Aspity? It’s very odd to hear you refer to me so formally.”
“Nope, it’s gonna be weird every time.”
“Fair enough. And your other classes?”
Clara shrugged. “Stamatin feels… competent as a professor when he manages to stay on topic, just a little boring. Burakh is nice enough, and his coursework promises to be difficult in a fun way. But he seems to think he knows more than me, which, perhaps he does but he acts as though he knows more about me than I do.”
“Seems accurate,” Aspity responded. “And Dankovsky?”
“I haven’t even met the man yet, and already he seems to be… difficult.”
“That sounds generous.”
Clara laughed. “Yeah. I mean, look at this,” she said, pulling out her phone and taking a second to open the email she had received. Aspity took her phone, a humored look on her face.
“Well, this definitely sounds like something he would write,” Aspity said as she handed the phone back. “What are you going to do?”
Clara shrugged. “I’m not sure. I feel like I’m in trouble and I haven’t done anything yet. Hell, I haven’t even met the man.”
“Not that you care,” Aspity said.
“Not that I care,” Clara echoed, “but I do need him to not be on my ass all semester. I just need to figure out how I’m going to get through this meeting.”
“Well,” Aspity said, sorting her papers, “surely the great Clara Saburova has something planned.”
“Professor Sahba-ötün, whatever are you implying?” Clara responded with a wry smirk.
“I’m just saying I suspected more from the girl who managed to fill my office with snakes when she was just fifteen.”
“Allegedly,” Clara quickly clarified.
“I still don’t even know how you did it. Or why.”
“For the pun. Allegedly.”
“Allegedly,” Aspity repeated. “I just wonder how you haven’t already come up with a plan.”
“Well… I may have something. Just to figure out the personal side of it.”
“What are the odds of it working?”
“70-30 against. And with failure I look like a complete ass in front of my professors.”
“Well, too late for that.”
“Hey!”
“I’m kidding. Mostly. In any case, you’re Clara. When have you ever given a shit what others thought of you?”
Clara smiled mischievously.
“Never.”
Clara Saburova
Professor Burakh? This is Clara. I need your help
What is it Clara?
And please, Artemy is fine.
meet me in the third floor lobby at 2:25
i’ll explain there
Why? What’s the matter?
Clara?
Read 12:42 PM
Daniil Dankovsky was deep in concentration when the door to his office opened. He immediately scowled. He did not like being interrupted in the middle of his work.
He concealed his expression somewhat when he saw the girl who entered. He still wasn’t pleased, but this was important.
“Miss Saburova, come in, I was expecting you.”
As a second person entered, the scowl immediately came back in full force.
“You, however, I was not, what the hell are you doing here Burakh?”
“I’m not sure myself,” Artemy admitted halfway through Daniil’s question. “Clara asked to meet me and suddenly I’m here.”
“So I see,” Daniil said through gritted teeth. “And I would greatly prefer it if you were not here. Please leave. Now.”
“So, here’s the deal,” Clara said, finally speaking up. “I need to take both of your classes this semester.”
“And I’ve already said I do not accept this proposal,” Daniil said.
“I agree that it’s a little ill advised,” Artemy added.
“Yeah, here’s the thing,” Clara interrupted, “I don’t actually need permission from either of you. I’ve already okayed this with everyone I needed to okay this with. Lara, Professor Stamatin, and Aspity have already agreed.”
“Aspity?” Artemy picked up on.
“So I am going to do this, whether you like this or not.”
“I will not let you,” Daniil restated.
“You quite literally cannot stop me,” Clara calmly explained.
“I don’t care who you think you are or what power you think you have over me–”
“Dankovsky, what are you talking about? What power could she possibly have over you?”
The question caught both Clara and Dankovsky off-guard.
“You’re telling me you don’t know?” Daniil said. He scoffed. “Clara Saburova? She’s the dean’s daughter.” Artemy’s eyes lit up with understanding. “And,” Daniil continued, “she’s trying to use that fact to get us to agree to this ludicrous plan.”
“I am not doing that in the slightest,” Clara said. “When have I ever brought my father up in all my correspondence with either of you? Or with Lara, Professor Stamatin, or Aspity, which you were both CCed on?” Neither responded. Dankovsky merely pursed his lips. “I really did choose this university and this degree program for myself. I have things to learn from Aspity. And I have things to learn from the both of you that I cannot learn from Stakh. Believe me, I know I’ve chosen the hardest path for myself, but I think I’ll come out of it with an education uniquely suited to me.”
“So, what do you need from us?” Artemy asked.
“Our permission,” Daniil interrupted, “which I’ve already said I’m not giving.”
“And I’ve already said I don’t need it,” Clara said. “This is just a thing that is happening whether you like it or not, Professor Dankovsky. You just need to figure out how to make your peace with it.” Dankovsky scowled at this. “No, what I need from you is simpler. You two clearly have some feud that makes Dankovsky foam at the mouth just thinking of a student taking your classes at the same time. I need you to be mature enough to not feud for the duration of time that I’m in both your classes.”
“That’s a little different than how I would describe it,” Artemy began.
“Presumptuous little brat,” Dankovsky whispered, just barely under his breath.
“You can hardly be in the same room as each other,” Clara continued, preferring to respond to Artemy. “Your feud is legendary, my father told me about it years ago. I just had no idea it would actually affect me, and I have no idea what it’s even about.”
“Perhaps if Dankovsky weren’t so condescending,” Artemy muttered under his breath.
“Perhaps if Burakh weren’t so crude,” Daniil retorted.
“Perhaps if you would bite your tongue–”
“Perhaps if you would listen for once instead of–”
“Hey,” Clara interrupted. “This is exactly what I’m talking about. This bickering is absolutely insane. And I will not let it affect my education as it currently threatens to do.”
“And that’s why people don’t take classes from both of us,” Artemy said, resigned. “Because we can tell when a student has a half-baked opinion formed by what they learned from the other.”
“Our viewpoints are incompatible,” Daniil said.
“I disagree,” Clara said. “I think there’s a unique symmetry to your points, two sides of the same coin. And if I, or someone else, could unify them… they might learn more than any one person has learned from either of you individually.”
“That is patently ridiculous,” Daniil scoffed.
“No, what’s patently ridiculous is that despite both of you being doctors with similar goals, you cannot stand the sight of each other. At the end of the day, we wish to end suffering, right? So why do you have to fight to do so?”
The silence hung in the air for a few moments. “You’re naïve,” Daniil finally replied.
“I have a different point of view,” Clara retorted.
“Different from him or from me?” Artemy asked.
“Hopefully different from both of you. Otherwise what fun would that be?” Clara responded plainly.
“So. What are you asking from us again?” Artemy asked.
“Grace,” Clara said simply. “That is all. An agreement to disagree and let that be the end of it so long as I’m in your classes simultaneously. A willingness to not grade based on coming across a contrary viewpoint, even if that willingness is reluctant. A recognition that learning from someone you don’t like does not give you the right to make my life a living hell any more than it already is.”
The two professors thought about it. Clara could feel her heartbeat faster. She usually got her way, but this seemed different, it didn’t seem like she could really predict them or what they would do, the way she usually could with others. It could go either way.
Artemy spoke first. “Okay. Yeah, I can do that.”
“Of course,” Daniil said, rolling his eyes.
“She’s right, Daniil, this constant fighting is ridiculous. And she’s a student. She’s just here to learn. We can play nice for a few semesters.”
Daniil sighed. “Fine. Fine, fine. But if you’re late to class even once, or miss even one assignment, you’re out of my class.”
Clara nodded. “Or, and hear me out: you treat me like you would any other student.”
“Fine. But don’t expect me to go easy on you.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Clara said with a smile.
“I have a class to get to,” Artemy said. “This meeting has certainly been… a meeting,” he said somewhat awkwardly. “Dankovsky,” he said, a begrudging nicety.
“Burakh,” Daniil replied in kind, barely hiding the contempt in his voice. With that, Artemy left the office. Clara stood, quietly letting out a breath she wasn’t aware she had been holding in. She had done it, she had gotten her way again. And now she was just left with Professor Dankovsky staring at her.
“Well, I have some important work to do,” he said, “so… leave.”
And Clara did just that, a new spring in her step.
Clara Saburova did not like waiting rooms. The fluorescent lights, the chairs that should’ve been comfortable but clearly hadn’t been for a long, long, time, the rough, ugly carpets or else the slightly off vinyl tiling where the tile there should be blue, but for some reason it’s beige, which just throws off the whole pattern and it’s such a nonissue that it almost loops back around to being the most important thing because how couldn’t they get that right–
“Miss Saburova?” Clara looked up. She did not like waiting rooms, be they for doctor’s offices, job interviews, or, in this case, educational institutions. They made her anxious. “He’ll see you now,” the receptionist said.
Clara nodded, standing up and entering the office. She took a few hesitant steps toward the desk, sitting on the chair somewhat uncomfortably.
“So. What have I done to wind up here?” she asked, hoping to shed some light on the subject.
The man looked back at her, befuddled. “What, I can’t have a conversation with my daughter?”
Clara sighed, exasperated. “Well not by calling her into your office! Geez!”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to corner you or anything,” Dean Saburov said. “I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright. Your mother and I haven’t heard from you in days.”
“Yeah, because it’s the first week of classes and I’ve been trying to settle into that college life. I’ve been busy.”
“That’s no excuse to dodge calls from your mom.”
Clara sighed. “I know, I know. I’m just… trying to get used to things. And there’s this whole issue of scheduling that just… ugh, it’s a pain but… It’s not like I was ignoring her calls on purpose.”
“Tell her that. Sooner rather than later please?”
Clara nodded. “Sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to worry you guys.”
“I mean, I’m not worried. Though for the life of me, I’ll never understand why you wanted to live in the dorms instead of at home with us.”
“I mean, college is usually the time when people need to grow up, assert their independence, leave the nest and all that junk.”
“We would’ve preferred you to stay in the nest for a bit longer yet.”
“It’s gonna happen eventually. And this is barely even leaving, I’m less than thirty minutes from you guys. By walking.”
“Your mom’s noticed, though. She’s lonely.”
Clara frowned. “You don’t think she’s…?”
“No, no,” her father said, quickly shaking his head. “We don’t have any of the stuff in the house anymore. And I don’t think she’d slip at this point.”
“You say that but…”
“Clara, that’s enough. You will not talk about your mother that way.”
Clara shrank ever so slightly in her chair. “Sorry. I’m just worried.”
He sighed. “I know, but there’s nothing to worry over.” He paused. “And anyways, if you’re so worried then why not live at home with us?”
Clara shrugged. She had no good reason other than a feeling that she needed to be living in the dorms. She had explained this multiple times, but she knew her parents would never fully understand her whims and feelings. It had been a part of her they had just grown to accept.
He cleared his throat. “So, more positive note, how have classes been?”
“I’ve enjoyed them thus far,” Clara said. “Obviously Aspity’s class is my favorite.”
“Will you ever refer to her respectfully?”
“Only when it makes her uncomfortable. And then who else… Professor Stamatin’s class is fine.”
“Really? I thought you would’ve enjoyed learning under him.”
“I don’t know, physics is just not my subject I guess. Dankovsky is… hard to deal with but very knowledgeable. And Burakh has such wisdom, even as he condescends to me, so I think this semester is going to be interesting.”
“Wait, hold on,” her father interrupted. “You’re taking classes with Dankovsky and Burakh? At the same time?” Clara nodded. “They’ve all but banned that from being possible! How’d you pull that?”
Clara smirked. “Because I’m pretty goddamn miraculous.”
“Language,” her father chided. He examined her for a few moments. “Do they know?”
“Yes. And they’ve agreed to play nice.”
“Fascinating. Well, if nothing else, I think you’re right that this semester will be… interesting.”
“Right.” Clara hesitated. “Can I go now? I have some reading to do for class and…”
“Call your mother,” he responded, an indication she could leave. Clara nodded and got all the way to the door before he stopped her again. “Clara, are you entirely sure you know what you’re doing?”
Clara turned back to him and admitted, “no. I don’t.”
Her father examined her, concerned, but she just smiled back at him before adding:
“But that’s kind of exactly what makes it exciting, don’t you think?”