This is Part 3 of an on-going series about my experience training to be a court reporter.

In Janaury of 2011, I put my doubts aside and decided to register for court reporting classes at NYCI. Sitting in the waiting area of the administration office, I was again struck by the plethora of young girls just out of high school, who populated the halls of the school.

I had a real Dorothy moment: You’re not in Park Slope anymore.

The look of the women couldn’t be more different from the schleppy boho meets Agnes B style of Connecticut  Muffin on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope. I saw tons of eye make-up, blow-dried hair, big earrings, and stylish clothes a la Forever 21 and Juciy Couture.

Bridge and Tunnel chic with a rolling backpack.

The girls looked well put together and smart.  Not worldly but looking to get ahead in the world. Many, I later learned, were from Staten Island. And many were there for their two-year college degree. As I waited I took at look at one of the school’s brochures:

New York Career Institute provides individuals with a higher educational experience designed to prepare them for productive careers in contemporary fields. The College’s programs offer students the opportunity to build a foundation for lifelong financial independence and success in their professional lives.

A certificate in court reporting is also an Associates Degree, equivilent to two years of college, so there are academic requirements for those with only a high school diploma, like math, English and psychology. Court reporting students are also required to take medical terminology, English for court reporting, courtroom procedures and computers for court reporting.

The director of admissions, who registered me, told me that that I’d be required to take beginner computer classes, because I never took college level computer classes (did they even have computers when I was in college?) and Written and Oral Communication.

I was dumbfounded. Didn’t years as a freelance writer and public speaker count for anything? And what about my computer expertise? I was a blogger, after all. I spoke with the Dean, who told me I could probably test out of the Computer Concepts class but I would not be able to skip the Oral and Written Communications class because I’d never taken a college level speech class. Needless to say, I was irked.

By the end of my registration session, I was registered for three classes: Intro to Court Reporting, Oral and Written Communication, and  Civil Litigation as an elective.

I was set to begin classes in February but not before the new students orientation.

To be continued…