Murphy's Law on Campus

Do you ever feel that nature is after you? Do you think that the universe is striving to make your life miserable? Are you continually thinking that it can't get any worse, and then it gets worse? If you have, then you know Murphy's Law by heart.

Murphy's Law says that if anything can go wrong, it will. Those who participate in activities that are full of things that can go wrong, feel the full effect of Murphy's Law. This group of people includes campers, engineers, and college students. On a college campus, there are many things that can go wrong. Some can affect your entire future. Some scenarios that can be attributed to Murphy's Law are:

• Your fan breaks on the hottest day of the year and you can't get another one until the next day.
• The power goes out the night of an early morning final and you wake up two hours late.
• You drop your notes and half of them blow out in front of a street sweeper.
• You get food poisoning from the only thing that looks half-edible in the cafeteria.
• The computer crashes and you didn't get a hard copy of your 15-page report that's due that day.
• A blackout occurs at the beginning of your computer lab hour and power is restored just as it is time to leave.

Sometimes there is really nothing you can do about it. However, there are things you can do to prevent some bad things from happening.

Plan for the worst. This eliminates the horrible surprise of having terrible things happen. When something good happens, it will be a pleasant surprise.

Plan ahead. Eliminating the chance for anything bad to happen can prevent some bad things from happening.

Be flexible. If the day doesn't go as you planned, be willing to change your plans. Also, DON'T EVER EAT THE GREEN GLOP!