I may never learn to dance.

No, I am not going to tell some sob story about my leg being mangled in a farming accident or anything like that.

I am talking about the exclusionary privileges Penn State dispenses to certain segments of the student population, dividing and labeling us as more or less worthy of a full education. I am talking about the reason I can't get into ballroom dance class.

In case you are unaware of how Penn State showers some with privileges over others, you should know that both Schreyer Honors College scholars and Penn State athletes all schedule before even the most senior graduate student.

The other students in the priority-scheduling block, disabled students, are the only ones with a legitimate reason to schedule early.

I was not gifted with a great pitching arm and apparently the Schreyer Honors College was not impressed with my math SAT score, so here I am, a seventh semester student who got into an ESACT class by the skin of her teeth this spring.

While swimming is a sport I enjoy, it will never fulfill my dream of being Fred Astaire's Ginger.

As one of the mere mortals at Penn State, I am sick of being treated like Jan Brady by the university. Hearing the kinds of privileges certain populations get here makes me want to scream, "Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!"

Whether they be tall tales or not, I've heard of underclassmen honors students taking the popular ballroom dancing class twice because they thought it was fun.

Well you know what I think would be fun? Graduating.

While hundreds of seniors scramble to squeeze into English 202 classes and fulfill other requirements, it is not right that younger honors students and athletes are getting into classes others desperately and legitimately need.

The "reason" that honors students get the priority scheduling privilege is supposedly because they have extra requirements to fill — the honors classes they are required to take each semester.

A more logical approach would be to simply restrict honors class enrollment to honors students.

Some say this makes it "unfair" to the rest of us, but I say, I'd rather be able to get into the classes I direly need and be "left out" of honors classes, which are usually offered as non-honors, albeit larger, sections anyway.

These privileged students are not the only ones who care about the classes they take. Other people deserve a shot at classes they've been interested in, but shut out of, since freshman year.

Sure, we can try to go to classes on the first day and beg professors to let us sit on the floor, but this holds no guarantees either. Ironically enough, I pay a lot more tuition than these students getting into classes I will never see in green on the Registrar's Web page.

While I pay full, out-of-state tuition, most Schreyer scholars get a scholarship that equals approximately a 1/3 tuition discount and, of course, there are the many athletic scholarships given out.

By now, you're thinking that I'm just writing this because I'm bitter, right?

Well of course I'm bitter.

Ever try scheduling at the end of April? I know that scheduling on the brink of final exams is probably hard to imagine for people who have always scheduled while their syllabi are hot off the presses.

Well let me tell you, it's not fun.

You're guaranteed to end up with the classes that fill none of your requirements, are in the Keller Building and meet Mondays at 8 a.m. or Fridays at 4:40 p.m.

I'm bitter that I pay full tuition and can't get half the classes I need — even for my major and even as a student who is a semester ahead in credits.

Granted, I recognize the benefits that athletes and the honors program bring to our school.

Let's face it, a great deal of our name recognition comes from our legendary football team.

Several of our other teams also receive national acclaim and, no doubt, these athletes are treasured members of our university.

The Schreyers were very generous to donate the money to found the Honors College and this indeed adds to the university's record of academic excellence, which draws in top achievers.

But scholars and athletes are not the only ones with tough schedules to work around.

A lot of students here carry the burden of tuition on their own and must work 30 or even 40 hours a week just to be here at Penn State.

But somehow, they do it — without any perks.

I'm not saying we should abolish our honors or athletics programs.

Penn State should just realize the potential in all of its students and that everyone should get a fair shot at the scheduling game.

Schreyer scholars and athletes get enough perks as it is; priority scheduling is not a necessary one.

As for me, I'll settle for the backstroke instead of the samba, and curse my SAT score forever.