I can't remember ever being so nervous on the first day of class. I was 21 years old and had been to dozens upon dozens of classes in my life at this point, and as a junior in college I thought I had seen and experienced it all, especially as a pre-med biology major. Labs, lectures, group projects, you name it. As I approached the Sawyer research lab building, I felt anxious as my mind flashed back to the time I first saw Biology 334 in the course catalog for the fall semester.
BIO 334 - An advanced level research course on human reproduction and gestation. Preqrequisite Requirements: BIO 111, BIO 223. Also requires interview and test; approval from department chair required to apply. Open to Biology majors only.
Rumors had swirled on campus about this course for the last couple of years since it was first offered, but details were scarce, even among otherwise gossipy students. No one had even known where on campus the course was actually taught, let alone anyone who had actually taken it. The mystery intrigued me.
My girlfriend of two years had dumped me the week prior to me applying for the class. I decided in that moment to refocus my remaining two years at university on academics, studying for the MCAT and getting myself into a proper med school. Maybe this exclusive class would be the ticket I needed to go to a top tier med school like Stanford or Yale.
The application process was brutal. Interviews that were graphic and personal, including 3 sessions with psychologist who asked about my sexual history in great detail. Several personality tests were also administered over the course of a month, including some that felt like glorified versions of "Find your perfect mate" that might exist in some cheesy teen magazines. A semen analysis was also conducted as a final step. I was told not to discuss my application or risk expulsion from the university. At no point was I ever told any real detail about the curriculum, other than the fact that it would be extremely useful in my future career and aid in important research that the university was conducting. I definitely had my doubts at this point that this class was even a class let alone something that would be valuable to me. I started to become ambivalent about it as I waited to hear back. Did I really want this?
Getting the email that I had been admitted was both thrilling and terrifying. I was issued a new student ID card with an RFID chip that would allow me to enter the basement floor of the Sawyer lab building where the class took place. I was instructed to enter the building from the door near the loading dock, which was normally off limits to students, swipe my badge at the freight elevator and proceed to the basement.
On that August day as I made my way down in the elevator, alone, I was feeling lightheaded as I wondered what was in store for me. I walked out of the elevator into the basement, where I had never previously been, as all other stairwells and elevators only go up from the first floor. I made my way down a brightly lit sterile white hallway, like something you would find in a hospital, my curiosity was reaching a breaking point.
I looked down at my schedule to make sure I was in the right place. Room 012. I was a few minutes early but thought it best to go and get settled in. I approached the door and noticed a small security camera and a badge reader. I swiped my badge and heard the door click open. I stepped inside and was immediately presented with another door and another badge reader, along with a sign on the door in bold red print.
CLOSE OUTSIDE DOOR BEFORE SWIPING BADGE
I turned to confirm the hall door was closed before taking a breath and swiping my badge again. The door clicked and came ajar.
I opened the door and saw...a somewhat strangely laid out theater style classroom. There were about 20 small two person tables in a semi circle around several beds set up in the middle of the room. Strangely, they were not hospital type beds but rather normal queen sized beds, replete with colorful patterned sheets and pillows. There were several other smaller cots in the back, as well as some areas that were curtained off, like you might see in an ER or something similar.
Several posters straight out of an OB/GYN office with drawings of pregnant women and anatomy lined the walls. Other posters depicting various sexual positions were on the opposite wall near the entrance door. The room was about half full of students. Each table had 2 name tags and was set up with a sealed manila folder and a small blue plastic container.
I found my name and sat down, placing my backpack at my feet. Assigned seating is not the norm in university. I couldn't help but look at the name on the folder next to me: Sara P.
As I looked around the room I noticed a woman and a man seated together at each table. A low murmur filled the room as everyone was whispering quietly to each other while the rest of the class filled in, the door making a "click" as each person entered. I hadn't yet seen anyone that looked like a professor, but there was a female student sitting alone in the back wearing a loose fitting robe, staring at her phone. She was young, clearly a student, but it was hard to make out much more from my vantage point.
I was looking around the room to see if I could recognize anyone from a prior class, when I heard the chair next to me slide from the desk. A woman about my age took a seat next to me. Sara P.
"Hi, are you Sara?" I asked. She looked at me quizzically for a brief second before looking down at her folder and smiling slightly. "I'm Alex", I said.
"Sara", she said as she extended her hand to me. "This is definitely different", she said as she surveyed the room, just as I had done. I nodded and shrugged.
"She's kind of cute", I thought to myself. Sara was about 5'7", I guessed. She was wearing a long white skirt with a pale blue top and had fairly large breasts. She was wearing cat's eye type dark framed glasses and had her dark brown hair pulled back in a pony tail. Today she'd be considered "thick" but in another era, she'd be voluptuous.
"So what have you heard?", Sara asked as she leaned in towards me. Her hair smelled like chamomile tea. "I had to take an ovulation test this morning", she said incredulously.
"I had to take a semen analysis. I had to jerk off into a cup in a room on the 3rd floor last week", I replied. Sara leaned back and covered her mouth with her hand.
Our conversation was cut short as a voice echoed through the room. "Hello all. It's nice to see everyone made it here today. I'm Professor Aiken". A woman emerged from the black curtain at the back and strode toward the middle of the room and stood between the beds. Professor Aiken must have been late 30s. Blond, about 5'5", with what I would say was a classic "mom bod". Not unattractive at all. The whispering stopped suddenly.
"You probably have many questions about what this class is about", she said. "Before I can answer them, please open your Manila folders and read and sign the first page." In unison the class opened their folder. I looked down at the first page.