Dominique Barrett
Any student that has pursued getting their learner’s permit or driver’s license has had to visit the Department of Motor Vehicles otherwise known as the DMV.
It is rare to find someone who has had a pleasant experience at the DMV. Anyone who has ever been there knows it is full every day of the week. There is no such thing as a good time to walk into the DMV.
MC junior Marian Kearns has first-hand experience with going to the DMV. She visited the Claremont Mesa DMV where the first thing that stood out was the dull setting.
“It’s [the DMV] kind of ugly. It’s just blue and gray and squares. Every building, every structure in the DMV is some rectangular square shape,” Kearns said. “It was really hot and there was so many people packed into a small space that you could feel their body heat searing me.”
Despite the dim setting, Kearns had a set appointment which reduced the duration of her trip.
“It’s best to set your appointments earlier because the appointments are usually full,” Kearns said. “There was the long line and the appointment line, which was considerably shorter.”
Before her trip Kearns did some research amongst her peers about the driver instructors.
“I’ve heard from a lot of people that the driving test people are weird. She was talking in code or something. I had no idea what she was saying; I had to pay extra attention,” Kearns said “She kept nodding to herself and scribbling in her notebook. That was making me paranoid.”
Another note about the DMV Kearns took away from her trip was regarding the people.
“The guy in front of me was a Korean exchange student with a pink mini cooper. So that was really weird.”
Some tips to lessen the stress of this experience would be to come prepared and have patience. Print and fill out any paperwork you may need, even if you don’t think you’ll need it, play it safe and bring it anyways. If you decide to make an appointment, be warned that there is typically at least a 2 week queue. Find something to smile about and good luck.
