Her peers are probably at an exotic beach somewhere, having a wild time during that annual pilgrimage of party-hungry college students known as spring break.
But Camille Petty has spent much of her week at the post office.
Along with nearly two dozen eager travelers, the second-year Peabody Institute piano student spent a morning this week at Baltimore's main post office applying for a passport.
She needs it for a fellowship to study musicology in Moscow this summer. But like a record number of Americans with dreams of traveling abroad, she must wait.
Frustrated applicants are clogging passport acceptance offices nationwide in numbers never before seen, creating a backlog that has extended the typical wait time of about six weeks to 10, according to the U.S. Department of State. Even the government's so-called expedited process - which costs extra - is taking much more time these days.
January through April is peak application season, but this year, new rules requiring passports for travelers flying between the United States and the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada have exacerbated the load. The requirements, which went into effect in late January, are the first in a series of sweeping documentation changes since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Travelers accustomed to flying into Mexico or Canada with only a driver's license and birth certificate will now need passports. In addition, passports will be needed for U.S. citizens returning from Central and South America. Next year, they will be required for travelers crossing boarders by land and water.
In 2006, the State Department processed about 12 million passports. It expects that figure to jump to about 17 million by the end of this year, said Ann Barrett, deputy assistant secretary of state for passport services. So far, applications are up 50 percent over this time last year, she said.
"We are committed to meeting the travel needs of our customers, but obviously we have a lot more work in our system," she said. "We have known this demand was coming, and we are meeting it. We appreciate everyone's patience."
Barrett said the agency plans to hire 150 more workers by the end of 2008. She said people scheduled to travel within two weeks might apply through one of the State Department's 17 passport agency offices nationwide, which include an office in Washington.
Desperate travelers are shelling out extra cash to private expediter companies to get their passports faster. Clients mail documents to the company, and the expediters hand-deliver the paperwork to passport offices.
"We are getting frantic calls," said Fatemeh LeTellier, director of marketing for Travel Document Systems. "People use companies such as ours because they are facing a brick wall and have no other options."
But even expediters are caught in the backlog. Travel Document Systems' two-to-three day service now takes closer to two weeks, said LeTellier. It also offers a 24-hour service, which for a new passport costs $307. Still, the company makes no promises about delivery times.
"Guarantee is a very strong word, because we're dealing with a government entity," LeTellier said.
Numerous Baltimore area post offices accept applications, but only a handful, including the main office downtown, accommodate people without appointments.
These days, lines start forming outside the massive Fayette Street office at 8 a.m., even though the sole passport attendant does not receive customers until 9:30 a.m.
The office has three clerks trained to handle passports, but they do not work on the same days. In a push to accommodate demand, an additional clerk is being trained to process requests, said Freda Sauter, a spokeswoman with the postal service.
Customers take a number and wait, but because of the volume of applicants, on some days the office stops accepting applicants as early as noon.
Petty arrived last week at 3 p.m., but a clerk told her there were no more slots available, she said. Petty returned another day, but she said someone told her the clerk was on lunch hour.
She arrived at 9 a.m., determined, albeit weary.
"I'm irritated and I'm tired; I just want to go to bed," said Petty, 19, as she sat crouched in a corner, a cell phone in one hand, an envelope of precious documents in the other.
"I've seen the same people all week," she said. "We all say, 'How are you?' It's great because we all can commiserate."
Annoyed, some applicants turn away and leave; a handful of patient souls bring newspapers or schoolwork. Some chide each other about their favorite teams to win the NCAA men's basketball championship, or make light of having to fake a sick day at work to complete their applications.
Others swap stories about their fast-approaching trips: a once-in-a-lifetime sea voyage to the Arctic Circle, a best friend's wedding in Jamaica and a wine tour throughout Spain.
Sister Brenda Cherry arrived promptly at 8:15 one morning, hoping to be done in time to greet her third-graders at St. James and John Catholic Elementary School. It was her third trip to post office, but this time she was second in line.
"I didn't know what the person in front of me was here for - all I knew was I was second," said Cherry, 67, who is going on a Caribbean cruise with her sister in June. She paid an extra $60 for an expedited passport, which she was told would arrive around May 28.
Sauter said the post office is working to process as many requests as possible, but it has experienced a 50 percent increase in applications over last year.
Contributing to the long waits are customers with incorrect documents and application errors, she said.
Processing a request can take up to 20 minutes, said Lori McCoy, a passport acceptance clerk, who before opening the counter yesterday warned the crowd about common mistakes. Speaking slowly and with a smile, she patiently handed out extra applications.
"They are usually frustrated by the time the get to me," said McCoy. "But with my personality, I jut try to calm them down and help them out."
Applicants must show valid birth certificates, not photocopies. Driver's licenses must be current. And the oath at the bottom of the application must be signed in the presence of the clerk. Those who sign it beforehand must start over and complete a new application.
Some applicants, such as Virginia and Frank Martin of Canton, show up to renew their passports, a procedure that can be done by mail.
The Martins said they didn't want to take chances with a three-week expedition to the Arctic Circle planned for June. The retirees' passports boast stamps marking entry to such countries as Thailand, New Guinea and Uzbekistan.
Said Virginia Martin: "I hope we're not too late."
kelly.brewington@baltsun.com
How to obtain a passport
New applicants must apply in person at one of the nation's 8,000 passport acceptance facilities. Many are located within post offices and clerks of court offices. Bring with you:
Completed application
Two identical passport photographs
Proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate
Proof of identity, such as a driver's license
$97 fee, $60 extra for expedited service
Renewals may be done by mail. Include:
Completed application
Most recent passport
Two identical passport photographs
$67 fee, $60 extra for expedited service.
For more information visit: http:--travel.state.gov/passport