Take A Class Simply Because It Sounds Interesting!

A stressed student wondering “why did I take this class, again”?

For the past two or so days, if you are at the Mount Holyoke campus, all you have heard about is fall classes. Yes, classes are up on ISIS! Some students are already stressed saying things like: “what class am I going to take?,” “there aren’t any 300 levels that fit into my schedule,” “I’m screwed” and so on. Well, I am going to give you advice that’ll make your stressed-out-self thank me. That is if you take it!

Most students, especially those at the sophomore and junior level, find themselves worried about not having ALL of their classes related to their major. A lot of the times students end up taking classes that they have no interest in simply because “it’ll go towards my major anyway.” And then four weeks into the semester, they are cursing themselves out wondering “why the hell did I take this class, again?”

Well, instead of feeling like you’ve made a mistake too late into the semester, how about taking a class that sounds interesting to you? When coming into college, teachers and well-wishers told us to do something we love and enjoy, and the money will come afterwards.  During our first year, Professors told us to experiment with different classes, something we may have never known existed before like “Critical Social Thought” and worry about what to major in later on. Whatever happened to these advices? And don’t give me that “we grew up” tired and way too old answer. Why do you, as a sophomore or a junior, have to take courses that are only within your major? I know many students will bring up the argument that they do take classes outside of their major. “Classes for distribution requirement” they’ll say; but that don’t really mean taking a class simply for the fact that it might interest you. Distribution requirements all fall into a certain category: humanities, sciences, etc. that you must follow. What I mean is take a class just for the heck of the prospect of enjoying it or trying out something new! And who knows, you might end up learning so much, about yourself even.

A happier, less stressed student!

Last semester, I took five classes that were all for my major. It was the worst semester of my entire 14 years of schooling, first because of the credit overload, and most importantly, due to the fact that I found myself learning about international relations related stuff in all of my courses.  It became so boring that after a while, I would struggle to stay awake. A lesson learned, I am currently taking four classes only. I reluctantly gave up the decision to take my final economics requirement course and instead enrolled in a creative writing class. It is almost April and I can easily say it was the best decision I have made this semester thus far. Not only do I love and enjoy every assignment, reading, and session, creative writing gives me a break from studying IR in my other three classes. I have also learned that I adore writing short stories. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll write some worthy of publication. Look, I found another possible job: fiction writing.

So, when registering for classes next week, take at least one class just for the mere fact that you find it interesting and nothing else. And if not, one class that’s a tad bit easier than the other three will work just fine. You’ll certainly thank me come November!