Finding a Diamond in the Rough
I am one of the few college students who knew what they wanted to major in upon starting college in the Fall. A political science major and a writing minor perfectly encapsulated two things that I’m passionate about: politics and writing. I have no idea what I want to do after college, but I have a general idea of what kind of work I’d like to get into. And on the days where I’m running on five hours of sleep and an iced coffee, frantically writing in my planner and trying to organize seemingly every aspect of my life, that’s enough.
So, if I know what I’m interested in, and I’m confident in my major then why take gen-eds? I’m bad at math, I know I’m bad at math, so why do I need to take a math class? Well, the answer to the second question is simple enough: basic Algebra will, most likely, be something I need to use in the future when I’m figuring out college loans. So, there’s that to look forward to. But, in the grand scheme of higher education, gen-eds play an important role in figuring out not only what one may want to do in life, but what else one wants to do as well.
To start, for those who are undecided, gen-eds are an excellent opportunity to try out a variety of different classes. This allows you to figure out which classes you like, and which you don’t. Even if you’re required to take a class in a certain discipline, make sure you check out what types of classes that discipline is offering. For example, if you need to fulfill a social science requirement and you’re planning to do so with a Psych class, see what different Psych classes are being offered that semester. You don’t have to take Intro to Psych – you can take a Psychology of Racism class, or a Psychology of Human Sexuality class if either of those sound interesting to you. If you don’t take risks and try new things, then you’ll never figure out what you like and what you don’t.
For me, a lot of things changed when I took my first Sociology class. The class was about Urban Inequality, and when I was registering the previous semester, I figured it was something I’d be interested in. After all, I do go to school in the city and I’m interested in social justice. It wasn’t until halfway through the class that I realized how much I was learning, how much I didn’t know before, and, most importantly, how much I looked forward to the class every week. Urban development and inequality, I discovered, is something that I’m intensely passionate about. Why? Because I believe that I’m part of a generation of activists, one that can make real progress fixing decade old problems that have led to urban inequality.
At the end of the class, the professor told me that she looked forward to seeing me in her other classes in the future and that I had a real knack for urban development discourse. Midway through the semester during registration, I registered for Sociology 101 in the Fall and added a second minor: Sociology. If I didn’t have to take gen-eds, then I wouldn’t have had to take any other classes outside of my major and minor ones, and I never would have realized that I love sociology. Admittedly, I almost love it more than Political Science.
So, make the most out of your gen-eds! Try and find a class that both interests you and fulfills some general education requirements. Two birds, one stone. You may just discover that you’re passionate about something you never considered before. And while finding that passion may mean suffering through Algebra or Biology (unless you’re into those sorts of things), it’s definitely worth it in the end.
By: Kaitlyn Greenholt