When you start college, every adult tells you to “follow your passions.” I remember this clichéd advice every time course offerings for the next semester are released, as they were Monday of this week. After a half-hour daydreaming about the COD — now the SOC because the University’s always keeping us on our toes in the technological realm — I realized I can’t take costume design or Italian Renaissance Art because I still have to fulfill some tedious requirements for my major.
I spent my first two years here getting basic requirements out of the way and enrolling in typical first-year lectures like Introductory Psychology, only to be subjected to an entirely new set of requirements after entering the Commerce School. In light of these limitations, I’m going to pretend for a little while that I’m the free-spirited hippie that pop culture makes us college kids out to be and pick the classes I’d take in my ideal world.
Despite my inability to draw a stick figure, I’d really like to take Introduction to Painting I. This class would let me wax nostalgic about my days in kindergarten, undoubtedly the best year of my life. And though painting doesn’t seem like a marketable skill, it would come in handy when my younger brother needs help with book report posters. Introduction to Photography I would be valuable as well, allowing me to upload more artistic pictures to Facebook. Unlike 98 percent of the student body, my albums wouldn’t just consist of friends smiling and clutching Solo cups.
There are also foreign language classes that seem pretty cool. The new course catalog lists Modern Paris as a class. I spent a week in Paris during the summer — a week which rivaled my aforementioned kindergarten days — so I bet an entire semester learning about the city wouldn’t be too bad. Also, if you’re looking for an easy class, it would be wise to take beginning Greek or Spanish. Introductory language courses devote a minimum of two weeks to the alphabet, and we all already know the Greek alphabet because we see it emblazoned on hundreds of sweatshirts daily. Also, you’re probably well-equipped for some beginning Spanish just by living in America. It’s hard to buy anything at Best Buy without getting an instruction pamphlet in Spanish.
In my ideal schedule, I would take an astronomy course or Materials That Shape Civilizations to fulfill science credits. In astronomy, you get to learn about stars and the solar system, which has been an ongoing fascination of mine since watching “E.T.” for the first time in 1993. Also, if you’re so lucky as to ever get class in the planetarium, you’ll just get to lie back in a dark room, in which case having a throbbing hang over isn’t even an obstacle for attendance. Materials That Shape Civilizations, a course in the environmental sciences department, is another solid choice. If cavemen figured out how to build a civilization, it can’t be too tough. And according to my credible source (ratemyprofessors.com), you get extra credit just for showing up to lecture.
In the humanities realm, there are some classes I’d love to take, like poetry writing. Because poetry can be interpreted in so many ways, it seems like professors couldn’t justify giving bad grades. In fact, it seems unethical to give Bs in this class, as a student’s work is just a reflection of his or her “feelings.” For politics, I’d like to take any of Larry Sabato’s classes, which come with the perks of meeting high-profile politicians, or the international relations class that’s supposedly taught by my mom’s junior prom date — although I’m still skeptical of the notion that my parents had lives before I got here.
We’re allowed to earn up to two credits by taking P.E. courses, which bear no resemblance to the jail-cell-uniform-mandating, jumping-jack-inducing gym classes of middle school. I wish I had the time to take Golf, which would prevent me from embarrassing myself in front of future colleagues and give me something to do with my dad during the summer. Scuba Diving is also offered; little-known fact is that there’s an ocean behind K-Mart on 29. Sadly, some of these classes are unavailable in the fall, like sitting on your ass — aka Yoga — or Wushu, whatever that might be.
Unfortunately, next year I’m condemned to the riveting classrooms of Advanced Investments and Commercial Law. While these courses may help me secure a job, they certainly don’t allow me to explore the world of a cinema-studying, Birkenstock-wearing college student. Maybe the University should take a lesson from some liberal arts schools and reduce stringent graduation requirements. Or maybe I should have just listened to the advice to “leave my comfort zone,” as corny as it may sound. As a consolation, I’ll graduate happily if I can just squeeze in Terror and Taboo in Russian Childlore — which, for those interested, is in the Slavic folklore and oral literature department.
Abby’s column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at a.coster@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | 6 days agoWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | January 6, 2025What the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
