Junior biology major
The second semester of this school year is still nascent, and before it progresses any further, such as next week (when the drop/add date expires), it would be wise to take a moment to assess how we all can approach this semester to make sure we get what we want out of it.
Perhaps some of us are hoping to improve our GPAs or develop stronger relationships with previous professors or join new clubs. Whatever those goals might be, planning is crucial to ensure when we do pass the point of no return, we will be capable of ensuring we meet them.
One good way to prepare for the semester is to recall the experiences we all have had on our first days of classes. If a course is writing-intensive and one has already registered for similar classes, it might be wise to switch into another course if one’s major permits.
Checking professor reviews is another good way to gauge the difficulty of a class and to better assess one’s ability to succeed. Having a feel for the overall intelligence of other students is necessary as well, because some courses are curved and peer-to-peer competition is a significant factor in the final grade.
Although these measures are used to estimate the chances of one’s success in one’s courses this semester, one should also keep in mind to not underestimate oneself.
Who knows what kind of exponential growth one is capable of when one is put in a situation in which success is a necessity rather than a hope?
For the more upper-level classes, at which point major requirements are pretty much completed, perhaps one should think about filling the rest of the credits with classes that teach material in fields one will most likely not encounter after graduating.
As a biology major, I was glad to register for a film studies class this semester to gain a deeper understanding on one of my all-time favorite hobbies. Now that I think of it, after graduation, I will not likely have the time, resources or opportunity to engage in learning about this subject in the depth a semesterlong course provides.
Be sure not to take for granted that we are so intimately involved in an institution where scholarly information is so readily available. When we step out of this university to begin the next stages of our lives, we could very well be leaving behind the tomes of information we would have liked to have learned but never will.
So whatever our goals for this semester are, take this weekend, for that is all the time that is left, to do some research on what we want to accomplish at this university. Although we might only be here for four years, the decisions we make in a few days can very well have lifelong consequences.
Patrick An is a junior biology major. He can be reached at patandbk@gmail.com.
