I’m not a student that goes terribly far outside my comfort zone. I like diving deeper into the topics I’ve already built a foundation into, where I know the professor, grading system, and homework load; thus, my semesters have been pretty exclusively full of writing, Spanish, and theater classes. This semester, though, I signed up for a first-session non-major class, and in reflection, wondered why I haven’t taken more non-major classes.
And then I remembered the two biggest obstacles: fitting them into my schedule, and how they can sometimes be more difficult than I first thought.
Though EMU’s size allows us a good deal of flexibility when it comes to schedules, interdisciplinary students sometimes find many of the classes they’re interested in fall on the same time slot: this semester, I had four. For my Theatre minor, I wanted to take dance, for Honors, Music in Marvel, for Spanish, The Latino Experience, and just for fun/career exploration, Intro to Programming. In the end, I chose Intro to Programming, but only after days of indecision.
I wished they hadn’t all been scheduled for the same time…but then, should the Spanish department have to take my Theatre classes into consideration? I imagine the scheduling process is already difficult enough as it is, and I can’t ask our hardworking professors and staff to take on chronological tetris just because I happen to be passionate about both linguistics and acting.
Then, the workload: I’m so glad I took the Intro to Programming class, but I can’t pretend it didn’t become the class I spent the most time on. While this could be because two-credit-hour, one-session classes are really equivalent to four for a full semester (a fact I continue to inconveniently forget), I suspect another reason: because I didn’t have programming experience, I had to spend time building a foundation of skills and making all the “rookie mistakes,” which slowed me down significantly.
If you read my last editorial, you know I’m “part of a certain population of undergrads: academically motivated, over-committed, and prey to the looming feeling of discomfort when I have too much uncompleted homework.”* I’ll also cite the words of Contributing Writer Joyce Beachy, which reflect my experience as well: “…I delved into extra study, determined that I would master the material…Many students do like a challenge, after all.”**
Being one of those aforementioned students, I also delved into extra study, and I felt very satisfied with my efforts at the culmination of the class. However, not every “just-for-fun” class ends up being just for fun.
I’ve had friends who have shared that non-major classes they have taken for fun have ended up becoming an unexpected drain on their time or, worse, a source of stress. Whether from an academic standpoint or simply being passionate or curious about something new, wanting to do well in a non-major class should not become stressful—ideally, it could be a low-stakes way to try out a new interest, develop skills, and become a well-rounded student.
So how can we make non-major classes more accessible, both before and after they start? I don’t know the answer. I don’t know how to lower the stress of starting something new, let alone addressing the scheduling overlap.
However, thanks to CS 145, I can write Python programs, and if I put myself to the task, I just might be able to debug that one out.
*The editorial I referenced can be found in the Sept 27 edition.
**Read Beachy’s opinion piece, “Lowering or Raising the Bar for EMU’s Core Classes” in the Oct 11 edition of the Weather Vane.