Gen Eds: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
By Michael, a Peer Tutor
As a double major in physics and environmental science, my main stressors in a typical semester are a pair of STEM classes. Unfortunately, this makes the other classes, namely those required by the IDEAs in Action General Education Curriculum, all the more frustrating. I often think of a writing assignment in these courses as a quick and easy project to complete after my more pressing math homework. But then I am surprised when said essay requires a good deal more time and effort than I accounted for. However, for all the complaining I do about gen eds, my overall experience has been positive. As I reflect on my classes so far, I believe I have found some patterns that can help me get the most out of my remaining gen eds.
I am glad I chose to take Triple-I with a friend, as even though there were other sections that sounded more interesting, I only heard negative things about them. Having a friend made me want to show up for class and gave me someone to commiserate with when the lectures dragged on.
My main regret with gen eds is History 140: not the class itself, but rather my approach to it. I took it alongside Physics 118 and Calc 233, and those eight credit hours took most of my focus and energy. The history assignments were mostly essays based on books, which I would put off reading until the final day or two. This led to rushed, subpar writing, but also meant I didn’t retain as much from the class as I could have. I was intrigued by the perspectives the books gave on topical subjects such as the Iranian revolution and the displacement of Palestinians following the Six-Day War. Now, I wish I had more from the class to draw on when discussing current events with friends and family.
My two favorite gen eds have been Linguistics 101 and Anthropology 284. I took both because of friends who were enrolled, but also because the material interested me. The classes dove deep into topics I usually take for granted: speech, human interaction, and material consumption. These factors made me engage more readily with the lectures and assignments. I had a similar STEM dilemma as I did with history: during both classes (two separate semesters) I was also taking two physics classes. However, the assignments and readings were surprisingly accommodating. Instead of large assignments and books due only a few times a semester, linguistics had weekly readings and homework, and anthropology had a few pages of reading and short responses due each class. To my brain, this was a lot less daunting, and prevented me from procrastinating. I ended up enjoying these readings and assignments and used them as a break from more frustrating physics homework.
Although I frequently lament the quantity of “unnecessary” gen eds that I have to take as a STEM major—ones that don’t count for anything else—I now find myself wishing I had more time to learn about novel and important subjects, and I hope to make the most of my final opportunities. Taking classes with my friends will still factor into my decisions, but I plan to prioritize subjects that I find intriguing, so that I will better enjoy the lectures and homework. I also hope to find classes that aren’t graded by just a few things, but that have frequent small assignments that force me to engage on a regular basis. If not, I resolve to set weekly or daily deadlines for myself as a way of avoiding procrastination and making the work more manageable and enjoyable to my easily intimidated mind.