Enrollment can be a stressful time for us students. Especially when there seems to be an overwhelming number of requirements that we must fulfill in order to graduate. With enrollment for next semester right around the corner, it is a good time to start thinking and planning ahead to make your schedule work for you. Doing more of what you want is entirely possible, even with taking prerequisite courses and fulfilling requirements. All it takes is a little forethought, future planning, a positive attitude and an open mind.
The moment a new student sets foot on this campus, they should be looking far enough ahead to make their schedule work for them and not be forced to work for their schedule. This does not mean meticulously planning out every single semester from freshman to senior year. What this does mean is doing a little self-reflection and evaluating what you like to do and what you have to do as far as required courses. Be sure to balance out your schedule as best you can with courses that you enjoy and that you need. By balancing out your schedule, you will limit the chances of having a semester where you only take courses you dislike or feel forced to take, which is never a good thing. If students prepare and plan ahead, graduating in four years, studying abroad, having a double major or certificate, exploring classes of interest and fulfilling all necessary requirements can be done.
We will always have to do things that we don’t want to do. It is a fact of life. We don’t always want to get out of bed in the morning, but we have to do it. We don’t always want to get a job, but if we don’t we won’t have any money to buy food or football tickets or clothes. We don’t always want to take 100-level courses, but if we don’t, we won’t have the skills or knowledge to take upper-level courses. If we don’t take upper-level courses we won’t be able to graduate, and if we don’t graduate than we won’t be able get that six-figure salary or dream job we covet. You see how that works? A 100-level course will not directly help you find a job, but it will directly help you do other things and those other things will ultimately help you find a job. In a similar fashion, ethnic studies courses or natural science requirements, for example, may be completely irrelevant to your area of interest, but by taking them you will be learning something outside of your comfort zone that you may find even more interesting than what you are already majoring in. Some of the best classes I’ve taken on campus have been outside my history and psychology majors. Regardless, even if you still think 100-level courses or university requirements are a waste of time, then think of them as easy A’s or GPA boosters and get them out of the way early on in your years at Madison.
University requirements are not meant to limit us students or make our lives more difficult. They are meant to ensure that we maximize our education by guaranteeing that we take a wide variety of courses. These courses are intended to expand our world view and keep us open-minded. The greatest asset of a liberal education is that students are able to complete a diverse range of classes that will help them view the world in a broader fashion and teach them how to acquire and retain a wide range of skills and knowledge. By taking multiple classes, students are not limited to a narrow range within their major, but have the chance to explore other potential fields of study that might interest them more than the topic they are currently focusing on. Requirements are not meant to be restrictions. Keep an open mind when enrolling for courses you don’t usually take, and enter every class with a positive attitude and a belief you will learn something new and valuable.
When enrolling for classes next semester, regardless of your standing or year in school, remember to prepare and plan ahead to keep your schedule balanced, realize you will always have to do things you don’t want to, stay positive and keep an open mind.
Tom is a junior majoring in history and psychology. How do you feel about Tom’s ideas for how to structure a schedule? Send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
