Especially for freshmen, the core can seem like an insurmountable pain. You might have come to BC knowing exactly what you wanted to do or have no clue. Either way, you have a list of incomplete interdisciplinary requisites. Retrospectively I would characterize my time in core requisite classes as Dickens’ put it. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…”
This sounds cliché, but core classes really can change your life. I came into BC knowing I was a “science person,” and took PULSE just to get it out of the way. Science was what I was good at in high school and I had planned to parlay that natural aptitude right into a career in nursing. I honestly only tried to get into PULSE as a freshman because other kids wanted it, so I figured it must not suck that much. PULSE really didn’t suck at all; in fact it changed the way I thought about the world, introduced me to a new way of learning Theology, and started me on a path that inspires me to explore my role in social activism. I am now a very content and excited theology major, and I can’t believe I ever limited my scope of academic pursuit to just the sciences. The core can help us break the gilded versions of our future that we envision when we first get to college, and allow us room to grow and explore ourselves in a more organic way. I’m sure not everyone has as defined dreams of the future as I did, and I would imaging the core can help those who are searching for their passion as well. The core may be demanding, but it is truly rife with opportunity.
Sometimes core classes might not set your soul on fire, and that’s ok too. I would be lying if I said that every core class I took inspired me. Some will be hard; some will be boring; and some you will probably forget you ever took. I have spent entire nights ripping through chemistry textbooks cursing about how once upon a time I was the naive freshman in the world who thought college chemistry would not be too hard. Still, there are some silver linings to being enrolled in “terrible” core classes. You will probably find people in there who are just as miserable and inept as you, and your late night study sessions will be filled with laughter about the professor’s bow ties and the what the kid in front of you was Googling during the last class. You might even surprise yourself with what you can do, big curves will help with this. Most important is you will get through it and when it’s done you will be so very pleased with the stars that show a completed core on the left side of your degree audit.
So whether or not you have enjoyed your cores so far, remember to keep your mind always open to new experiences. Choose your cores wisely, as a good teacher can make almost anything better. Lastly, don’t be afraid to take something out of your comfort zone, even if you think it just might not suck that much.