You click submit. You see those little green dots dance in a circle. It seems like they’re mocking you; they’re taking their sweet time to load while you’re sitting there anxiously waiting. Your friends around you, one by one, start saying which classes they got into and which ones were too full. But your screen is still dark, and those dots are still spinning. Finally the screen switches. Your stomach drops as you realize you only got into one class.
That’s how the morning of class registration went for me. After hours of mulling over the course list and major and minor requirements, I had created my ideal schedule: one chemistry course, one psychology course, one biology course, and one philosophy course, all of which I had a genuine interest in taking (except maybe for chemistry). I even had backups just in case some of my classes filled up, but I wasn’t too concerned—I really thought I would get into every class. And then only one class went through—philosophy, an LSC of all courses.
So there I was, with one philosophy class in my schedule when I actually needed the chemistry, psychology, and biology courses. After scrambling through the course list, I was finally able to register for a biology and psychology class that would fulfill my major requirements, as well as a religion course that would fulfill an LSC. Though I was relieved that I now had a full schedule, I couldn’t help but be disheartened at the fact that I didn’t want any of these courses—none of the classes had even made my backup list. I started to worry about the coming semester. Would I be miserable in these courses that I didn’t even want to take in the first place?
After talking to my advisor, I realized that as long as I am working towards my major, I shouldn’t be concerned. Even though I may not have wanted these courses originally, taking something that may be outside my specific field of interest is an opportunity to explore new subjects I wouldn’t have previously considered. Maybe I’ll realize that I love the biology behind growth and development or the mechanisms behind animal learning and behavior. Maybe I’ll absolutely love my schedule next semester, or maybe I won’t. Either way, I will learn valuable information that will expand my knowledge of the world around me. And that’s the whole point of college isn’t it?
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