No matter what your major is, everyone has taken a truly horrifying intro class that’s made you rethink your major. For me, that class was Chem 1210 (General Chemistry 1).
It was not a wonderful experience.
I distinctly remember the second midterm, where I walked out of the testing center in tears after scoring a 78%, the lowest score I had ever gotten on an exam. Although I was upset about my score, and worried about what that would do for my overall grade in the class, what made me more upset was the level of preparation I had put into the test. Not only had I studied diligently every day during Fall break, but I had also scored 98% and 100% on the two (graded) practice exams. I hated how the practice exam could be so different from the actual test. Despite this experience, I continued to work hard in the class and managed to earn an A at the end of the semester.
I did not wind up changing my major, and in the summer I continued with chemistry. I found the summer classes less stressful; and it was during a quiet moment of doing homework that I realized that I actually enjoyed chemistry. I enjoyed working through the problems, and learning about the way the world is held together. So why did I hate chemistry classes so incredibly much?
The answer to this question is the culture surrounding “weeder” classes in college. Rather than trying to inspire interest or passion for a subject, most intro classes are geared towards making students think they hate a subject. This system exists to weed out the people who “don’t want to put in the work” or people “who are not truly invested in the subject”. While it is fair that students need to understand the level of commitment required for their selected field of study, I think this system promotes the premature closing of academic doors during a time of life that should promote growth and curiosity. Some people know exactly what they want to accomplish when they go to college, most do not. I believe intro classes should be as challenging as they need to be, but not miserable (no graded practice tests!), to allow students to explore new subjects.
I resent the fact that I spend so much of my college career thinking only about my grades, and what material will be on the next exam rather than thinking about the implications of what I am learning. Moments of excitement, curiosity, and interest should not be rare in the life of a student, they should drive a desire to learn more. While there is no dumbing down difficult subjects, colleges need to focus less on “weeding” out students and more on producing the impassioned professionals that are so desperately needed in today’s world.