If you’re considering Conn, you’ve probably explored the website and learned that, as part of Conn’s curriculum, all first-year students have to take a First-Year Seminar. The course has a small number of students that are also your orientation group. You receive close advising from the professor, a staff member, and student advisors throughout the course of the semester. While all FYS courses focus on the development of college writing skills, there are FYS courses on a wide range of unique topics, such as “Conceptions of Home and Place” and “Perform the World You Want.”
When I applied to Conn, I really did not have a clue what I would major in. Based on what I had enjoyed in high school, I thought that maybe I’d major in Human Development or Linguistics. So, when choosing my FYS, I took my cluelessness as an opportunity to try something new. At the recommendation of my step-dad, who majored in Philosophy, I chose a Philosophy course as my FYS called “Uncommon Sense.”
In “Uncommon Sense,” we explored the uncommon ways of thinking and odd philosophies of ancient and modern philosophers like Plato and Descartes. We applied our learning and developed our own philosophical ideas through assignments and papers. This course rewarded creative ways of thinking and challenged the way I approached problems, which I loved so much that I would go to office hours at least three times a week just to chat with my professor about the class content.
With the encouragement of my professor, I took two more Philosophy courses the following semester which solidified my interest in philosophy, and the rest is history! I declared my major in Philosophy in Fall 2021 and my FYS professor is now my major adviser. This year, I have taken interesting courses such as “Philosophy of Law,” “Jewish Philosophy,” and “Free Will and Moral Responsibility,” and I joined the Philosophy Student Advisory Board.
Taking the opportunity to explore a new subject through my FYS course completely changed the course of my college education. Who knows what I would’ve studied otherwise? Philosophy has given me a completely new perspective on the world and I’m glad I took an uncommon FYS, “Uncommon Sense”!