Freshmen are always encouraged to explore. Take a subject you’ve never heard of, join a club you were too nervous to get involved in before, or hit “random selection” on the online roommate form and pray the force is with you. We are frequently praised for mustering the courage to take a whack at the unfamiliar. As this spring quarter comes to a close and summertime in Chicagoland emerges, signaling summer vacation, I have decided to reflect on the series of mostly sporadic decisions I decided to make during my time as a freshman in college. In this recollection of the (mostly) marvelous adventures I embarked on, I will explore what it was like for me to take a 6:00 to 9:15pm class.
1. You only attend class once a week.
I found this tidbit to be both a blessing and a curse. Though this decision blessed me with only 1 class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, my Mondays were rough. My box of spring quarter chocolates gave me three classes to juggle on a single Monday. My first class was from 9:40 to 11:10, the second was from 4:20 to 5:50, and night class was from 6:00 to 9:15. I oftentimes felt pretty overwhelmed and longed to burrito myself in blankets for a nap. If you are like me and a) use the term bedtime and b) think hitting the hay at 11 o’clock is a tad late, then c) brace yourself.
2. Time management skills will (hopefully) be on fleek
Despite the lack of a break time gnawing away at my soul, it also transformed me into quite the planner. In order to be prepared for my heavy duty Monday Funday, the art of lollygagging was banished from my brain. I was a lean, mean, 5 to 7-page paper typing machine that developed an affinity for coffee machines.
3. Your definition of dinner will be vastly different than usual.
For the majority of Homo sapiens, dinner time usually falls into the hours of precisely 6 to 9. Though we were welcomed to bring something to snack on and were given a 15-minute break to possibly grab something for munching, I was never able to chow down on too much on a Monday night. To compensate this caloric imbalance, I did adopt a “linner” policy (eating a later, more substantial lunch) that worked out pretty swell. However, I am a 5’4 little girl whose body does not require too much fuel to function. Someone whose appetite is more along the lines of Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation could quite possibly be very hungry. Maybe even hangry (simultaneously hungry and angry).
4. Having class once a week does not necessarily reduce the amount of homework.
Despite our limited class meetings, I felt the amount of homework I received was never less, if not more, than any of my other classes. I was required to read an entire novel for a class discussion on Monday, write a 5+ page essay by Sunday, and then have a brand new book prepared for the following day so the cycle could continue.
5. Not your cup of tea? No problem.
The good news about taking a night class from 6:00 to 9:15 pm every Monday was that if there was a person I did not particularly like, I only had to endure their presence once a week. Possible angry outbursts such as “OH MY GOD [insert roommate name] YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THIS DIPWAD IN MY CLASS” are reduced by 50%. Moreover, if the subject itself isn’t your thing but your classmates are absolute sunshines, then you only have to suffer what you swear on your life is the most non – fetch class once a week instead of twice.