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The classes you dont want to take... - 8/31/2015 8:23:09 AM   
DerangedUnit


Posts: 660
Joined: 2/23/2007
Status: offline 		I recently decided on going to college(being 25 now i now no longer have to filll out my parents information to get aid... which was impossible)

I was completely taken aback bybthe sheer number of unrelated classes you have to take. You have to take 3 times the art and humanities classes as you do stem classes.

To go after a maths major i have to take womens studies, religious studies, black history, lbqt studies, plus art and art history classes(and of course have to be able to speak spanish to transfer to 4 year when im finished)

A friend who also started on a math major(switched to minor... ill probably end up changing later too if i can transfer to a better science school later)

Says that he hated the idea of having to take those classes too but religious studies ended up being a lot of fun, because he had a good teacher that encouraged him to argue the athiests viewpoint.

so my question is:

Did you(or do you) have classes that surprised you? Things you hated having to take that you actually ended up enjoying?
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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 8/31/2015 3:22:37 PM   
sunshinemiss


Posts: 17673
Joined: 11/26/2007
Status: offline 		I was surprised to find that I loved statistics. I'm all love and emotions, and there was all that logic that just sang to my soul. Who'da thunk it?

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 8/31/2015 4:06:20 PM   
DerangedUnit


Posts: 660
Joined: 2/23/2007
Status: offline 		I tend to like any class that has things to "figure out" or isnt just information to memorize but puzzles to solve. I wonder if there is a class in love and emotions, id probably need to take that :P

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 8/31/2015 6:14:25 PM   
Kaliko


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quote:

ORIGINAL: sunshinemiss

I was surprised to find that I loved statistics. I'm all love and emotions, and there was all that logic that just sang to my soul. Who'da thunk it?


Ah, I was the opposite. I hated statistics so very, very much - but I thought I would love it. The class I did love? Elements of Music. It was an entry level class to fulfill one of those random requirements, but I just loved being forced to sit and watch the piano students perform as part of my assignments. It began what has turned into a lifelong love of solo piano music. (I used to play, but I listen far better than I play.)


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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 8/31/2015 6:28:37 PM   
shiftyw


Posts: 2837
Joined: 6/6/2013
From: The Shire
Status: offline 		I hated, hhhhhated sociology.

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 8/31/2015 7:17:37 PM   
Spiritedsub2


Posts: 3316
Joined: 7/18/2012
Status: offline 		I loathe politics in every way but really enjoyed a political science class I took to meet a requirement. Maybe the professor was that good.

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 8/31/2015 8:35:59 PM   
DesFIP


Posts: 25191
Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
Status: offline 		I wound up enjoying sociology. Except for the fact that the professor was just going through the motions. Papers weren't allowed to be more than two pages long. I had to use the entire page, no margins, in order to get everything in.

Today of course I'd move to a tiny font but this was with a typewriter.

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/4/2015 5:11:24 PM   
smartsub10


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quote:

ORIGINAL: DerangedUnit

I tend to like any class that has things to "figure out" or isnt just information to memorize but puzzles to solve. I wonder if there is a class in love and emotions, id probably need to take that :P


I minored in computer science and a required course was "Symbolic Logic". I absolutely loathed it. If you like puzzles you would love this class.

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/5/2015 7:21:05 AM   
Hillwilliam


Posts: 19394
Joined: 8/27/2008
Status: offline 		OP. If you don't want to take the distribution requirements, look into CLEP (College Level Examination Program).

You can fulfill most or all of your distribution requirements this way.
I was able to skip about 30 semester hours as a freshman and during my entire undergraduate and graduate career, I took probably no more than 3-5 courses that weren't mathematics or science related.

Unless you're at a REALLY tiny school, you may have misunderstood what you have to take.
I know of no universities that tell you which exact classes you must take within the distribution requirements only that you take so many humanities classes, fine arts classes and social science classes.

As for any foreign language requirements, I know of none that require fluency past 6 semester hours and they do not specify Spanish (even in Miami where I went).

I have attended classes at 4 different Colleges/Universities and taught on 3 different University campuses so I just may have an idea what I am talking about.

ETA. My least favorite course ever was Fluid Dynamics. GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

< Message edited by Hillwilliam -- 9/5/2015 7:23:29 AM >

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/5/2015 10:22:59 AM   
DesFIP


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Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
Status: offline 		My son transferred from community college to a state university. He finished all his major courses only to discover that he still needs 2 intro level classes to graduate. And none of them are things he's interested in. I'm hoping he'll finally kill them off this year. Because it's ridiculous not to take an intro geology class if it will give you your diploma.

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/7/2015 8:39:57 AM   
thompsonx


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Joined: 10/1/2006
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quote:

ORIGINAL: DerangedUnit
Did you(or do you) have classes that surprised you? Things you hated having to take that you actually ended up enjoying?


Many people think of college as a place where you go to learn how to make money.
I once had occasion to read the college handbook from Harvard. It said that "The purpose of a college education was to give the student the necessary breadth and depth of knowledge to make them a productive member of society."
I was struck by the absence of reference to an economic purpose.
I know numerous people who make 100K a year who have not the least understanding of the constitution or how it was formed. No understanding of the manner in which literature commented on and shaped history. Yet they hold strong opinions about these matters.

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/7/2015 4:12:18 PM   
peppermint


Posts: 5169
Joined: 10/18/2005
From: Montana
Status: offline 		When I was an elementary education major I was shocked to find out I needed to take calculus. Yet, I was only required to take one class in public speaking. It struck me as odd that the skills I would need to teach every day could be found in one lowly freshman level speech class and that a first grade teacher would need to be proficient in calculus.

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/7/2015 6:09:39 PM   
thompsonx


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quote:

ORIGINAL: peppermint

When I was an elementary education major I was shocked to find out I needed to take calculus. Yet, I was only required to take one class in public speaking. It struck me as odd that the skills I would need to teach every day could be found in one lowly freshman level speech class and that a first grade teacher would need to be proficient in calculus.

There are nuerous ways for a non math major to fullfill those sorts of requirements. For example did you know that physics can be taught to those who only know algebra. Calculus based physice is typically taught to engineers. Doctors and those in the health sciences would not have much need for calculus but do need physics.

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/8/2015 7:13:43 AM   
Kirata


Posts: 15477
Joined: 2/11/2006
From: USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: DerangedUnit

To go after a maths major i have to take womens studies, religious studies, black history, lbqt studies, plus art and art history classes...

Okay, that's just bizarre. Humanities electives, yes. Art, religion, history, etc. But mandated courses in "womens studies" and "lbqt studies"?

quote:

ORIGINAL: DerangedUnit

Did you(or do you) have classes that surprised you? Things you hated having to take that you actually ended up enjoying?

My courses in Old English and Calculus stand out in my mind as ones that surprised me. I was resignedly expecting the worst from both, but I liked them! Number one hated course was Modern American Drama, with Algebra a close second.

K.

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/8/2015 8:05:29 AM   
Thucydide


Posts: 1
Joined: 12/26/2011
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: thompsonx


quote:

ORIGINAL: DerangedUnit
Did you(or do you) have classes that surprised you? Things you hated having to take that you actually ended up enjoying?


Many people think of college as a place where you go to learn how to make money.
I once had occasion to read the college handbook from Harvard. It said that "The purpose of a college education was to give the student the necessary breadth and depth of knowledge to make them a productive member of society."
[...]


Perhaps it's a little different here (France), but during law school I had many classes that weren't directly related to law (Classical studies, political philosophy, etc) and I ended up liking those way more than actual law courses. As DerangedUnit pointed out, the law courses were about making me a good lawyer (which felt like being a glorified-flesh-and-blood compendium), and the other courses were there for my enjoyment and self development. And the professors of those classes often were passionate about the material and passing it onto you, which wasn't always the case with law professors (esp private law).

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/8/2015 10:12:00 AM   
peppermint


Posts: 5169
Joined: 10/18/2005
From: Montana
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: thompsonx

There are nuerous ways for a non math major to fullfill those sorts of requirements.



This was nearly 45 years ago. Nearly every class was a required class. The school left me enough electives to take a minor (which was required) and I had 2 classes during the entire 4 years that I could take just because I wanted to take them. From what you are saying things are different now which is good.

_____________________________

We are stardust, we are golden, and we got to get ourselves back to the garden.

Yes, I am crazy about feathered creatures. I have a dozen chickens, 3 ducks, 5 geese, and 2 parakeets.

Revise that number. Just got 14 new chicks and 5 turkeys.

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/8/2015 10:46:27 AM   
Musicmystery


Posts: 30259
Joined: 3/14/2005
Status: offline 		~FR~

At issue is whether a college is a career training school or exists to promote critical thinking, analysis, and similar skills.

Without that, the argument begins to look something like "to teach first grade, you only need a first grade education relative to the material you're teaching."

I took quite a few courses I thought were a waste of my time. I was wrong. I was even wrong about which ones I would use. But even there, there's an inherent value to education.

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/8/2015 1:01:00 PM   
bounty44


Posts: 6374
Joined: 11/1/2014
Status: offline 		there's a sort of paradigm war/conflict out there as to the purpose of higher education. in some people's minds, its more along the lines of job training. in others, its liberal education.

students are increasingly in the former camp and it can create a lot of tension in the classroom when those goals aren't aligned. I am much more in the latter camp.

though I would probably draw the line too at women's and lbqt studies.

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/8/2015 1:08:10 PM   
Spiritedsub2


Posts: 3316
Joined: 7/18/2012
Status: offline 		Fr

I would think the real issue is how out-of-reach higher education has become for all but the wealthiest families. Education for personal enrichment rather than as a means to one's livelihood just isn't a financial option so much anymore. Makes me glad I'm old

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RE: The classes you dont want to take... - 9/8/2015 1:40:29 PM   
bounty44


Posts: 6374
Joined: 11/1/2014
Status: offline 		it has certainly become tons more expensive, but with loans readily available, and other federal financial aid, and local scholarships, unfortunately the costs are relatively hidden and/or deferred down the road.

community colleges however are still very affordable, as are a fair portion of state schools.

but that said---"one's livelihood" and "personal enrichment" are not dichotomous. the people in my camp, the college as liberal arts education, see it as meaningfully informing the livelihood part.

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