Last semester I had a bit of a mental lapse when choosing classes. As a prospective English major, I was set up to take three different English classes, along with Biology and Economics (so I can at least manage the small amount of money I’ll be earning as an English major). I guess the hour was late, the caffeine level high and the sleep insufficient when I enrolled myself in MATH 3250 — Ordinary Differential Equations. But now I find myself at 8 a.m. on Wednesday looking despondently at the previous day’s quiz on Bernoulli’s equation.
Differential Equations isn’t exactly the most useful of classes. Sure, there may come a time when you’re desperate to know the concentration of salt in your water tank when salt water is flowing in at a rate of two liters per hour and out at a rate of four, but especially as an English major, the practicality of MATH 3250 is next to nothing. When I tell people my classes for this semester, I get to “Differential Equations” and wait for the inevitable “Wait, aren’t you an English major?”
“Yes, yes I am.”
So in part to answer my fellow small talkers and in part to convince myself I’m not completely insane, here are my top reasons for taking Differential Equations when I don’t actually have to.
First of all, I miss math. Call me crazy, but I actually yearned for math last semester. Since the start of my educational career, I had always been enrolled in a math class. I can still recall sweet Mrs. Johnson at Waynewood Elementary teaching us the numbers one through 10. From basic integers all the way to Riemann sums, math has always been a part of my life. Without any sort of math last semester, my hours of studying felt slightly empty without a few algebraic equations to solve. Don’t get me wrong — I love how one line in poetry can get interpreted in several completely different ways. It’s the diversity of thought that makes me want to study English for my college career. Yet there comes a time where I just want to sit down and objectively know the answer. In a time of transition where nothing seemed concrete, having some undeniable, mathematical truth was very appealing.
Now, you may say that just because I miss math doesn’t mean I have to take Differential Equations. I could have just taken Precalculus. I could have just volunteered to calculate the 15 percent tip at a restaurant. I could have just fiddled around on mathplayground.com for a few minutes each day. I would wholeheartedly agree — but I guess there’s a part of me that also just wanted the challenge. MATH 3250 was out of my academic comfort zone. There’s an almost sadistic satisfaction to pushing your brain to its utmost limit and discovering your brain will pull through. The feeling when something that hasn’t made sense finally clicks is better than omelets from Runk on a Sunday.
Many looked at me with wide eyes and warned me I might not get an A in the class. At first, this small truth was enough to deter me. But a part of me also felt sorrow at this mentality. To not take a class for fear of not getting an A? Isn’t education about the expansion of knowledge, and not the percentage on a transcript? Maybe I’m being ridiculous, but it felt treasonous to shy away from a class only because it might lower my GPA. I did that enough in high school. Just ask AP Chemistry. Coming into college, I didn’t want my educational career to be wrapped around a few numbers on a page — I wanted it to be about learning what I wanted to learn and what I didn’t think I wanted to learn.
I write these words with my first exam for Differential Equations coming up this week. As the tears stream down my face trying to integrate the natural log of x to the third power over three x plus two sin x, these words ring in my head. I am taking Differential Equations because I miss math. I am taking Differential Equations because I want to push myself. I am taking Differential Equations because I am not afraid of a B+ (or possibly an F). I am taking Differential Equations because I want to learn what I didn’t think I wanted to learn. Besides all this, I heard from a certain BC Calculus teacher that the coolest kids on campus were the ones who said “Diff EQ” rather than “Differential Equations.” I am taking Diff EQ because I just want to be like the cool kids.
Read More
A bite of home at Barbie’s Burrito Barn
By Sophie Guettel | 12 hours agoBarbie’s Burrito Barn is more than just a restaurant — it is a testament to the dreams and hard work of its owner.
The fluffiest Swedish coffee bread
By Finn Trainer | YesterdayWith its semi-sweet flavor and cloud-like texture, this Swedish coffee bread is a calming, delicious treat to enjoy this finals season.
Cleaning out my closet — and my mind
By Julianne Saunders | YesterdayCleaning out my closet has become more than a seasonal comfort — it has also taught me that I should not rely on school or social media for fulfillment and peace.
