It’s already the time of year to start thinking about scheduling your spring semester. And if you’re like most people, you’re preparing to throw away some opportunities you won’t ever get again after college.
You’re wondering how you can knock off the maximum number of major requirements you can, and the classes you have on your wish list come from a relatively homogenous group of departments. If you are a “humanities person,” you probably are taking mostly writing classes. If you are a science or math major, those are probably the areas the bulk of your classes tend to come from.
Sure, there are core requirements that force you to take some variety, but in areas where they struggle or lack obvious interest, people usually do the bare minimum.
I’m here to tell you to fight this impulse.
All academic pursuits are interconnected. While different subjects and departments approach their material in very different ways, they are all seeking to identify some sort of truth and train some kind of skill that you can apply to everyday intellectual or logistical obstacles. While the material and facts involved can differ wildly, and be tested in radically different ways, they all equip you with problem-solving skills of some kind. By limiting yourself to one approach to learning and problem-solving, you are limiting the the flexibility and utility of your mind.
I’m a double major, a common pursuit for students in the College. My majors have little to do with one another. My first is cognitive science, an interdisciplinary major that combines philosophy and psychology with linguistics, neuroscience and computer science. My second major is English. This combination forces me to take material from a wide variety of departments in a range of disciplines, and not just in a cursory way like with core requirements. And while people often assume this takes away some of the cohesion of my academic experience, I have found that even the classes I’m not excited about have forced me to improve in ways that benefit my studies on a broader level.
Computer science and English would seem to have little in common, but a logically constructed Java program actually can be constructed in a similar way to a persuasive or critical essay. Linguistics has enhanced my ability to trace the evolution of the English language. Understanding brain structure and chemistry has helped me improve my studying. Knowing psychological concepts has aided my analysis of characters’ thoughts and motivations in literature.
The experience has encouraged me to try classes outside of either of my major areas, and while they’re not always my favorites they usually prove useful in some way. For example, I took a course called “Public Opinion and Political Behavior” first year that allowed me to analyze poll data and assess politicians’ responses to it in a much more sophisticated way than I could previously. It wasn’t my favorite class, but it enabled me to make a more informed decision when I voted last year.
If you’re a scientist, why not teach yourself to break down writing and identify its themes and arguments in an English or history class? My grandfather excelled as a chemical engineer in large part because he was an excellent writer and could express complex ideas succinctly and clearly. And if you’re a humanities major, why not learn to make detailed measurements and analyze hard data in a science or engineering class? A basic knowledge of these subjects could help you with things as common as fixing your car. Finding a way to investigate your passion from a different angle or perspective could give you an advantage over your competition for jobs or graduate schools, or it could just make you a more skilled and knowledgeable person.
And I am barely scratching the surface of the possibilities that some academic exploration could reveal. It’s not always clear how something will be useful or interesting, but the point of college is to take those chances and discover interests you didn’t know you had.
You only get four years with the resource of a dedicated faculty that can teach you about a huge variety of subjects. Why limit yourself to just one subset of this group?
Forrest Brown is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily.
Read More
WILLIAMS: The future of Virginia is on the ballot this fall
By Ryan Williams | 23 hours agoHence, voters must make it their top priority to think critically and closely as they decide who their ballot will support this fall.
PARTING SHOT: On the art of walking and chewing gum
By Nathan Onibudo | 3 days agoStudent journalism, and maybe even life more generally, is about holding space for multiple conflicting truths.
PARTING SHOT: Confessions of a nepo baby
By Grace Thrush | 3 days agoWhile I can’t point to one specific “aha” moment where I finally started to dispel my self-consciousness and claim my pride for the paper, I got there gradually over the course of my term as managing editor.
