As that dreaded thing known as class registration begins to sneak up, students all over campus have begun to try to put together an effective schedule to satisfy the rigorous demands of the Fairfield University Core.
When the time comes for registration, I will pull up my trusty website companion and find my classes based on reviews of professors. The ethical problem of actually learning the material or just taking an easy class is one that many students struggle with when going to college.
In order to get a job students need the best possible resume and GPA. It becomes not an idea of having the greatest amount of learning but strictly the letter grade. It is not so much the school’s fault but society’s demands on students. This is a mind-blowing thought.
For this reason I hate the hundred and some-odd credits that make up the dreaded core. Dealing with the core is a huge pain. The core teachers teach their classes zealously like they are teaching it to students in their major. No offense but I really don’t care that much about Philosophy in the long run. Nothing kills my GPA more than taking a 4 credit Spanish class when, after 6 years of Spanish I can barely ask “Where is the bathroom?” That’s some of my parent’s good money gone to waste right there.
If I ran the school, I would make the Core classes pass/fail. Then no Bio major, struggling to pull a B in their required courses, would be stressed to pull a C in their Etruscan & Roman Art & Archaeology classes. Before you ask, I’m not picking on the class or teacher I just thought it sounded the funniest out of all the offered Art History classes.
I know I myself, have been guilty of seeking a teacher who is easier rather than one who is difficult strictly on how well I can potentially do in his/her class. The temptation to take a class that just consists of showing up and writing your name on a piece of paper is so appealing compared to one where you actually have to work hard in.
On the other hand, you could get stuck in a class with a professor whose arrogance knows no bounds and shoots down any sort of alternative thoughts or argument that comes up in the class and makes showing up a chore. This doesn’t make learning any fun either.
I will admit there are many professors at Fairfield that take teaching to heart and seek to actually make the students LEARN something from the class, even if it has nothing to do with the material. For all those other teachers out there, if you spend your class on a 75 minute rant to a class that looks like they’re in a vegetative state, you might want to rethink your teaching strategy.
– Sent from my iPhone
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