Playing Favorites by Ryan

I think that if every college student were honest, they would agree that regardless of the professor or other students, there are some classes that they just like more than others. There always seems to be a class in which the material is more interesting, the homework not as bad, and the tests easy. Good professors and student participation help a great deal, but there are always subjects that people personally find more interesting than others. Whatever classes they may be, often they pose a big problem when it comes to studying.


The best example I can give happened at my previous college last year. One of my best friends in school lived in the dorm room two doors down from me. He was incredibly smart, and I've had headaches while listening to him discuss differential equations as if it were 2+2=4. His grades were very good, even though the school is notoriously tough academically (my doctor attended the school and said it was harder than med school). He got a 3.7 in his first semester and was near the top of our freshman class at the end of the year. However, for the entire first semester, I noticed that one of his books was always lying on the top of his bookshelf, untouched. It was his only non-math/science book, and toward the end of the semester I picked it up to ask him why I never saw it moved. After the semester, he got an "A" in every other class, but received a low grade in the one class he didn't prepare for. He could have had a 4.0, but a personal subject preference kept him from the highest possible G.P.A.

I encourage everyone who reads this to study hard for ALL of their classes. I love history, and it is hard to study for my other subjects like I should. For me, it's so much easier to read a book in a subject I love than to read anything in a subject I don’t like as much. If you are having problems in a class, talk to your professor about the best way to study and prep for tests. There are plenty of academic support services for student success as well. Such as the Academic Study Center (Library), Math Learning Center (Science Building), Science Learning Center (Science Building), Writing Learning Center (Classroom Building) and the Advising and Counseling Center (Commons Building) just to name a few.



-Ryan