If you’re a first-year, chances are you’ve already received plenty of unsolicited advice about which courses to take. Orientation Leaders, RAs and faculty advisors have undoubtedly given you a laundry list of objectives for your first semester at Tufts: “Don’t take more than five courses!” “Be sure to get a few distribution requirements out of the way!” “Take Intro to IR!” The list goes on. This advice is great to keep in mind; after all, you won’t be very happy with yourself if you save your most dreaded distribution requirements for your senior year. However, it’s also important for first-years to use this semester as an opportunity to do what they came to Tufts for in the first place: expanding their interests, becoming a more well-rounded student and taking courses in departments that have no connection whatsoever to their planned major.
It’s no secret that Tufts disproportionately attracts potential International Relations (IR) majors and premed students. Naturally, classes like PS 61 -- Introduction to IR -- and BIO 13 are hugely popular among first-years hoping to get a head start on their major requirements. But Tufts also has some equally wonderful programs that are far less popular, including Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Cognitive and Brain Sciences and Classical Studies. Some students can go through their entire four years at Tufts without ever knowing about these course offerings. This is their loss. Taking a random, interesting course in an unfamiliar department is a priceless opportunity for intellectual development. It can provide a welcome change of pace from the subjects you’re used to studying and allow you to expand your social and academic circles outside of the ones you’ll soon find yourself growing accustomed to.
Furthermore, courses in different fields that wouldn’t initially appear to be relevant to your major may actually help you see it in a new light. For example, while a premed biology major wouldn’t normally consider setting aside time in her packed schedule for a class like Introduction to Queer Studies, understanding how healthcare systems have historically pathologized queer, transgender and intersex people would be invaluable to her in her work as a practicing physician in the future. In the real world, the clearly delineated areas of study that we rely so heavily on as college students are always blurred. Academic disciplines intersect in countless ways, from the psychology of economics to the politics of pop culture. Understanding these intersections will inevitably make students more adept in whatever field they eventually choose to enter.
As first-years, you have a unique opportunity to take advantage of all Tufts has to offer -- and of your lengthy add/drop period. For first-years, it extends all the way into mid-November, which significantly reduces your risk of getting stuck in a course that you’re not actually excited about and gives you the chance to add an intriguing class in an unfamiliar department. Plus, after this semester, you’ll have seven more chances to sign up for all the courses you need for your major. So here’s one more piece of unsolicited advice: go off the beaten path, push yourself outside of your academic comfort zone and let yourself explore some uncharted territory. You never know where you might end up.
