The myth of college exploration

There are certain tidbits of advice that we hear repeated from a variety of different people we encounter. As soon as I reached college age, there was one recommendation that I heard so frequently that it became a truth rather than a suggestion, and I was determined to listen.

After the university I attend came up in conversation, whether it was solicited or not, almost every older man or woman I spoke to would immediately place their hand on my shoulder, gaze at me sincerely and swear by something along the lines of “take classes you enjoy, the rest will follow.” It was either what they regretted not doing or what had led them to an unexpected but beloved career path. This advice didn't only come from people, but from guide books and college advice columns that constantly tout variations of exploring, signing up for classes that sound interesting to you, seeking out the best professors and taking at least one class with them. These pieces of advice always end with the promise that you never know what might come unless you try. This is good advice that undoubtedly comes from the right intention; I just think it’s impossible to follow.

This semester, I carefully cherry-picked my classes based upon everything but exploration. These include two IR classes to ensure I don’t fall behind on my major, a necessary language class for study abroad next semester and a looming natural science distribution requirement, which I could imagine hanging over my head in senior year. This brought my tally up to a total of four classes (the usual amount for an undergraduate student to tackle in one semester).

Still, reading and writing are two of my favorite hobbies. There was an English class that caught my eye while scrolling through SIS. How much more work can one more class add, really? I’ve had semesters with five classes before, and if you really enjoy what you're learning it’s worth it.

However, once receiving all my syllabi, the doomsday realization came that if I stuck with this schedule I would have two midterms, a 12-page paper and a take-home exam all due within a three-day span. As any Tufts student knows, the mere act of seeing all those dates in black and white typeface is enough to provoke a mini aneurysm.

The decision was a no-brainer; if I want to keep my sanity and any semblance of a social life, I had to drop the English class that didn’t fulfill any requirements. I know I’m not alone in this quandary, and I wonder what we’re missing out on by not following through with the ubiquitous piece of advice.

I know I might be able to take classes like these when I’m a senior, once all of these major and distribution requirements are out of the way. There’s also the chance of it not being offered two years from now, and the demands of the future are notoriously impossible to predict. It also nags on me that exploration seems like something that’s best done before your major is set in stone and your post-college path is beginning to reveal itself. That way, you can change directions without too much fallout if you stumble across a newfound passion.

To clarify, I was completely in favor of attending a school with distribution requirements—the benefit is undeniable. There are certainly things English majors gain from being thrust into the natural science world. In fact, a die-hard English major I’m friends with still names "Cosmology for the Curious" as being one of the most thought-provoking classes he’s taken at Tufts. But there are also stories of psychology majors taking Calculus I and citing it as one of the most torturous experiences of their lives. I understand that these hefty requirements encourage their own sort of pushing outside of one’s comfort zone and ensure a broad education; I just think we should be given more realistic expectations for the amount of freedom given in college to take classes purely because they appeal to us and not for the way they fit into any sort of four-year plan.

Maybe others have it more carefully figured out than I do and have managed to somehow wedge some classes for pure entertainment into their schedules. I’ve been pushed to explore by enough sources to know there must be some importance transcending the obvious reasons, and hopefully soon I’ll be able to find out what they are for myself.

 

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