Have you ever had a class at UTM in which you only wanted to obtain a passing grade?
We’ve all been there before; maybe it’s the teacher, maybe the subject is not your favorite or maybe your only college goal is that piece of paper they hand you at the end of four years and to hell with what you’ve learned.
Trust me, it’s easy to be like that at least once. It took me quite a long time to change my mind, but now I see the value in even my least favorite classes.
There’s no way to go about this without stepping on a few toes, so let me just say that I’m not writing with the intention of offending anyone, but to share my point of view; this is the Viewpoints section after all.
For most of my college career, I saw class as a burden; no more than a continuation of high school. I started in a community college very close to home, so it’s hardly a shock. This mindset followed me to UTM, where I remained a mediocre student for my whole first year on campus.
This bad attitude was doomed to shrivel and die upon entering UTM though, as the enthusiasm of the professors had a way of making me want to learn more. As a student in Public Relations, I have a very specific list of things to do before graduating. Originally, my intention was to do only what was completely necessary to leave; that isn’t exactly the case anymore.
The thing is, each class became helpful in turning me into a cultured and educated individual once I let them. It only took one news writing class to turn this P.R. guy into a news writer and eventually an editor for The Pacer. It only took the basic-level Spanish classes to turn me into a bilingual student, which aided in my decision to minor in Spanish.
My point is that any of these classes can change the course of your education as long as you let them. With this in mind, I always do my best in classes whether I love them or not. Because who knows when the next class will inspire yet another passion in this bilingual journalist’s heart?
Do you want to be considered intelligent? I’m asking honestly; you’d be surprised by how many people want a college degree but not the stigma of intelligence. Do you really want to be seen as a person who always knows the answer and can be counted on? Do you want to be a person with many talents and a limitless curiosity? Good. It starts here in college. Just show up and pay attention; you’ll surprise yourself and others.
