Classes you didn't take in high school or college but wish you had

Apologista · #1 May 11, '12, 6:08 pm

I wish now I had taken more basic sciences - biology, chemistry, and physics. The reasons I didn't were

I didn't want to have to dissect something in biology - frog or a cat, and
in college the biology class had some kind of controversy over birth control (the Newman Center priest would provide rebuttal papers to students who had to take the class but I just didn't want to get into all the drama about it).
The chemistry class had more math than I realized and I am not a math person.
Ditto for physics.

Still, I probably should have tried to take the non-lab classes of each and at least I would have learned more about these subjects. I did take astronomy and loved that - had a lab partner that was a math geek so he'd do the calculations and I'd do the writing.

Also I wish I had taken a lot more foreign languages but they were hard to fit into a schedule. And more art, and a music appreciation class.

777rak · #2 May 11, '12, 7:41 pm

World Music- tooks the teachers Music appreciation class having no background music education and got an A, being she was an excellent teacher

World History- odly enough (am a history major) haven't taken it nor will I probably take it due to needing other classes to graduate

Ancient Greece

beth40n2 · #3 May 11, '12, 7:49 pm

Latin

dzheremi · #4 May 11, '12, 8:01 pm

During my undergraduate work, I took some Arabic classes and stupidly signed up with the one Anglo-American/non-Middle Eastern teacher because I figured that would lessen the chance that I would have to sit through a bunch of Islamic garbage under the guise of a language class. Unfortunately for me, it turns out that one of the teachers (who I didn't know at the time; I would befriend him later in the semester) was an Iraqi Christian, apparently taught his class much better than my professor did (according to people I knew who took both who said he stressed speaking/immersion from day one, whereas we took weeks to learn the alphabet), and the Anglo-American ended up forcing us to learn Islamic things anyway (15 minute presentations on the role of the adhan in Islam, learning the family lineage of Muhammad, etc).

Oops. Let that be a lesson for anyone in college: Don't be prejudiced when choosing classes, and make sure to inquire about all potential teachers of a course that you are interested in. I still had a good time in the Arabic classes with the American guy, but can't help but feel that I might have gotten more out of the class with the Iraqi. Oh well.

PatrickSanDiego · #5 May 11, '12, 8:57 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apologista

I wish now I had taken more basic sciences - biology, chemistry, and physics. The reasons I didn't were

I didn't want to have to dissect something in biology - frog or a cat, and
in college the biology class had some kind of controversy over birth control (the Newman Center priest would provide rebuttal papers to students who had to take the class but I just didn't want to get into all the drama about it).
The chemistry class had more math than I realized and I am not a math person.
Ditto for physics.

Still, I probably should have tried to take the non-lab classes of each and at least I would have learned more about these subjects. I did take astronomy and loved that - had a lab partner that was a math geek so he'd do the calculations and I'd do the writing.

Also I wish I had taken a lot more foreign languages but they were hard to fit into a schedule. And more art, and a music appreciation class.

Let me just mention. I'm in some pretty advanced grad molecular biology courses right now. Some of the things we learn on the metabolism level are really fascinating. It completely builds my Faith. I'm just in awe of what God created. It's so beyond what we can do with computers or modeling. Some of the mechanisms and structures just make my jaw drop. And, probably because I'm very spiritual.

The non-spiritual students don't think anything, they just kind of see it as another thing to memorize for the exams. The professor constantly says "evolve" this, "evolution" that, but then always says, "This part is amazing and we don't fully understand it." - Meanwhile I'm thinking, "God fully understands it, maybe you should ask for His help."

At first I was the only one who wore a cross or crucifix, now several students I see wear them too and we all say hi to eachother. Sometimes evangelizing takes just a small effort, and can give an associate the push they need.

In any case, what classes I wish I had taken? Latin and elective higher mathematics above calculus. I didn't take them because my advisor told me they could bring down my GPA and that would interfere with grad schools considering me.

PatrickSanDiego · #6 May 11, '12, 9:02 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by dzheremi

During my undergraduate work, I took some Arabic classes and stupidly signed up with the one Anglo-American/non-Middle Eastern teacher because I figured that would lessen the chance that I would have to sit through a bunch of Islamic garbage under the guise of a language class. Unfortunately for me, it turns out that one of the teachers (who I didn't know at the time; I would befriend him later in the semester) was an Iraqi Christian, apparently taught his class much better than my professor did (according to people I knew who took both who said he stressed speaking/immersion from day one, whereas we took weeks to learn the alphabet), and the Anglo-American ended up forcing us to learn Islamic things anyway (15 minute presentations on the role of the adhan in Islam, learning the family lineage of Muhammad, etc).

Oops. Let that be a lesson for anyone in college: Don't be prejudiced when choosing classes, and make sure to inquire about all potential teachers of a course that you are interested in. I still had a good time in the Arabic classes with the American guy, but can't help but feel that I might have gotten more out of the class with the Iraqi. Oh well.

Serious?!

That's weird they made you learn that!

Nine_Two · #7 May 11, '12, 9:08 pm

I went to a small private school, so there weren't a whole lot of options. I still think I made the right choices in classes. Wish I would have put more effort into it though.

PatrickSanDiego · #8 May 11, '12, 9:47 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nine_Two

I went to a small private school, so there weren't a whole lot of options. I still think I made the right choices in classes. Wish I would have put more effort into it though.

I like your signature, from the end of the Divine Mercy Chaplet! I love saying that at the end three times!

Gearoidin · #9 May 12, '12, 5:40 am

More languages; perhaps Arabic and Indonesian

I also would have loved to have taken some (or some more) classes in anthropology, history, remote sensing, cartography, coastal geomorphology, comparative religions....

I have 2 undergrad. degrees: a B.A. in Geography and Economics and a B.Sc. in Geology and Chemistry. If I could do it all again, I wouldn't have taken economics. I had no interest in it and would have preferred to have taken history or anthropology.

Cat · #10 May 12, '12, 6:09 am

Art Appreciation.

I feel like such a yayhoo when it comes to visual art. The only visual art that I like is art that looks real, e.g., Norman Rockwell's paintings. I have no understanding of or appreciation of any other arts, and this makes me feel stupid.

donsnow · #11 May 12, '12, 1:55 pm

Good afternoon, all,

My junior and senior high school classes were all good, no regrets. Since I wanted to be a soldier ever since 1945 or '46, I enlisted into the military right out of high school.

The only thing I would change about that is to have gone USN instead of USMC. That's why my second tour was USNR. We had a great Marine recruiter in my senior year, when the school let all the recruiters come and talk to us. He out recruited the other three recruiters at that assembly.
Just today, I wondered about two years of college before I went in, to maybe get a commission. But, I did what I did and have no regrets. Really, I do not nor did not regret going Marines, I just was correcting my mistake when I went in the Navy reserves to work my way up to active duty. However, in '74 the government release all non-essential personnel ... so, maybe I could have kept my MOS, which was a critical MOS in the Marines (essential MOS) when I joined the Navy reserves. But, I wanted to strike for journalist, so, I followed my heart. That's life.

I have started and withdrawn from college several times. I was more interested in blue collar jobs, 'though, so I'd drop out and go back to work.

Well, enough.

God loves all of you,
Don

**LilyM** · #12 May 13, '12, 11:16 pm

In my high school we didn't have any Asian languages available, which would've been handy if I could have studied Japanese or Mandarin.

College? Maybe swap a few more practical law subjects for some of the interesting but ultimately non-career-oriented stuff I did take. Mind you, I did tax law which was not a compulsory subject, and is dry as anything.

Nec5 · #13 May 13, '12, 11:28 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cat

Art Appreciation.

I feel like such a yayhoo when it comes to visual art. The only visual art that I like is art that looks real, e.g., Norman Rockwell's paintings. I have no understanding of or appreciation of any other arts, and this makes me feel stupid.

I'm generally the same way. That doesn't make you stupid. Art is almost entirely subjective although people pretend otherwise.

SMHW · #14 May 14, '12, 10:26 am

As for high school, I wish I had taken Physics (even though it would mean I had to take it independent study.) That might have made college physics easier.

Somewhere along the line I wish I had taken Latin.

As for college, I wish I had taken a formal Logic class... The kind where start from basic existence and move on from there

7 Sorrows · #15 May 15, '12, 10:15 pm

ironically, my freshman year in high school was the first year that Latin was not required in high school. i was happy at the time, but now that i am Catholic, i really am disappointed that it was not required. also, i later found out that i had a real knack for languages so i think that i would have done really well and enjoyed it. at the time, it seemed archaic to study Latin. so, in high school, i wish that Latin would have still be required and in college, i wish i would have studied more world history.
i majored in Spanish in college and lived abroad in Madrid, Spain and i also studied German and my minor was religion. i had an art history course in Madrid that i loved and i studied lots of literature in college, but i wish i could have studied more about the Egyptian, Greek and Roman Empires. the only other class that might have been beneficial would have been a general business class or economics.