Scheduling Nightmares

As a junior of a four-year, state-funded university in Pennsylvania, I feel as if I should have no problems when it comes time to schedule for my second semester of my junior year. In theory, I should have seniority and scheduling should come easier to those that are older and need classes to graduate. The key phrase is "in theory."

As scheduling for the spring semester draws near, I am in a constant state of worry. I have my classes figured out. Everything seems to work out great. Of course, I have a week until I actually schedule. The issue? Two of my six classes that I am required to take for my major (and are only offered in the spring) only have one section being taught during this coming semester. This means if I am unable to get into these classes, I will have to wait until my final semester to take these required classes and may possibly fall behind.

"Ask your professor to sign you in."

In many schools, this would work. However, at my university, professors are not as eager to sign students into their classes. In their minds, the longer a student stays at the university, more money the student will shell out to the school. Several of my closest friends are staying for at least another semester and some are even staying extra years due to scheduling conflicts throughout the semesters.

I feel that this is completely unjust. College students nowadays are in more debt than ever before. State-funded universities are not making it any easier for a young person to obtain a college degree. With tuition prices on the rise, staying an extra semester or paying for a few extra credits during "off-semesters" cause students to fall even further in debt and discourage young people from doing what they really want to do in life.

All of these thoughts stem from the simple concern of possibly not being able to take the appropriate classes I need for my major and the university's failure of providing an adequate amount of class sections. It's a domino effect. For now, I'm crossing my fingers that I am able to get into the classes I need to stay on track and graduate in Spring 2011 with little to no problems.

Science/Math vs. Liberal Arts: A Never Ending Battle

I'm sitting on my computer doing my hourly checks of my favorite websites. I always start on Yahoo! because it's my homepage, and it is home to my standard e-mail account. I tend to click a lot of Yahoo!'s news stories because they interest me. One category that is particularly interesting to me are the career articles. Today's article of choice? Most Lucrative College Degrees.

The main focus of this article is the top 15 highest earning college degrees. Almost all of them have the word "engineering" in them. The rest are science or math-based. This is not surprising. They even say it's a supply & demand thing. A lot of students go into liberal arts nowadays and very few graduate with science or math-related degrees. What bothered me about this? Well, after discussing the lowest earning degrees (communications is included in this list--not that I'm surprised; I'm well aware of this.), Ed Koc, director of research at NACE, stated in this article that "few grads offer math skills, and those who can are rewarded."

I hate the phrasing of this. Here's the thing: I CAN do math very well. I passed Calculus AB & BC with A's. I understand they are talking about graduates here, but this is one of the many statements that lead to science & math majors constantly thinking they are superior to those of us in the liberal arts majors. The entire world puts these people with science & math careers up on this pedestal. It's so impressive that they chose a major in said fields. How come no one is ever impressed when I mention my degree in Communications (Public Relations) & minor in English Literature. While they are racking their brains trying to create formulas and solve problems for one class, I'm taking the course load of two areas of study.

I am in no way saying their majors are easy. I just don't appreciate the world constantly believing that these majors are "better" than those of us studying in the liberal arts fields. I, personally, chose my major because I enjoy it a lot. While money is a concern of mine, it's not my primary concern; I just want enough money to get by in life. I respect those that do see money as a primary concern. I just feel like no one appreciates those of us that follow our "dreams" or passions. In the days of energy crises, global warming, and biological warfare, very few of us liberal arts majors get any recognition.

Again, I do respect everyone who goes into these intense fields. We need people in all areas of work. Nevertheless, my hope is to one day see an article on Yahoo!'s homepage praising those of us in the communications, English, arts, and humanities fields. It sometimes feels like it's us against the world, but I am not going to let it stop me.