Enrollment week rolls around, and the intensity in the air is almost incessant. Students are glued to their MacBooks, hoping that one way or another that they get into the few classes that they NEED for their major. Big smiles paint the faces of those who receive their ideal schedule that took them days to perfect.
As a second semester freshman, I can easily say that the biggest academic mistake I have made in the past months was that I never once searched through the hundreds of classes to find something that interested me. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of students rush into finding classes that they NEED to take instead of WANT to take. One of the biggest rookie mistakes I have made is not taking a class that I wanted to take because it simply interested me.
As I begin my second semester with a gender and women’s studies class, I found myself reading “Claiming an Education” by Adrienne Rich. Although Rich speaks deeply about women claiming an education, I feel as if this is essential not only to women but all students. It was not like any piece that I had read before because it left me speechless.
The majority of students attend college because it is what they are expected to do, it is what their parents want or they want to pursue a future career. Too often students feel as if they are simply receiving an education. Young adults wander through high schools aimlessly, wondering how much longer they have to sit in class or why they need to know how to graph a sine wave. College allows those same students to claim an education in the fields that interest them. Unfortunately, that is hardly the case, as too many collegiate students just listlessly receive an education rather than actively claim one.
There is a large difference in claiming and receiving something. Claiming is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “to take as the rightful owner.” On the other hand, receiving is defined as “to get or be given (something).” Sitting in class letting your mind wander rampant is not claiming an education and is not going to benefit you at all. My point here is not to scold you into paying attention in class (I mean, who hasn’t checked Twitter a few times during those long power lectures?) but instead to help you realize the endless opportunities provided on our beautiful campus that are not claimed. By immersing yourself into each and every cultural opportunity, you may not only grow academically but also find something that you are passionate about. College especially is one of the greatest times for self-discovery.
Claiming an education can mean a variety of things to an endless amount of people. The individuals who take those opportunities to connect with their peers by starting a new club, taking a class that interests them or going to the hospital on Wednesday nights to speak Spanish have not only claimed an education but claimed opportunities. The University of Wisconsin has more than 800 student organizations to help enrich your academics. These opportunities provide the experience necessary not only for majors, but also to fulfill some of our wildest dreams.
I cannot express the amount of times I have heard the regrets of upperclassman. There are all too many “I wish I would have….”. There are only a few years that these endless opportunities are available at the universities of our choices, so why not take a chance on claiming the things that we want? Although it is apparent that we must take classes that we need for our major, why not introduce ourselves to new topics, places and opportunities. The biggest mistake anyone can make on this campus is something so simply obvious: not claiming every opportunity you can. On a campus that offers so much, step outside of your box and expand your horizons. By graduation, complete your college bucket list, and I promise you that you will never regret any of it. (Unless your regret involves not eating enough Ian’s mac and cheese pizza.)
Allie Ebben ([email protected]) is a freshman majoring in nursing with a certificate in gender and women’s studies.
