Pre-Reading Blog #1

Ah, a brand new semester has began and I must say that I have mixed feelings about it. While I am definitely ready to get the semester up and running, I feel as though I am still stuck in vacation mode. College as a whole has been an amazing an eye-opening experience. Every semester I walk into class hoping for a decent teacher, from whom I will actually learn something from. College isn't much different than high school for me, except that I only have class one or two times a week (which works for some classes, others not so much). I've grown so much in the past two years and the knowledge I have gained is simply irreplaceable.

I have always looked at college as such a "grown-up" thing. Well, at least until I got to college. In high school, I couldn't wait to start college and feel older, smarter, and more responsible. However, when I got to college, it wasn't quite what I expected it would be. My first semester was a piece of cake and I don't feel as though I learned too much of anything new. My second semester was definitely a little harder, but I certainly love a good challenge. Education is very important to me and I truly believe that without an education, it will be very hard to make it the world. However, some education I honestly find frivolous. For example, I am a political science major and I am not very good at anything to do with science, let alone like it for that matter. Last semester, I took Earth science and I had the hardest time with it. Halfway through the semester, I became frustrated because I would never used any of the information I was learning. Granted, I still came out of the class with a B, but it was definitely not the A I wanted. Basically, I took a class that had absolutely nothing to do with my major or career goals, and it my lack of interest definitely showed in my grade in that class. I think that broad education is important, but I still think that some courses college students are forced to take can be a little ridiculous like a math major taking an international relations course. Ah, that's my rant on that subject.

Most of high school was pretty lame and I don't feel as though teachers care as much in high school as they do in college. It was hard to enjoy a class when I had teacher who hated their jobs and the class they were teaching in general. I know some many people who desire to go back to high school because it was easier, but I love college and would never walk backwards. I have learned so much more in college, had passionate teachers, and gained brand new experiences that I couldn't gain from high school. My goal from being in school and gaining an education is to be knowledgeable, successful, and of course, a productive member of society. We need many more of those, don't you think?

The world is full of many great opportunities for advancement, personally and educationally, so why do so many choose to not take advantage of these options?

Rationalism: The practice of accepting reason as the only authority in determining one's opinions or course of action.

Anti-Rationalism: The practice of rejecting reason as the only authority in determining one's opinions or course of action.

Fundamentalism: Following a strict set of guidelines with little to no straying from these guidelines.