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Gurlugon · 2008-02-21 1:48 am

I have this one real pain in the ass of a class that requires a lot of reading (a 100-level anthropology), the lectures meet once a week and are two and a half hours long... it's hellish, but it fulfills two requirements I'd eventually have to make do with anyway. I haven't read at all, as the lectures seemed pretty encompassing and I pay good attention, but I heard from someone that has had the prof before that despite what she says, the questions will have little relation to the stuff from the lectures and be mostly focused on the texts.

I already have tests for other, "real" classes coming up the same week (two others of them, and it's next week), and I'm just thinking even if I tried, it would be too much cramming to soak in 200+ pages about Inuit culture and Brazilian natives.

For what it's worth, my GPA is decent, 3.4 or so, and within my major it's a 3.7. I wouldn't expect to ever do worse than a C in a course, I know enough not to totally slack, but I'm not grabbing any scholarships or have any high academic hurdles I have to jump... should I feel guilty about just taking a boring class on cruise control rather than being engaged?

Here's the not reading that long-ass BS version: should I devote time and energy to something I can't get motivated over beyond what I need to just coast it out with a mediocre grade as my goal, or should I not be so lazy?

thelegendofjohn · 2008-02-21 2:01 am

I wouldn't feel guilty at all. I rarely put much effort into any gen eds. I'm sure you are retaining enough information to be decently informed on the subject, relative to your average joe.

Tallgeese · 2008-02-21 3:03 pm

You could always consider putting forth effort to learn and improve yourself beyond just the field you've chosen to specialize in.

Gurlugon · 2008-02-21 3:12 pm

Yeah, I know I should do that, but I don't see having anthropological knowhow as being particularly useful for everyday life, let alone accounting.

Tallgeese · 2008-02-21 3:36 pm

If you don't know anything other than accounting, you will be the most boring man in existence.

thelegendofjohn · 2008-02-21 6:13 pm

There's a happy medium somewhere in there. Again, I think you can pick up a decent amount of knowledge about anthropology without bending over backwards for the course.

Gurlugon · 2008-03-04 4:27 pm

A little update, I got my grade back for this exam today. The highest grade was an 82; she said she makes the class' highest grade count as the max score, so as to help out people that didn't do so well. I was so anxious, I didn't do any of the readings for either book on the exam, I just paid good attention in class. I managed to get an 81.

I'm going to buy the books used for the next unit tomorrow, I figure my luck will probably change after this.

dvpierce · 2008-03-04 10:07 pm

Gurlugon wrote:
Yeah, I know I should do that, but I don't see having anthropological knowhow as being particularly useful for everyday life, let alone accounting.

It depends. Interacting with people is a necessary evil in everyday life, and anthropology is the study of people, cultures, and where they come from.

The aspects of anthro that get covered in a gen ed are probably the boring parts. But, it's a topic that everybody has to know something about just to get by. So I guess it might be a bad example of a "useless gen ed."

Also, if I were looking at your transcripts and saw a too-large difference between your major GPA and your overall or non-major GPA, I'd start questioning your ability to follow through on the stuff you don't like. Every job has sucky parts.

icebook1 · 2008-03-08 10:47 am

Gurlugon wrote:
I was so anxious, I didn't do any of the readings for either book on the exam, I just paid good attention in class. I managed to get an 81.

Not bad! For what it's worth, I tend to care (ish) about my gen-eds, but there's a sociology one that I'm in right now that's soooo boring. The material and readings are interesting, but the lecture (which is what the tests come from) is so slow and repetitive. Hopefully you've seen Office Space. My professor is exactly like Milton. To a T. It makes those 50 minutes or so veryyyy painful some days.

thelegendofjohn · 2008-03-08 1:06 pm

The low quality of some of the professors at my university is extremely frustrating.

JMV290 · 2008-03-14 7:47 pm

Yes, I'm on academic probation since I didn't care and I ended up failing them. :'(

Gurlugon · 2008-05-09 1:09 pm

I didn't read at all throughout the course and I ended up with a final grade of an "A."

HAHAHA OH WOW I lucked out big time.

Forums | MacLife

#1 2008-02-21 1:48 am

Should I really care about my gen eds?

#2 2008-02-21 2:01 am

Re: Should I really care about my gen eds?

#3 2008-02-21 3:03 pm

Re: Should I really care about my gen eds?

#4 2008-02-21 3:12 pm

Re: Should I really care about my gen eds?

#5 2008-02-21 3:36 pm

Re: Should I really care about my gen eds?

#6 2008-02-21 6:13 pm

Re: Should I really care about my gen eds?

#7 2008-03-04 4:27 pm

Re: Should I really care about my gen eds?

#8 2008-03-04 10:07 pm

Re: Should I really care about my gen eds?

Gurlugon wrote:

#9 2008-03-08 10:47 am

Re: Should I really care about my gen eds?

Gurlugon wrote:

#10 2008-03-08 1:06 pm

Re: Should I really care about my gen eds?

#11 2008-03-14 7:47 pm

Re: Should I really care about my gen eds?

#12 2008-05-09 1:09 pm

Re: Should I really care about my gen eds?

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