I remember before I started college, I was really excited to finally only have to take the courses I wanted to for the next four years. Yes, Rutgers has an infamous core requirement to help students be more well rounded, but I soon realized that I had either AP'ed out of most of them, or a lot of the elective courses in my major would count towards them.
A little background: I'm premed and a genetics major. I came in with a couple of options for my minor including, anthropology, Spanish, or sociology. Now, none of these happen to fall under the STEM umbrella, but they've always been subjects of interest to me. The all have something in common, in the sense that, through taking courses for these minors, students not only gain a better understanding of the world around them, but they also gain new perspectives. By that, I mean when learning about certain phenomena or past events, it's very easy to look at the situation from the outside, however, doing so may not always result in the best understanding.
This semester, I knew I was supposed to take physics and organic chemistry, the most dreaded course for a premed. I was even adventurous enough to consider taking the first set of introductory courses in genetics. I know that had I stuck with that plan, I would've made the time to get most of my work and studying done, but I would have hated myself for it, and I'm so happy I didn't. Instead, I chose to add on both a sociology course and a Spanish course, and both are turning out to be undoubtedly different from any coursework I have ever taken before, in the best way possible.
Though the sociology course is an introductory level class, it goes beyond what a typical beginner course is like. It's specifically about how minority groups have been viewed and treated as a whole in American society and although it shows that history doesn't really change, even in the past two hundred years, it forces students to think about topics in a way that's not black and white, but in the grey area.
After taking my first Spanish course in college last year, I knew I definitely wanted to pursue the minor and was really excited when I had the time to fit another course this semester. This is also not the typical Spanish course as it dives deeper into linguistic aspects, dialects across the Spanish speaking world, and how the language has changed over time and space. Because of this, the course has really given me a new found appreciation for the language and even for learning a new language as a whole.
Taking humanities courses along with STEM courses is definitely a must for me now as I make my schedule for the upcoming semester. It gives more than just a balance of subjects but instead allows for new and unique interactions, wholesome discussions, and just one more course to look forward to throughout the day. If you find yourself liking or interested in a certain set of courses or subjects that are on the opposite side of the spectrum as your major, take it! Even if it's not necessarily a requirement or a GPA booster, it will definitely be worth the try.
Who knows, you might end up wanting to double major, minor, or do research in it. College is the time to go out of your comfort zone, so take a chance in diversifying your course load as well.
