public class OdysseyArticle {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.print(“
Last semester, I took computer science.
I'm a Creative Writing and French double major. I already had my math credit. I took this class for no reason other than it looked fun, and I wanted to see if maybe computer science was my "thing".
One long semester later, I can wholeheartedly, one-hundred percent guarantee you that computer science is, in fact, not my thing. In fact, it's the hardest class I've ever taken. We had fifty-point tests every Friday, and every Thursday night I'd lay on my floor, go through the notes, realize I had no idea what was going on, cry a little, then pick myself up, wipe the tears away, and go to my radio show. The next morning I'd wake, give myself a pep talk, walk to class, and fail.
If you think I'm exaggerating, I'm not. I got lower than 60% on five out of the twelve quizzes! And, to make things worse, we had a homework due every two weeks, and, for a glimpse into how difficult the homeworks were, the first one took me six hours to complete the first question.
There were five questions.
Needless to say, I thought about dropping the class all the time. It was disheartening to study for hours and hours on end, and then fail anyways. It felt like no matter what I did, I was destined to fail. And because I didn't need this class for my GERs or my major, it felt like I was torturing myself for no reason. Finally, four months into the semester, I decided to ask for help for the first time... ever. Because of my stubbornness, I've always convinced myself that I don't need help, that I can do it by myself. But it was becoming very clear to me that either I had to get someone else on my team, or I'd lose.
So, one day, after class, I unsteadily went up to my teacher and asked if I could meet with her and go over a couple of things. It was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. That week, I got a 76% on the test. The week after, I got 100%.
Finally, although admittedly a little late in the game, I had finally dominated computer science. I had been so close to dropping the class, I’d even had the form printed out. But, thanks to that same stubbornness that had caused me to refuse help for so long, I convinced myself that I had to stick with the class. And, surprise, I ended up passing the class with a stunning 78%! And I can tell you, that C+ felt better than any of my A’s.
Even with everything computer science put me through, I still don't regret taking it. Had I filled my schedule with a comfortable blend of liberal arts classes, I really wouldn't have learned anything. And I don't mean the technical stuff, like booleans, fractals, or concatenation (although I know all about these things, thanks comp sci). Without computer science, I never would have pushed myself to work my hardest, study the longest I've ever studied before, and finallyask for help. These are skills that are relevant to all my classes, and will continue to be fundamental for the rest of my college career. Computer science pushed me to my limits, and I’m grateful for it. And, while I wouldn’t exactly recommend taking a computer science class that is designed to weed out non-majors, taking classes in subjects you normally wouldn’t study is vital to our personal growth.
I’ll end this article with a fortune I got from one of those automated genie machines: A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.“);
}
}
//end article