This is going to be my most difficult semester so far at Wesleyan. I’ll have more reading and more writing than anything I had in my past three semesters. I’ve taken on more activities than before. And I’m still looking for more.
And I’ve got the major declaration coming up–another thing I have to think about. I’ll probably go with American Studies, or maybe both AMST and Religion. American Studies seems like such a fun and broad-based department, full of interesting faculty. And the interdisciplinary nature of the program is just what I’m looking for, a way to maintain some intellectual freedom and escape the rigid boundaries that come with most majors.
On the other hand, Religion also boasts some great professors, and the subject is so intensely interesting to me. I’m in Gottschalk’s RELI101 class, and the man is just so full of experience and observations. In RELI212, I have to read the entire New Testament, something I’ve always wanted to do, but never got around to doing. And the entire field is at once so vast, ancient, and yet relevant today, that the study of religion is something to which I’d love to devote the rest of my years at Wes.
Either way, this will require some talking with my advisor (Prof. Gottschalk) and Dean Brown, and maybe Prof. Pfister, as well. I think he’d make an awesome thesis advisor; too bad his specialty is the “cultural and literary history of subjectivity” and not the social sciences or religion, which is more what I am leaning toward.
Anyway, I’m losing my focus here. Busy schedules, busy schedules. You know, I’m a big fan of visual proof. It’s so much more concrete than just making claims and complaints, which I’m sure no one wants to hear. So take a look at a typical week for me, this semester:
My Saturdays are clear—for now. But when I take up some volunteer activities (Habitat for Humanity, maybe, or tutoring) my schedule will be even more crammed. I’m still hoping for the best, though.
I’m really excited about 80% of my classes, and at least interested in the reading for the remaining 20 percent. I also hope to get some more sleep this semester. So far, I’ve managed near-3:00 bedtimes on class nights. This is an improvement that I hope to maintain, and build upon.
That said, I still don’t know how people take more than 4.25 credits and maintain sanity. There are still only 24 hours to the day. 
Unless they know something that I don’t…
One Comment
I think the people who take more than 4.25 credits are usually either science majors or in the fine arts. Science classes (while just as awesome as HA and SBS :p) tend to have much less reading, and no papers. And fine arts classes like art and music don’t seem to have that much work required outside of class.
Good luck with the busyness! This will be my busiest semester, too, and the first in which most of my classes pertain to my primary academic interest. Exciting!