Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2010 - (Page 40)

one step ahead The Class I Used to Hate College is a change of pace from high school in a big way. You can choose which classes you want to take and therefore avoid the boredom and drudgery that come from classes that don’t interest you. It’s wonderful to be able to focus only on the things that really make you happy. That’s what I was doing. I declared my major in psychology and never looked back. Sure, there are general education requirements, but, on the whole, I was taking psychology courses and learning about things that I loved and enjoyed. I was focused and interested. Life was great. Then I took a class I hated, and life got even better. Halfway through my sophomore year, I’d taken my fair share of psychology courses, most of them focusing on psychology in a very clinical way, like a doctor treating patients. One of the courses for the upcoming semester was described as breaking away from this norm. It took the stance that psychology was about one person helping another become happier. This idea appealed to me a lot, so I signed up for the class immediately. I soon found myself in the bookstore, picking up my textbooks for the semester. Looking at the reading list, I was even more excited for my new class. There was as much philosophy on the book list as there was psychology. This fact alone, I felt, guaranteed the quality of the class. When I got to class, though, my excitement evaporated. My professor informed the class that we would not be discussing most of the books on the reading list; in fact, the books we would focus on were the dullest-looking ones. This was just the first step in the by Benet Reynolds long, downward spiral of that course. Over the next weeks, I found myself dreading the class more and more. I would sit there, unable to understand half of what my professor was saying, even after asking questions and re-reading texts. And what I could understand, I disagreed with. I found myself mired in frustration and questions. Why did I take this class? What am I doing? What am I actually learning? Just when I had given up, I was struck by that question: What am I actually learning? This one question led me to ask other questions. Why do I disagree with my professor? What do I think is the right approach? Why is that the right approach? I started listening, really listening in class. I asked more questions than ever, because I wanted to understand more than ever. I realized that my reactions to the material and the ideas that my professor was presenting were just as important as the material itself. I no longer dreaded going to class. Instead, I was excited. I couldn’t wait to react to more ideas. I wound up doing well, because even though my opinions differed from my professor’s, I had integrated and synthesized the information I was presented, so I could make a good argument against it. And that’s really what learning is about. It’s not about simply acquiring knowledge, or formulas, or dates, or authors’ names. It’s about taking this knowledge and reacting to it. Thinking about the “why” and “how” of ideas you’re presented with, rather than just accepting the knowledge, will help you learn better— and learn more. So, when you get to college, don’t just give up and drop that class you hate. You’ll learn more than you might think. i I asked more istock questions than ever, because I wanted to understand more than ever. Benet Reynolds is a junior at Goucher college in Maryland. A selfproclaimed nerd, he loves fantasy and science fiction as much as he enjoys studying psychology. he is studying abroad this semester at the University of Westminster in London. 40 imagine Mar/Apr 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2010

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2010
Contents
Editor’s Note
Big Questions
In My Own Words
Why Study Philosophy?
The Great Conversation
Robots, Zombies, and Descartes
The Wide World of Philosophy
The Philosopher’s Toolbox
Bad Dreams, Evil Demons, and The Experience Machine
Harry Potter and Plato
Exploring Ethics (or, Why I Give Up Saturdays in Spring)
How to Start a Philosophy Club
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Middle Ground
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Sudoku
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - March/April 2010