GUEST COLUMN: The (disguised) gift of choice

classes may be confusing, but being able to explore intellectually is one good thing about the liberal arts. Today is the last day of the Drop period. But as the Add period drew to a close a few weeks ago, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. I was beginning to think its official end was the only thing that would force me to stop changing my schedule. One month into the start of the semester, I am enrolled in only one of the classes that was originally on my schedule. This is despite the fact that I spent hours over the summer reading through the booklet of freshman seminars and writing courses as well as the overwhelming 2,000-page course catalogue, selecting the few courses I thought would be perfect. The only encouragement I could offer myself throughout this tedious process was, "Think how relieved you'll be when everything is all set for you when you get to school. You won't have to deal with it then, like all those procrastinators who didn't put the time into it now." Little did I know my troubles had barely begun! I was less than thrilled with my first class, but I had a few replacement options. I was confident that I could do the Drop/Add thing without too much trouble, since I had built up a pretty solid relationship with PARIS over the summer. My first on-campus schedule negotiation, however, quickly corrected this misconception. I found myself getting shut out of one class after another, until I frantically started pushing random course numbers to see if there was anything with any room left. I forced myself to take a deep breath and hang up the phone before things got way out of hand and I ended up in Underwater Basket-Weaving 102 or something. I was insanely jealous of all my friends in dual-degree programs whose schedules were predetermined each semester. They knew what they wanted and were taking the classes they needed to accomplish their career goals. I, on the other hand, had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and was desperately searching for the one class that would inspire me and turn me toward the career path for which I was destined. When none of the classes I was enrolled in seemed to be doing that, I freaked out. Too emotionally unstable to deal with the infuriating computerized voice of the PARIS system, I went running to my College advisor. She managed to steer me in the right direction, and I left her office confident about my choices. I was now enrolled in only two intensive writing courses instead of three, and I even managed to fit in a Math course to give myself a better balance of subjects. After about a week of frantic make-up work, I could truly say I was back on track. Even better, I was enjoying my classes. The other night I was raving about how happy I was to be taking a Math course, and how exciting it was that with only a few more Math classes, I would be able to minor in Math. (Then I came to my senses.) My friend Mike, proud participant in the Management and Technology program, was puzzled. He asked me, "Why would you want to get a degree in something that you aren't going to need in your career?" For a fleeting moment, my reverie was shattered; what he said seemed to make a lot of sense. What good would a Math minor do for me if I decided to go into psychology? But then I caught myself and realized this is probably the only time in my life I'm going to be able to learn simply for the sake of learning, and not for some practical purpose. I tried to convince him he should be diving into the wide variety of options offered at Penn, satisfying all his random intellectual curiosities. From there, after he has explored all the areas he ever thought might appeal to him, he could focus on a career goal. He shook his head at my silliness, smiling contentedly at the thought of the six-figure salary that the M&T; program practically guaranteed him. I guess different people have their own ideas about the importance of a liberal arts education. Through my adventures with PARIS over these past few weeks, however, I've been enrolled in about 12 different courses. I have enjoyed the little bits of exposure each one has provided. I no longer wish for the boundaries provided by the specific career-oriented dual-degree programs. Instead, I feel lucky to have the opportunity to immerse myself in a variety of opportunities before focusing in on one.