Tuesday, February 28, 2006

USP

A fellow churchmember of mine recently pubished an article in the Kentucky Kerenl where she addresses the notion that USP requirements (specifically "Dinosaurs and Disasters") don't benefit her political career. While I thought the article was well written, I have to respecfully disagree with this opinion. I found that USP classes can have a very profound effect on one's college experience and future career. I have a few reasons:

  1. USP courses give you a variety of material. They allow you to find out what areas you are interested in and which ones you are not. I did not know that I wanted to major in psychology when I first started college. But by taking Psychology 100 my freshman year I found out that it was a subject that I was greatly interested in. If not for USP I could be doing something else that I do not enjoy.
  2. They allow you to get used to college. Very few people are truly ready for college when they start. Most struggle at some point and some even drop out. USP courses allow you that time to adapt to college life before the real pressure starts to build up as you get farther into your major.
  3. You can choose from a variety of USP courses, it's not like I had to take a specific class. You choose from various history, science, or humnaity classes that YOU are interested in. No one forces you to take something you don't want to take (except for the inevitable math 109 or English 104).
  4. USP courses allow you to meet a variety of people. You can have class with people from all kinds majors, not just the ones you will be seeing over and over in your area of study.
  5. USP courses give you knowledge in a variety of different fields, making you more well-balanced and preparing you better for the "real world" where not everyone is interested in the same things as you are.

When I was in my first year of college, I was of the opinion that USP courses were a waste of time. I just wanted to take those classes in my major and get done with it. But being a senior this year and looking back I see why they were important, nay, essential to my growth as a student. Things change in college; your opinions change, you plans change, your way of thinking changes.

I've had my classes that I hated. I took Human Ecology my freshman year because someone told me it was a good idea. It was the stupidest class I have ever taken and the teacher was terrible. I dreaded that class more than anything in the world. I mean it was actually painful to sit through. I can't remember 99.9% of what I was taught in that class, but I remember one thing: the hole in the o-zone layer is legit, man. And if that's all I took away from that class, then so be it. At least it was an important idea.

At the least, the classes you hate will make you appreciate the classes you like even more. Give them chance, you may even learn something. They may be painful right now, I won't lie about that, but it's like I always say "Pain builds character". Okay, maybe I have never said that before, but it's still a cool saying.

posted by Wes @ 3:45 PM

14 Comments:

At 2/28/2006 05:54:00 PM, Blogger Josh said...

At the risk of being antagonistic, I thought the most troubling thing about the article was the statement claiming, "College is job training." College is not job training. College is about acquiring as much information as you can about facets of life you would not otherwise be exposed to. To sidetrack, college is also not about surrounding yourself with people who have similar idealogues. College is about exploring other points of view you've never considered before, even if you don't agree with them. You know. Education.

 
At 2/28/2006 06:06:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

why didnt you put this in the Kernel?

 
At 2/28/2006 06:50:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have to respectfully disagree with you Josh in saying that I do believe that college is job training. It is about getting a degree so you can get a job. Now, those things are definitely things that one should take advantage of since people of all different types of job interests are trying to do the same thing you are in the seat next to you.

Trust me, if I could get the job I wanted without going to college, I would do it in a heartbeat.

 
At 2/28/2006 07:01:00 PM, Blogger Liz Waters said...

College is different things for everyone. For me, it was about getting an education, not specific job training. I'm not using my degree in my current job responsibilities, but I certainly benefit from my education and it makes me a more qualified job applicant no matter what the job. If college were just about job training, there would be no point in girls who plan to be stay-at-home mothers going to college. But I think it still has purpose and merit for these people. For some, it's simply a rung on the ladder to a certain job, for others it's about "finding themselves". Whichever of these schools of thought you find yourself in, I agree with you Wes. Most people change their major at least once in college, and many change it after taking a USP class that they become interested in.

 
At 2/28/2006 09:13:00 PM, Blogger d blake said...

The purpose of a college is to create educated young adults. The purpose of vo-tech school is job training.

Education is an exploration of the realms of human experience; it demands a USP-type program.

It's too bad that so many students race through undergrad looking for job training and miss becoming educated.

 
At 2/28/2006 10:19:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

for the record, math 109 (and the math dept in general at UK) is stupid

 
At 3/01/2006 12:19:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think our differences lie in our definitions. I think there is a difference between the purpose of college and why people go. If you want to look at the strict, societal definition and purpose of college, it is to train you to make a living for yourself. That isn't to say that the ideal college attitude is to get what you need and get out. I think you need to take advantage of what all is around you.

If it's just to get life experiences, I could find a MUCH cheaper way to do so. I pay my money so I can make it later. If it's just about the experiences, why not attend whatever class you want tuition free and just gain the knowledge? What's the purpose in the degree?

 
At 3/01/2006 01:09:00 PM, Blogger JTapp said...

My favorite USP class: Forestry 100 (with its cross-class Geo 252).

The professor was an older woodsman. He kept Michelob in his office fridge, and drank it during conversations with students. I kid you not.
He gave the EXACT same tests every semester. Word for word. Just find someone's old one and get an A.
In GEO 252 I learned that the earth is one day just going to explode.

I had Kruppa for human ecology. Also one of the best classes I ever took.

USP was good for all of the reasons Wes listed. I dunno what that girl majored in, hope it wasn't Poly Sci.

Econ should be a mandatory USP.

 
At 3/01/2006 01:17:00 PM, Blogger Wes said...

Krupa was the man, I had him for Biology.

 
At 3/01/2006 02:57:00 PM, Blogger JTapp said...

Krupa was good for human ecology, and just a hard-core neo-darwinist in biology. Dave and I went to a debate featuring him one time.
He made the statement in class that "Some babies are actually born with tails, and the doctors clip them off." This is when it helps to have a pediatrician as a roomate, to debunk your professor.

 
At 3/01/2006 06:04:00 PM, Blogger Liz Waters said...

Krupa cracks me up. He may be full of it, but at least he was entertaining in the process. Plus I got to sleep for several class periods of Biology in which he showed various slides of his tall grass and inside his fridge. Plus he had no mercy on anyone talking or reading the paper during class. I enjoy seeing teachers go off on these people.

 
At 3/01/2006 08:57:00 PM, Blogger Josh said...

There's a guy I graduated from high school with who is currently working as a welder and making almost $40,000 dollars a year at the age of twenty-two. You really can get a job without going to college.

 
At 3/08/2006 04:04:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ok, what are USP courses?

 
At 3/08/2006 05:11:00 PM, Blogger Wes said...

Tell me your name and I will tell you what USP courses are

 

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