I am suffering from a huge dilemma. I really wanted to minor in English this year but due to circumstances I wasn’t able to add it, so I had to keep doing a history minor as I already had 2 credits in history. BUT I HATE HISTORY. Okay, I do not? HATE it, but I am not passionate about it. I’m taking this class on the Middle Ages and well, it sucks. I don’t want to bash my professor, but I do not understand him/her. Nothing is getting through to me and I’m sure I will be lost during the exams. The textbook is so dense and takes much time to read. There is an assignment which I do not understand, and I really suck at the research. there is no research in english.. i wish i could be doing that but its too late. I’m pretty sure I will fail this assignment because I’m not putting any effort into it and it’s very complicated to understand – basically it is a “revision of a wikipedia article”. should i drop this class? can i stick through it? if i drop it, there might be repercussions with OSAP (yay!) and i need the credit for an upper year credit for the history minor. (mind you, i didnt pick any good classes this year.. so im suffering a lot. cant concentrate) partly, this has been a vent more than a question, but still, should i drop it or not? this is my last year and im so scared to fail due to lack of interest and be embarrassed and not graduate.
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Hello History Hater,
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but fun fact: English isn’t that different from history. It’s actually pretty similar! If you’ve ever taken an English course – which I’m assuming you have since you’re considering it for a minor – then you’ll know that you always get a lot of historical context to go with your reading. Likewise, there is usually a fair amount of research necessary, so I don’t recommend trying to be in that program simply because you think there’s no research. There is.
And as for your Middle Ages course, it’s up to you to gauge how well you’ll do. Will you continue disliking it so much that if affects your work ethic? Or will you decide that maintaining your GPA is more important and start working harder? I’d recommend taking a look at the Credit/No Credit option, but if this course is a requirement for you, that’s out of the question. For now, all you can really do is suck it up for the rest of the term since you need the course to fulfill your POSt.
For now, just make an effort to enjoy the course or at least find something interesting about it. I mean, if it’s a requirement, you’re not likely to drop it. Do the readings ahead of time, sit in the front of the class and listen carefully, ask questions when you’re confused, go to office hours — there are plenty of things you can do to succeed.
But there’s nothing wrong with not graduating in June. Lots of people return for fifth years and they definitely benefit from them!
specializing in english,
aska