With the recent changes to an online learning experience through Zoom, students have had some leniency with class times and coursework. I was fortunate enough to have a few professors who pre-recorded lectures and posted them, instead of a live Zoom lecture. With the additional time that quarantine has allotted us, I was able to find time for a total of 25 units. Granted, three of those units are from an undergraduate research assistant position. However the workload has been transferred online, and has increased almost to as much as a real class time. I am currently taking a wide variety of courses, with one major class, one minor class, a GE requirement and some random classes that sounded interesting. I don’t necessarily need these random class credits to count towards anything, but I am hoping to take them for a good letter grade and boost my GPA.
One of my highlight classes this quarter is MUS116: Music of the Beatles. I was familiar with Beatles music and the members, but learning about their beginnings, their relationships with each other, and their ability to collaborate in creating music has been inspiring. This class is the one upper division elective I am currently taking. The other lower division classes have been interesting to listen to and learn about, but MUS116 is more specific and focused on the Beatles which makes the coursework all the more interesting.
With four GE courses and two major/minor courses, I was swamped in the beginning. My planner has become my best friend and I keep track of every lecture, pdf file, and audio uploaded. I realized that I was trying to keep up with my GEs more than my major class, and I knew that my focus had to shift. I was trying so hard to maintain a good grade for the other classes that I was falling behind in lectures for my major class.
As quarantine continues, I find myself slowing down each day. I don’t have the fire lit under me, pushing me to keep with lectures as on time as I did in the beginning. I know that I have to keep myself accountable during the overload of work, and I am going to set goals for myself each day to complete the work and meet the due days that are coming up. I definitely will have to focus on my harder major classes as much as I give attention to these fun GEs. Although taking units leaves less time for Netflix or chilling, I can’t think of a better time to take additional courses and boost my GPA. Staying at home and not planning to leave may have a pro after all.