I forgot about the ‘study’ part of study abroad…

With all the fun and sight- seeing that has been going on over the last two weeks, I almost forgot why I was here- to go to school. Today was the big start to almost all of my classes. Though Arcadia only allows us to take three classes (or modules as they are referred to here) it seems like much more.

As a biology major, I am required to take the equivalent to Biology 102 and a class called Field Skills to count as the lab portion of the class. Unlike AU, the classes are not connected in any way. For example, in the biology class we are learning about the organs and organ systems, in field skills we are learning how to make maps. The topics we cover in the biology class are not reinforced through the field skills class. This is rough for me because I know that I am a kinesthetic learner, meaning I must “do” things to remember them better. Word is that the Bio 102 labs at Arcadia are dissecting animals, this is angering some of my fellow FYSAEs because they believe they are taking a course that is not similar to our classmates at home and we may be at a disadvantage next Fall.

Other than Biology and Field Skills, I am also enrolled in a course called Social Problems. It is something I have never done before- looking at problems in society and analyzing them from a sociological view point… I’m not quite sure what that means yet, but I am excited to find out. This is a course mostly taken by Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology, and Social Work majors. You may ask why I am taking a course that has nothing to do with my major? It’s the same reason I chose Arcadia- I want a liberal arts education. I want to leave my undergraduate studies with a good knowledge of biology, but I also want to be a well rounded individual. Also, my sister who is a senior in high school wants to pursue a career in social work, and I would like to be able to have conversations with her about her studies and actually understand what she is saying.

On a lighter note, this weekend I went to Doune Castle where scenes of Monty Python and the Holy Grail were filmed, most recognizably the scene with the Trojan Rabbit. It was a beautiful day to explore a castle and the surrounding grounds.