Hello everybody! My name is Rebecca Zuker, and I am a second-year Sociology and Criminology major and AEO2 student at Western. I wanted to share my perspective on why there is no such thing as ‘easy courses’.
Choosing courses
As an AEO2 student, one of the pressing issues is maintaining the average during my first two years of university. It can be stressful balancing five different courses, especially when you dread doing the work for them. This made me realize that in order to succeed, I needed to take courses I would actually be interested in, and not the ones that I thought would get me the highest mark. Having a genuine interest in something is crucial and it will show in your academics, as you will likely succeed in the courses that are most engaging. The motivation to learn becomes natural, and therefore the material learnt is so much more powerful. I learned through the year that it wasn’t so hard to encourage myself to do the work for the classes in which the content I actually enjoyed and wanted to learn more about, whatever subjects the course entailed. My grades were better in the courses that I wanted to take. This does not mean that you must limit yourself to courses within your department. When looking for courses to enroll in, do some research! Look up topics that spark interest, reach out to others who have taken the course, use the Facebook groups to your advantage, evaluate each course description, and even the course syllabus, before deciding.
Taking what is right for you
After completing my first year, I realized that there is no such thing as ‘easy courses’. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses across different disciplines. Your favourite course could be someone else’s least favourite. Nobody else understands how you best interpret information, and therefore only you can determine whether a course is the right fit. Western offers a wide variety of courses, with endless options for first year students. Ivey’s 2+2 model allows you to explore all the different disciplines Western has to offer, by giving you the opportunity to major in any subject before entering the HBA Program. By learning from a variety of departments, it expands your skill set and equips you for future courses in a well-rounded way.
If you are worried about selecting courses, remember to evaluate your skills and strengths. Before choosing your courses – think about what subjects interest you most and how such courses can play on or expand your existing skill set. Your journey at Western has just begun, so make the most of it by choosing courses you love!