Courses in college

well, it all depends on where you go. Different schools offer different courses. For you, I'd suggest some history and english classes. Might be a good place to start.
Seriously though, I'm not sure about history, but as far as english goes, you'll probably be required to take classes involving certain time periods of literature. As much as I would love to study primarily current lit, I (as an English major) have to go through all the historical stuff as well. If you can, I'd suggest taking some creative writing classes, but these might not always agree with your methods. I know a few people who hate those kind of classes because they feel that the professor is trying to hard too press his or her style upon you, rather than helping you find your own voice. As for general courses, find something you're interested in, besides the history and english. Believe me, you'll get a shitload of those classes elsewhere. Look into taking some experimental classes. If you've never taken psych and are kind of interested, do it to it, Lars. You'll never know if you don't like something unless you've already tried it. Best of luck.

i am a biology major with a minor in cognitive science

My school has many core requirements: 2 humanities, 2 english, 3 social sciences, 2 math, 2 philosophies, 2 theologies, 2 history, as well as the requirements for my major.

my major requirements are: gen bio, gen chem, organic chem, physics, genetics, calculus, and bio classes

my minor encompasses fields in biology, psychology, computer science, and philosophy

As an aside: I see the point of being well-rounded in education, but so far it has been nothing but a nuisance to me. I am a bio major, but I really do not feel as though I have gained an expertise in the field of biology yet. It seems to me that liberal arts colleges these days have too many core requirements

In the end, it won't matter how much you've learned about biology. You'll end up getting a job where they'll tell you to forget all you've learned and teach you all you'll really need to get by in the world. Unfortunately, college has become a piece of our culture that can no longer be overlooked. That's just my opinion though. And it's not like I'm doing anything about it other than complaining. I'm still paying too much goddam money so somebody'll hand me a piece of paper telling me I've gone through several years of useless memorization and spewing of facts.

yes, i agree it is unfortunate that what we learn tends to be inapplicable in the real world. However, I became a bio major because I enjoy learning about biology and it is just frustrating that I have to spend the majority of my time learning about subjects that are forced upon me

I know exactly what you're saying about your frustrations. If I could, I'd love to learn only about the stuff I want, but instead there's a lot of dancing around, trying to make everyone in the administration happy. Life's a bitch and then you die.
Ooooooooo, forensic pathology. I just checked out your profile and I must admit, I'm both impressed and jealous. I wanted to do forensic pathology for a long time, but then gave up when I realized how lazy I am. I decided Med school just isn't for me and I'm probably not for Med school with an attitude like that. Best of luck.

Yeah, it is interesting (and hard work). I am actually working at the medical examiner's office this summer. I cannot wait.

That's awesome! I did a little bit of volunteering up here in Seattle at an ME's office, but did a lot of paper pushing. I only got to see one body. I'm looking into doing a little more volunteering, so maybe if I cry and whine, he might let me at least see something other than a cold, blanketed lump on a gurney (not to sound incredibly cold-hearted or anything).

It's not cold-hearted at all. ME's and people in professions where they witness things out of the ordinary have to learn to distance themselves. When I volunteered in the emergency room, some of the things that the doctors and nurses said were very off-color and would have been seen as being offensive in the general public. People in high stress jobs and jobs that are not exactly mainstream use black humor to relieve some of that tension (and let me tell you, some of it is pretty damn funny).

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by DoNotTrip [/i]
[B][i]People in high stress jobs and jobs that are not exactly mainstream use black humor to relieve some of that tension (and let me tell you, some of it is pretty damn funny). [/i][/B][/QUOTE]

Like what?

i applied to college for nutrition

but i'm kinda having second thoughts and wanna go for art pretty badly now

i've always loved art, just someone told me not to take it unless i loved it enough to not eat, and i do =|

I'm only 13, but my dad went to Stanford for 8 years. He minored in human biolagy(Jane Goodall was one of his professors), law, and majored in the evolution of the english language. Then he went back (soon afterward) and majored in buisness and minored in accounting and the evolution of the english language. And now, about twenty years later, he's retired. I think it has something to do with his high I.Q. (it's in the thirties, or higher. He won't tell me.)

Umm...

In the thirties? That means he is really stupid. Genius level, I think, is around 180 or higher. 120-180 means he is intelligent. But these numbers aren't that accurate because I honestly don't know the exact numbers. I'm too lazy to look them up, but one thing I know, in the thirties means he isn't very smart.

____

Back on-topic. Are any of you in college on Financial Aid? That's one thing i'm kinda looking forward to. It pays off being really poor because the more money you get for Financial Aid. I'm not in college yet - I want to go to USC - and I want to major in the Arts. Not sure yet specifically, but somewhere around the Film industry.

Correctamundo. I think XChuck probably means 130, or if he didn't then, that's what he means now. And I think 130 is right around Genius level, believe it or not. Or at least you seem like a genius to most people. 150 may be the official Genius level, but I think 180 might be a bit too high.

IMTHEZEN......why don't you stick with the nutrition thing, it'll probably be easier for you to find a job...not to mention more secure..especially if you get on staff in a hospital. Then just minor in art...that's what I'm doing. English is my major...but I needed art on the side to relieve tension. or hey...double major...but (at my university anyways) art majors have to have an emphasis...as for me...since i'm only minoring...i get to take any art studio classes i want as long as it equals 18 credits in the end. I like that verstility to try as many mediums as I can.

180 is about Supergenius level. It goes, in the area of,

200 - Stephen Hawking-alike

180 - Supergenius

150 - Genius

130 - Subgenius (Still quite notably intelligent)

Interesting note, James Woods, the evil government guy in 'Contact' and a number of other supporting roles, is alleged to have an IQ of 180, and scored 800 on Verbal SAT's and 789 on Math.

And, word has it he swings mad pipe, if you know what I mean.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by bane [/i]
[B]im going to major in history and minor in english [/B][/QUOTE]

I double majored in english and history, so i think i have a pretty good idea what's ahead for you in school. i just want you to know that if you don't like to read and write, don't go into either of these areas. you will be required to read entire books in a day or two, and then write 2-4 page papers analyzing a single theme or idea. which is very different from writing, say, a book report.

so, my suggestion is to take all the writing classes you can, and courses on analytical thinking. also, depending your area of historical focus, you might want to consider a foreign language. for example, my thesis was on french colonial africa, so i also minored in french.

finally, i also recommend taking courses that interest you, like drawing or something that isn't a requirement to graduate, but to take it pass/fail. you don't want to stress about a class that's supposed to be fun (because then it becomes a chore) or end up doing not so well in the class and bringing down your gpa.

i lied, i have one more thing: odds are that you'll change your major at least once.

Re: IQ levels, I scored a 147 when I was 6, they said I had the mind of a 10-year-old. I took it again and they said the same thing (ba-da-bing!). The only quiz that really matters is the MMPI. They say you're only supposed to deviate around 15 pts. up/down in life. I've never taken it again to see if that's true or not.

Re: college,
I've got a double-BA in Music/Psychology, an MA in Counseling Psych, and almost a minor in Computer Science. What do I do for a living? Web developer. It pays more than anything, and I need that to pay for the student loan mortgage I've created (Sallie Mae spanks my ass every month!).
Yes, you can pay for everything with student loans, but live this advice: GET SCHOLARSHIPS, GRANTS, ETC.!! Free money is free (duh). And nowadays, you can do most of those searches online (unlike the file folder from Hell I had to contend with). You might be surprised at who you can get money from. For example, the NAACP gives money to ALL minorities, not just African-Americans.
One other bit of advice, take a look at salary/income levels for your future position. Then get a feel for how much debt you'll graduate with. You may want to consider a minor in Computer Science or some other money-making field.

I'm a photojournalism major and a creative writing minor. I haven't taken any writing classes yet, except newswriting and it was horrible. But as for photojournalism, I love it. There is nothing I'd rather be doing with my life right now, and if you asked me that a year ago, I wouldn't have known. This brings me to another point, do something that you will love doing. You can't pick a career based on if you'll have job security or not. Because if you love it, you will be damn good at it, and somebody, somewhere will give you a job. And if not, you can always freelance. Most of the other photo majors here want to work for a newspaper, but I want nothing to do with newspapers. So I'm joining the Peace Corps when I graduate. After two years with them, I have no idea what I'll do. And that doesn't bother me a bit.

I have a BA in Psychology. I started out w/ a major in Elementary Education, but couldn't stand it. Then it was between english and psych, and I ended up w/ psych. I took so many classes, because my parents are paid for it. Most of it was pretty fun. Like the film class I had. I love watching movies or reading books and then going into a big discussion tearing up every single bit of it.

Just try everything, or mostly everything. At first, I was scared to death of statistics and psych research...but now I realize how easy it is for me to understand it all, and it's what I want to do for a career.

They seem to go overboard w/ core classes, but that's what they're trying to get at, is to give you a taste of everything so you might end up in something you're good at.

And definitely try for any scholarship or grant you can find. I was lazy and didn't bother with any of it, not knowing at the time I'd be in college for 5 1/2 years. And my college was pretty cheap compared to most.

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Mario [/i]
[B]Umm...

In the thirties? That means he is really stupid. Genius level, I think, is around 180 or higher. 120-180 means he is intelligent. But these numbers aren't that accurate because I honestly don't know the exact numbers. I'm too lazy to look them up, but one thing I know, in the thirties means he isn't very smart.

____

SORRY! I mean 130 (like Rents said)! Sorry, sorry, sorry!

130 is good enough to get into Mensa (at or above the 98th percentile) on most IQ tests.

BABY GAL-Yea, i was thinking of doing something like that, but I don't know what i'll end up doing. Still got 4 years of college to decide.

actually 165 is good enough to get into mensa

i know this because my brother wanted to get into mensa but his IQ is 145 (thats also considered genius) so he couldnt get in

Genius is 180. You only need a 130 to join mensa, and that is top 2% of the population. Not that any of it matters. I am a member of mensa, and I can tell you, I AM NO GENIUS!