understanding college as a whole

I want to talk about a couple great articles I was told to read that concern your first year and your journey through college. The first article talks about going the wrong way, because its okay to mess up, take the wrong way home, and make mistakes because all the little things are a big part of what shape the person you become. The author, Martha Nussbaum, talks a lot about why it is important to think about your own life as a whole as apposed to just thinking about your future job or career. She also talks about the importance of taking courses such as a humanities class because they challenge the mind and help it grow. I think Martha Nussbaum was right about her ideas of humanities courses because I think it is vital that once you are an adult that you have an open mind and are not single-minded. If you are not open-minded, working with others and keeping a job will be very difficult.

The second article I read discusses the importance of your life off campus in relation to your schooling. James MacGregor Burns, the author, suggests that on your own time you should read a newspaper because it teaches you a lot about reading and writing which will ultimately help you in the classroom. And not to mention it catches you up on current events which helps to round and shape your mind as a whole. He also reccomends that you know your teachers outside of the class room. I agree with this because then you will be comfortable enough to talk to your teacher about the class, your schedule, ask questions you have, or press concerns, etc. This piece of advice is one that I am most likely to follow and will try to follow because in the past I have had issues with being to uncomfortable with my teachers to seek help or ask questions to. This is an issue I need to work on and this is definitely a good answer. It is very unsettling to be too uncomfortable to ask questions and never get an answer. Therefore, I plan to get to know some of my professors so that in the future they know my strengths and weaknesses and can progressively help me work at them so that I can be a better all around student.