When I received the package in the mail inviting me into the Scholars program as a senior in high school, I was hesitant as to whether I would accept it or not. I looked in depth into each of the individual sub-programs which I could join, and the one that was most appealing to me was Earth, Life, and Time. I had always had an interest in science and the concept of time, so I was sure this was the best possible choice for me. However, I just couldn’t see what exactly I was going to get out of it in the future. Nevertheless, I cannot deny that in some way I felt special for being invited, and didn’t want to throw away my opportunity. Although I do not yet know what is to come from the Scholars program in the future, I am convinced that I should not expect much. With the existence of an Honors program and a Gemstone program here at the University of Maryland, both academically superior to the Scholars program, I just cannot believe that down the road an employer will look at my résumé and think any better of me after seeing I graduated from the Scholars program. The offered class was a one credit class. One credit. The reason I repeat that is because I did equal if not more in that class than I have in nearly any other classes I’ve taken. In becoming a student here at the University of Maryland, I received a scholarship that I cannot afford losing. In order to keep it, I must retain a steady GPA of 3.2 each semester. My major here is Criminology and Criminal Justice, but I am also focusing on Business. Consequently, I have on average taken seventeen credits per semester. Seventeen credits brings along a massive amount of work and commitment. On top of all of this, I simply cannot afford to have to worry about assignments, quizzes, readings, papers, projects, field trips, volunteering, or whatever else was required of me during my time here in the program. Nearly every week there was a new assignment that I had to devote a decent amount of time to. As a result, I had significantly less time to focus on my classes that are required for my graduation. I have spoken with students in other Scholars programs, as well as students in both the Honors and Gemstone programs, and not once have they failed to laugh when I tell them the amount of work I have for Earth, Life, and Time. Some Honors and Gemstone programs, both more respected than the Scholars program, require less of their students than Scholars. How can that be right? I realize that the leaders of the program are committed to educating their students as best as they can, but they have to understand that it is only a one credit class. We students have plenty of other classes that have a much more severe impact on our GPA which we need to focus on. The amount of time the program demands from its students is outrageous.
Now, I do not mean to portray that Earth, Life, and Time, is all bad. The class itself was indeed very interesting and I came out of the program with a bundle of knowledge. The main goal of the class was to examine how the scientific understanding of the physical world and all that lives within is more completely understood when we take into account time. This time can range from way back when the first multi-cellular orgasm originated to just recently when human history began. One of our in-class projects during the spring 2006 semester had us breaking up into groups and organizing a timeline of the history of Earth. This project illustrated to me how small and insignificant the human race is in the grand scheme of time. Throughout Earth, Life, and Time, I learned about topics ranging from the scientific method to family history to climate change. I learned about the various methods of how to separate true science from pseudoscience. I learned about evolution. I enjoyed the majority of the lectures taught. The professors are both knowledgable individuals who are truly devoted to teaching the class as best as they can and they never fail to do a fine job in doing so. They both interact with the students when necessary and try to keep the lectures as intriguing as possible. My favorite lecture was presented by Dr. Merck in the Spring 2006 semester. The lecture was titled: “The Evolution of the Humanities”, and focused on the uprising of art and language in our culture and the impact it has on our society as a whole. After this lecture I had a completely new perspective on the development of our culture. Each semester we were required to attend at least one field trip listed on the syllabus. This semester, fall 2006, I attended the field trip to the National Zoo in Washington D.C.. On top of the educational experience I gained there, I found myself marveling at the unique animals and exhibits. I just wish I could have gone there at my own leisure rather than at a required time and date. Along with everything else we were also required to take a number of supporting courses for the program. Most students took UNIV100, which is meant to ease a freshman’s transition into college; but I instead chose to take EDCP108J, Job Searching Strategies. This was an excellent course to help me think about my possible career. Another course I took was GEOL100/110, which was an introduction to physical geology. The course also included a lab. In these courses I learned a great amount about geology, all of which aided me in understanding the information being taught during semester one in Earth, Life, and Time. Freshman year I lived in Centreville on a floor full of my fellow Earth, Life, and Time students. This proved to be of great help, for at any moment any of us had the ability to quickly collaborate and answer any questions one another may have had about the course.
In conclusion, Earth, Life, and Time was an interesting class in which I certainly got an educational experience out of. However, the workload they hand out for a one credit class was preposterous. If you choose to stick with it, then at the very least you can raise the class to two credits. If the Scholars program continues with the excessive workload, their students eventually will no longer maintain their committment nor their satisfaction with the Earth, Life, and Time program.
Last modified: 04 December 2006