CASA requirements made me a well-rounded student

By Meredith Pratt | Assistant News Editor

With only a few weeks until graduation, I have been reminiscing on some of my favorite classes throughout my college career. Something I noticed was that my most memorable classes were not always in my major.

This made me realize that I could not be more appreciative of my experience in the College of Arts and Sciences. I am so grateful for the well-rounded education I received. Among my degree requirements were three science labs, a math course, a foreign language, three fine art classes and more.

Having math and science courses integrated into my degree was intimidating at first, as these are not my strongest academic areas, but they proved to be enriching. I’ll never forget the fun experiments I conducted with friends in my chemistry lab, or the outdoor excursions I took in biology. I also learned several useful skills in my math class.

Taking a foreign language was one of my favorite parts of college. Learning another language is such a challenging yet rewarding skill to develop, and I think it has definitely contributed to my overall education. I even got involved in my language’s club and served as an officer for a year.

As someone who grew up attending operas, ballets, concerts, plays and art exhibits, the fine arts classes were naturally some of my most enjoyable classes. These classes also required me to attend university events, which led to fond memories I still talk about. I was able to attend several of Baylor’s plays for Theatre Appreciation, a few concerts and solo ensembles for Music Appreciation and explored art exhibits for Art History.

I feel like because of the education I received, I now have a competitive edge as a jack of all trades entering the workforce. I have experience in many areas and diverse knowledge that I am able to bring to the table.

Not every degree plan at Baylor requires its students to partake in the added requirements, but I am thankful mine did. Several of the non-major classes I took ended up being favorites of mine, and I will forever be grateful I had the opportunity to learn from subjects outside of my major.