When I first came to PSU, I knew that I was going to be gaining a lot of the liberties that come with being a college student. Setting my own schedule, choosing where and when to eat, and being able to do whatever I wanted with my free time were just some of the perks that came with becoming a college student. However, I soon discovered that there was another freedom that I would be gaining here at PSU. In my honors English course, I was given the freedom to explore whatever topic or field that I wanted for each paper and project that I was assigned.
This was a welcome change from the rigid curriculum of my high school years. From mental illness in the media to the rhetorical aspects of King George VI’s famous wartime speech, I was able to research a wide variety of topics and present them through the written word, videos, and other forms of presentation. I also believe that this freedom allowed me to enjoy my assignments more, and as a result, gain a better score. I was suddenly earning much higher grades on my essays than any of the works I produced during high school. I also got to develop my other skills such as video editing due to the freedom of being able to present my work in any medium that I chose.
I also believe that this class helped me define what path I want to take as a student here at PSU. I was originally a science major and discovered that this field might not be the best decision for my academic career. However, having the freedom to explore a wide variety of topics in this course helped me discover that I really enjoy studying the effects of media on the population, and that Media Studies might be the right choice for a new major. English 137 and 138 gave me a bit of direction when I was feeling lost about my future at PSU.
In the end, I think the thing that made this class my favorite was my professor, Mary Miles. She encouraged me to exercise my freedom of choice for each assignment and also provided an excellent critique. Her belief that professors should be able to complete the assignments that they assigned their students really stuck with me, especially when she followed through on this belief and performed a TED Talk during class right after we had all completed our own.
It was these elements that made English 137 and 138 my favorite honors courses during my first year as a PSU student. Gaining academic freedom, direction for my academic career, and having an excellent professor to guide me through the process were the main factors in making this course a wonderful experience. I hope that many of the incoming freshmen feel the same way and gain the same benefits that I did in this course.
