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Mid-Terms and New Classes

(Academics, Class of 2012) Permanent link All Posts

It’s late February now, just about the middle of the spring semester here. As I write this, the ground is buried under a nice layer of snow; similarly, I’m buried under a hefty layer of homework. Not only are there mid-term exams to worry about, but it’s around this time that the due date for long-term projects starts approaching much quicker than I wish they would.

On the bright side, this is also the time of year when I get to register for next year’s classes. The Marine and Environmental Sciences major is unique in that you can pick two of three tracks to focus on during your first and second class year. The three tracks are the biological, physical, and chemical tracks. Each track features different classes, instructors, and labs and allows you to narrow in on your specific interests within the major. For example, the biology track allows you to take classes like Fisheries Biology and even take a trip to see organisms at a nearby aquarium. The physical track involves studies of ocean currents and weather, among other things, while the chemistry track involves such classes as Organic Chemistry.

Right now, I’m leaning toward joining the biology and physical tracks. Last semester I took Marine Biology and found the course to be quite interesting, especially with some of the dissections we performed in lab. Similarly, Meteorology, which I also took last semester, was also interesting and offered knowledge that would be extremely applicable as an officer in a seagoing service.

Overall however, while the work load can be demanding at times, I’m definitely satisfied in my major and any of the three tracks offer great opportunities to learn both in the classroom and hands-on.

More about Mark.

Last Edited by Leann Strickland at 2/1/2012 3:08 PM