Did you load Paper.nu on your computer today? If so, you’re not alone. Margot Amouyal has the story on course registration week.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: You know what week it is? Winter quarter course registration
week! While you feverishly search through Paper.nu, aka what used to be Salad.nu,
WNUR News will be taking you on a journey of course registration through the eyes of
six students at each of the six schools of Northwestern. Yup, that’s the School of
Education and Social Policy, the Bienen School of Music, the Weinberg College of Arts
and Sciences, the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Medill
School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, and the School of
Communication.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Up first, SESP.
WENDY KLUNK: I’m Wendy Klunk. I am a junior in SESP studying human development
in context, and I have a business minor. I’m from just outside Detroit, Michigan.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Wendy says a cool part of course registration for SESP students
is how interconnected the school is.
WENDY KLUNK: SESP is super nice because you get to preregister for any SESP
class, not just the ones under your major.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Wendy says one distro she took stands out to her in particular.
WENDY KLUNK: Another class I really enjoyed. I also took my freshman year. It was called language in the brain for natural sciences distro … we got to learn about how
language is processed and formulated within the brain.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Now, let’s hear from a second-year Bienen student studying the
double bass.
LEO BUCKMAN: I’m Leo Buckman. I’m from Glencoe, Illinois, which is about 20
minutes from here. I am a dual degree in music performance and computer science.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Bienen students are required to take classes on topics ranging
from music theory to music history. That’s in addition to weekly lessons, ensemble
sessions, studio and practice time. These commitments ensure that music students will be fully prepared to audition for professional orchestras, if they want to, by the time they graduate.
LEO BUCKMAN: It’s on a two-year cycle, so every two years, they complete most of the repertoire that you would be asked in an audition, so by the time you’ve graduated
from Bienen, you’ll have gone through the repertoire list twice.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Particularly memorable distribution classes for Leo Buckman so
far has been the ones where he has had to sing.
LEO BUCKMAN: The main point of the class is that you are able to identify different
intervals and so you have to sing a lot in that class. There was a project last year where we had to sing, and we sang Sweet Caroline. That was probably my most memorable
moment from that class.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Leo Buckman says the Bienen community helps him persevere through the rigor of a duel-degree courseload.
LEO BUCKMAN: I don’t think I would be able to do it without them. I’ll be struggling,and
I look to my right and my left and my friends are going through the same things.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Next stop, Weinberg.
LEO KANTROW: I’m Leo Kantrow. I study economics and philosophy.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Leo Kantrow says a unique feature of Weinberg course
registration is the flexibility.
LEO KANTROW: I think that other schools have less freedom with what kinds of
classes you can take … but this also comes with the downside of maybe I won’t get the
classes I really want.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Next quarter, Leo Kantrow plans to tackle a natural sciences
distro by taking a biogeography class. This past quarter, he says he fulfilled his literature
distro with a class he, and many students, say is a must-take.
LEO KANTROW: I would tell everyone to take an intro to Russian literature … It’s a lot
of work, but it’s a very good class. It’s evident that the professor puts a lot of thought
into his lectures.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Let’s now hear from a McCormick student.
KAI FEINBERG: Kai Feinberg. Manufacturing and design engineering.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Kai says he says he is not registering for course registration this
winter because he is going to San Francisco with the Bay Area Immersion Program.
KAI FEINBERG: This specific class since it’s for the Bay Area immersion program, but
journalism 319 with Professor Gilbert is my favorite class right now. We talked about
tech in A.I., and the intersection of technology and media, and it’s super cool.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Kai says he wants McCormick students to know they can take
college classes beyond the quote on quote traditional ones.
KAI FEINBERG: I think one of the things I want people to know is that the distros do not
have to be would you would think as a conventional college class. You can take things
that are more fun. There are a ton of really cool classes like communications, even
other disciplines. I’m taking a journalism class right now.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Now for my home school, Medill.
JOSIE HALPORN: I’m Josie Halporn. I study journalism and psychology with a minor in
Portuguese. I’m from Boston, Massachusetts.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Josie says a unique feature of Medill course registration is that
over 95% of journalism students pursue a double major, minor or certificate.
JOSIE HALPORN: I think it’s hard because a lot of people in Medill have a second
major, so when they are deciding what to do preregister for. So they’re deciding what to
do pre registration for, they have to often choose between registering for journalism
classes and registering for classes for their other major.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Josie says next quarter she is going to focus on her psychology
major, and spring quarter focus on journalism. Finally, School of Communication. Here’s
Miracle Idowu.
MIRACLE IDOWU: I study theater and psychology. I’m from Lancaster, California.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Miracle says she enjoys the flexibility of the School of
Communication.
MIRACLE IDOWU: It’s more than just choosing what is interesting to you. I feel like you
can really have fun when choosing your distros.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: Miracle also said she appreciates how a lot of the School of
Communication distribution requirements align with her double major.
MIRACLE IDOWU: I feel like for me, it’s just kind of easy because the requirements for
psych already fulfill my distros for theater.
MARGOT AMOUYAL: So no matter what school you’re in, rest assured that everyone’s
gone through it. Here’s hoping you got the classes you wanted this week. For WNUR
News, I’m Margot Amouyal.
