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On the Campus: March 6, 1996
Academic OverdriveSome students go all out in pursuit of a complete Princeton educationBy Jeremy Caplan '97 After Tarun Mital '97 added an 11th course to his spring class schedule, he took a deep sigh and prepared for the tough task ahead. In his first two years, Mital had juggled Outdoor Action, intramural soccer, the Hindu Students Council, and playing bassoon in the University Orchestra, yet he'd never attempted such an academic feat. But he wasn't concerned about having trouble with all the work-that was never an issue. In the fall Mital had completed nine courses, from quantum mechanics and complex analysis to beginner's Latin and advanced macroeconomics. To date, he has completed his pre-med requirements, finished coursework for a certificate in Spanish, and is two courses away from a degree in physics. He's doing an independent major in the Philosophy of Medicine. What Mital did worry about was the skepticism he would face from friends, advisers, and most importantly, the registrar's office. But though some friends questioned Mital's sanity, he found that the university was supportive. Despite initial concerns, Deputy Registrar Joseph Greenberg accepted his course cards. "Mital's course selection can create complications. It makes scheduling final exams more difficult," he said. But Greenberg didn't object because the university places no ceiling on how many courses a student can take. Taking 11 classes in a semester may be unusual, but Greenberg says many students complete more than the 30 that the university requires. About half of this year's senior class will take at least one extra class; about 15 percent will have two or more; and 3-5 percent will have taken three, four, or five extra courses in their four years on campus. A few will outdo even that-Jared Schutz '96 expects to graduate with 40 courses on his transcript. When he was a freshman, Schutz was advised to drop his extra courses so he could manage a basic courseload. He politely nodded, but kept all 25 of his first two years' courses. "I would tell my adviser that I'd drop two or three soon, but once I liked a class, it was hard to let it go." Schutz's amazing courseloads arose from his love for learning. "There's only so much time you have here, and there are so many exciting things offered. I'm not going to graduate school, so this is probably my last chance to take courses across a wide spectrum. I want to take advantage of that." Unlike Mital, Schutz has not always found the university to be accommodating. "The bureaucracy likes to stop people from doing things," he says. Schutz also questions the "archaic" course-registration system, which he says requires "running around from place to place collecting signatures from professors who barely even know you." Though he doesn't plan to get a master's or a doctorate, Schutz has sat in on graduate courses since his first year at Princeton. He found that professors in the courses were generally cooperative, but the occasional graduate student expressed surprise when they encountered such a young face. "I used to 'crash' courses, and they'd stare at me and ask 'Who are you?' as if I were from another planet," Schutz said. "Graduate courses, which are open to everybody, are something undergraduates here should take greater advantage of," he added. In addition to coursework, Schutz received credit from the Woodrow Wilson School for an internship he did with New Jersey Transit; he helped write the company's business plans for 1996, a project that tied into his interest in an entrepreneurial career. Mital, who has chosen medical school rather than a career in business, feels everything he learns will help make him a better doctor. "Say I have an East-Asian patient. My course in Chinese thought may provide a good cultural context for understanding that patient and her fundamental beliefs. We've got all these incredible professors here, and I'd like to learn as much as I can while I have the chance." He'll try to keep as many of his 11 classes as possible, but independent work may force him to drop several of them. "My adviser suggested that I consider taking fewer courses so that I could focus on my junior paper," said Mital. Even students who don't take dozens of classes each semester make adjustments for their commitments outside the classroom. Many seniors, for example, take the minimum of six courses in their final year in order to focus on their theses and extracurricular interests. Jessica Malman '96, a Woodrow Wilson School major, explains that pursuing job interviews, writing her thesis, and just wanting to enjoy her final year at college were factors in her decision to reduce her in-class work. "During my last few months here I want to have time to spend with friends," Malman says. "I want to be able to stop and smell the roses." But academic overachievers like Schutz and Mital can't seem to get enough of Princeton's intellectual rigors. Says Schutz, "Like many that have come before me, I'll be proud to walk through FitzRandolph Gate knowing that I made the most of my time here." The editors note that Jeremy Caplan, a junior in the Woodrow Wilson School, is also getting a certificate in musical performance, cowriting The Student Guide to Princeton, and serving as a contributing editor of the Nassau Weekly. |