College is about figuring out and finding what you want to do with your future, but this all doesn’t have to happen as soon as you open the door to your freshman dorm room. Majors and interests begin to change as you begin to find yourself outside of the social norms of high school and possible small-town social groups. As you begin to better understand the details of the major you have chosen, it can sometimes be not exactly what you were looking for or wanting to do with your future. The future is always changing, your interests are further developing, and so is one’s need to find a class to ease the stress and burden that the degree evaluation puts upon every student to graduate on time. Taking a class outside of one’s degree evaluation in order to fill an elective can allow for the discovery of a hidden talent, a beloved past time, or a view on the industry (in my case the meat industry) from an outside angle.
For me, I had always been able to clear my head when I was able to step outside of a classroom and put to use exactly what I had been learning for that week. Considering this was not possible with my major and the risk to animal lives this posed (as a pre-vet student), I had to find another solution. The solution being a recommendation from my meat science quiz bowl coach to take her practicum of livestock slaughter class in the hopes to better my quiz bowl knowledge, my understanding of the meat industry as a whole, and to further establish a solid anatomical understanding of the top three production livestock species in the United States. This class has allowed me to see first-hand how certain living conditions, environmental factors, and overall management practices can affect the meat industry on such a small but mighty scale.
Making a decision to try something new is never easy and can be downright daunting at times. Knowing full well that you have the support of your fellow classmates, the professor, and even the college as a whole backing your choice is an incredible feeling. An experience such as this can truly make or break the experience that a student has in a class outside of their designated college or even a major within the same college.
Classes are meant for individuals to learn and discover a passion; you never know your true desire for something until you have jumped at the chance to try it. The University of Wyoming offers hundreds of classes dealing with any subject matter such as sign language, drama, sewing and textile design to even a fit and show livestock class. The opportunities are endless, if you are willing to accept the challenge and take a class outside of your major/college.
-Erika Eckhardt