As a senior in college, I have taken almost all of the core classes required of me during my time at Georgia southern. at Georgia Southern, our core classes are separated into categories A-E. I am an Exercise Science major, and many of these classes have helped me in my upper level courses.
The classes I took in area "A" were English 1101 English 1102, College Algebra, trigonometry, and introduction to statistics. I learned various skills in these classes such as writing different style papers, and I expanded much of my knowledge with various math skills. All of these classes have helped me tremendously in my upper level courses. For example, I am currently working on a final research project/paper for exercise physiology, and the skills I learned in English 1101 and 1102 have prepared me to do well on this project. In order to apply to physical therapy school, I am required to take trig based physics. Obviously, many of the skills that I learned in trigonometry such as sine, cosine, and tangent carried over into trig based physics, so knowing these skills well really helped me in physics I and II. Both knowing how to write a paper well and how to compute mathematical equations will prepare me to do well in physical therapy school. All of these classes have made me better appreciate the skills being taught and the professors that take the time to pour into their students to ensure they are successful in their future classes and jobs.
My area "B" classes included World History, Cultural illness and diagnosis and treatment, and this current class, core 2000. Some of the skills I learned in these classes included how to respect other cultures around the world not only in day to day life, but in the healthcare system as well. World history actually helped me in cultural illness and diagnosis and treatment because I went into the class knowing information about other cultures around the world which helped be better understand how and why other cultures preferred some things over others in the healthcare system. Not only do I plan on being a physical therapist, but I also currently work as a physical therapy aide. The healthcare system is not excluded to Americans in the USA, so knowing how to respect other cultures morals and beliefs when it comes to medication and rehabilitation is very important. I have found all of this information to be true working in the healthcare system myself this past year, and I believe this knowledge will help me become a better physical therapist.
In area "C" I took World Literature I and Art in Life. While I didn't think I would enjoy either of these classes when I signed up for them, I ended up loving both and the knowledge I gained. I don't know if I would consider this a "skill", but I did do multiple art projects in art in life that were really fun to do. While the art projects were fun, the main takeaway from art in life was how to read deeper into things that may seem very simple, and how to appreciate the work and imagination of others. This skill of appreciation has helped me in all of my classes, and I am sure it will help me in the future as well. I believe it will allow me to better appreciate the hard work my patients will be putting in to get back to their 100% healthy bodies. My view of the world has indeed changed because of these classes. World Lit and Art In Life made me fall in love with the imagination and work of others around the world and how their views differ from my own.
My area "D" classes were very science heavy and included Chemistry II, Physics II, and Biology I. While these classes were challenging, they all taught me something that I needed in later classes. I gained skills such as how to read a periodic table and how to find missing angles. Currently, I am taking Biomechanics which is basically the physics behind how the body moves. Because of this, I am very thankful for the knowledge I gained in physics II such as finding missing angles. Knowing different abbreviations for elements on the periodic table has helped me as well in exercise physiology. I believe the information learned in these classes will build upon harder classes in physical therapy school, so it is very important I learn this information well. I find it pretty cool that while most things around the world are drastically different, science is the one thing that never changes wherever you are
Finally, in area "E" I took American Government, U.S. Comprehensive survey, and introduction to anthropology. These classes are not in my area of study, but they have helped me in many areas of my life. I enjoyed American Government the most because our lives revolve around our government and the decisions made by our government officials. The information I learned in American Government helped me in US comprehensive Survey and vise versa. I think it is important to understand our government and how it runs because it is important to vote, and you cannot vote accurately without knowing how our government works and what decisions are being made for our country. knowing how to vote and what you are voting for is a skill that never goes away. Though these classes primarily apply to the United States, I think it is interesting how our government may differ from another's country.