The classes that changed and ruined our lives at Georgetown

The classes you take are arguably the lifeblood of your college experience.

The dude rocking the Patagonia jacket and salmon pants sitting next to you (wait, the one on my left or my right?) just might end up being your Best Man come wedding day. And the cutie you’ve never said a word to that sits on the other side of the room could be the one you end up reciting your vows with (go introduce yourself!)

The average student spends 15 hours a week in class, and once you stack on all your assignments, the courses you obviously picked during pre-registration can end up dictating a huge portion of how you spend your time each day.

Most importantly, a good class can change you. You’ll look forward to going to class each day and gain a friend in the professor you have the incredible fortune of learning from. Maybe you’ll even want to do the readings, and you’ll have fun with your classmates, either debating them or collaborating them on an impossible Physics problem set due hours ago.

If done right, your class will remind you of the joys of learning. And you just might be moved enough to chart your life a little differently than you had imagined.

Bad classes, on the other hand, can suck the life out of your soul. But so long as I’m racking up student debt faster than I’ve gotten rejected from clubs during my time here so far, I think I’ll take the good classes over the bad ones.

We asked you what class changed your life and which one ruined it.

*Disclaimer: talk to your dean before selecting courses.

Katelyn Shahbazian, Sophomore, SFS

The class that changed my life BY FAR, is my STIA in the global arena class. All the professors who co-teach the class are amazing. It is because of this class I decided to be STIA-pre-med as my major. I was actually sad the one day during the global health unit that we weren’t assigned readings because I love them so much.

The class that ruined my life I would definitely say was International Finance. Needless to say, didn’t ace that one. Thank God this is my last semester of Econ.

Barry Goldsmith, Junior, MSB

The class that changed my life was Business Law with Professor Cooke. All my friends told me to take it, despite the fact that it’s like the only business class on a Friday.

Professor Cooke is funny, engaging, caring, and he does an excellent job of keeping the material interesting. He presents the material (which can be complicated) in a very clear manner, and his class isn’t designed to trip up his students.

For example, Professor Cooke went out of his way to find a classroom big enough to accommodate as many people as possible the night before Georgetown Day last year, because he knew none of us would want to show up to class on Georgetown Day.

Luke Gile, Sophomore, SFS

The class that changed my life is my current Theology class, Theology After Freud. It has caused me to look so deeply and think about what actually it means to be happy and find purpose.

A class that ruined my life I’d have to say was Macro/Micro economics because now I view everything as a business in perfect competition.

Beatrice Fabris, Senior, College

The class that changed my life was Ethical Theory – Professor Carse made that class. She was absolutely fantastic and I’ve never had to truly assess and reflect on who I am or what I stand for as I had to do in that class. Every class I came out of it feeling more thoughtful and intellectually stimulated.

The class that ruined my life was Microeconomics – not because the class itself was particularly bad, but because I became a little bit disillusioned by the idea that economics is so powerful in today’s day and age and yet, it seemed quite arbitrary in certain places.

Adrienne Jackson, Senior, College

The class that changed my life was the English class Literary History II. I was actually a transfer student that wasn’t planning on being an English major, but [Professor So] showed me how the things I learned from class are useful in life.

The class that ruined my life was Problem of God. I had many problems with God.

Will Wrotniak, Sophomore, SFS

The class that changed my life was Theater and the Catholic Imagination, because it’s a class where you get to step back from the normal routine of Georgetown classes, and you are able to become closer to other kids in the class than typical classes here.

The class that ruined my life was Modern South Asia. No details necessary.

Will Fonseca, Senior, College

The class that changed my life was Problem of God. I took it the fall of my freshman year and it serves as a great intro to college academic life. Father Steck was an amazing professor, and challenged my beliefs for the first time.

The class that ruined my life was Intro to Music Theory. To be honest, I just didn’t give it the proper attention it needed. The class ended up being much harder than I thought it would be, and included nightly HW assignments – which isn’t good because I’m just lazy.

Ebby Goggins, Sophomore, College  

The class that changed my life was Foundations of Biology I, because although I had to work extremely hard, I realized, by the end of the semester, I had learned more than I ever had in a class and was able to use this knowledge in real life.

The class that ruined my life was Christian Initiation, because I realized the only reason I took the class was to get that easy A as opposed to taking a class I was actually interested in. Thus, I was disappointed in myself for putting grades above the my own interests.

Jake Steinberg, Sophomore, College

The class that changed my life was Acting I. It was just an interesting way to see the world. Fun class. Great teacher. Great community.

The class that ruined my life was Intro to Ethics. Who cares about the situations. Kant was an old bigot anyways.

Grace Brennan, Junior, College

The class that changed my life was American Civilization I, the American Studies intro course, because it helped me discover what I am passionate and most curious about.

In terms of a class that ruined my life, I can’t say any course at Georgetown has. Every course, whether I’m interested in it, or can’t stand the topic, has impacted me in a way that washes over me and paves a path for my academic career.

We even got some feedback from recent grad!

Alex Zajac (College ’15)

The class that changed my life would have to be my freshman Liberal Arts Seminar. My writing vastly improved due to my excellent professors’ guidance, and I even learned to enjoy opera!

The class that ruined my life was Advanced Spanish. I actually ended up having to withdraw because the department kept telling me about assignments on the day they were due!