Prevailing in Political Science
Fall break is so close! I know everyone’s stressing out about papers and exams and projects and presentations and an array of other types of anxiety-inducing events that our professors dish out to see what we’ve learned so far. As of 10 AM this morning, I have only one more midterm to go: a beast of a political science paper–due at midnight.
Because I don’t know what I want to major in yet, I’ve spent every semester at Vanderbilt so far fulfilling requirements for AXLE and taking as many introductory classes in as many different subjects as I possibly can, hoping that I’d stumble upon something that I love. That hasn’t really happened yet (although I am currently considering a major in cognitive studies), but in that spirit, last spring I enrolled in a political science class–Justice–for this semester. We’ve read things like Antigone, Aristotle’s The Politics, and John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government. While I find the class interesting and I enjoy my discussion section, I’ve also discovered that political science isn’t really my thing, so I probably won’t be exploring it further. But because I’ve realized that it’s not something I’m going to pursue, this midterm paper is even more of a daunting task than it really needs to be–my tendency to procrastinate and panic when it comes to papers longer than three pages is intensified when I don’t have a strong interest in or grasp of the subject.
Despite these personal roadblocks, I know my paper’s going to turn out well in the end. The TA for my class is amazing and she is so helpful with any questions that I have, no matter how small. Even though she doesn’t have time to meet with me in person before the midterm is due, she’s going to take the time to call me and talk to me over the phone about my paper and give me the chance to ask any questions that I have about the texts. So in the end, even though the subject’s not my favorite and the material can be difficult, there’s always people like my TA to help me out and give me advice. So yes, the time until I submit my paper is probably going to be really stressful, but I know I’ll come out on the other side in one piece, and I’ll be rewarded with a nice long weekend to relax.