Welcome to the random student interview, where the official language is English.
So Molly, what are you studying?
I’m undecided right now. I’ve got to figure that out.
No kidding. You’re a freshman. Get on that. So what are you taking right now?
I’m taking Great Books. I’m taking Spanish 277, a psychology in linguistics class and a science seminar on oceans.
OK. So you’re obviously slacking.
(Laughs)
¿Hablas Español?
Sí, un poco.
Yo también. Fantástico. And we’re done with that. This is America. I would continue, but I don’t think that whatever readership I have would appreciate having to go to Google translate.
Yeah.
Do you learn dolphin as a part of your ocean class?
That would be incredible, but sadly I’m not.
They might add it to the curriculum you know. They get those weird mini-courses going. I wouldn’t doubt it if Intro to Dolphin popped up.
Yeah.
So have you already backpacked all of your classes for next semester?
I’m actually going to talk to my adviser in a couple minutes. I haven’t backpacked yet.
Oh OK. You’re still young and think they can actually help you. How proactive. Have you gone to advising before?
Umm, during orientation.
Were they really any help?
Yeah, actually. Considering the amount of classes there are at the University, in order to help, having someone who can point you in the right direction in terms of what classes to take is very helpful.
Yeah. Is undergraduate advising paying you to say this?
No. I mean, even if I routed through the course guide there’s no way I could know completely what classes are going to be appropriate for me.
Yeah. So, you must be Honors since you’re in Great Books. How great are those great books?
Umm, they’re very difficult. I mean, who am I to say what books are the best or contribute the most to society or anything like that?
You’re an Honors student! I did Honors in my day. I vaguely remember reading an awful lot of Greek stuff.
Yeah for sure.
So, you’re undecided. What would be the thing you’re most interested in going into? You know, if money and job security weren’t a persistent and frightening worry.
Yeah, unfortunately that worries everyone. But currently, I’m actually thinking about going into speech pathology.
OK, cool.
Although I’m not so sure. There’s still so much I have to learn about how to get into careers and different things. Right now what I’m trying to do is try to think about what kind of career I want to have and what kind of degree might get me there. And at the same time, it has to be a degree that I’d be interested in studying, in a subject that I would want to know.
OK wow. Still so young. Call me when you give up and decide to become an English major like me. I would say you’re focusing right in on something wonderful there. I was pre-med once and full of optimism. Those were the days…
(Silence)
So, why the Spanish language class? You obviously tested out of the requirement.
Yeah I tested out of the requirement. It’s just a personal thing. I’m a very talkative, outgoing person, and I’d like to be able to talk with more people, and if I can talk in Spanish as well as English it greatly expands my ability to do that.
Yeah I can tell. You stopped for the interview. Most people breeze on by. Or they give me one-word answers, which allows me to ramble on as a representative of The Michigan Daily.
My brother actually wrote for the Daily a couple of years ago.
Oh, what section did he write for?
Sports.
News is better.
He wrote about football his senior year.
Oh in that case, everyone wants to write about football.
Yeah he had a great thing going.
So, I’ll let you get to your advising appointment. Wouldn’t want to hold you back, such a gung-ho freshman. Adios amigo.
-Molly is an LSA freshman