Thoughts from Brooklyn

Walking into English 108, my first college class ever, I had no idea what to expect. However, after listening to my professor and noticing only about twenty other students in the classroom with me, I developed a few expectations that were surprising as well as intriguing. I suddenly discovered that I was actually expecting to enjoy myself in an English class. Since I am majoring in pharmacy, this will be my only English class, and I had always thought of it as merely something to dread walking into three times a week. However, I have already found myself looking forward to my next chance to come to class.
Throughout my high school career, I have taken advantage of every advanced placement opportunity possible. However, since only approximately four hundred students attended my high school, seventh graders through seniors, my opportunities were always somewhat limited. Therefore, my options have not been as numerous as many other students. However, I have taken four semesters of Pre-AP English followed by two semesters of AP English and the completion of the AP English exam. While reading comprehension has not always been my strongest academic ability (especially when I am not interested in the material) and I have not exactly given literature the appreciation it deserves in the past, I do enjoy writing, and therefore I believe this class should be fairly enjoyable for me.
In addition to the small class size and the potential for a few extremely interesting discussions, our required reading actually consists of books I would enjoy reading on my own, which is very different from my high school English class. I honestly predicted we would be reading novels such as Brave New World and Great Expectations, and I was definitely not looking forward for this class to begin. However, when I saw that Brokeback Mountain was only fifty pages long and V for Vendetta was strictly a graphic novel, I decided that nothing is ever the same as what you imagine. In addition, I am anxiously anticipating several in-depth discussions over the topics discussed in these novels, such as the controversy over homosexuality. Coming from a small Indiana school, most topics that were considered secular or controversial were simply left untouched. Therefore, I am excited to hear the opinions of my fellow classmates on these subjects in a nonjudgmental environment. All in all, I honestly feel as if I will enjoy this class and I am ready to come back on Wednesday.