Santa Clara should offer class in life skills
By Melissa Walker
The end of my senior year is approaching and I have begun to ponder some important questions. Where will I be next year? What will I be doing? Will I be able to make it on my own?
As I was mulling over these questions, I realized that there are a lot of important day to day things I do not know. It occurred to me that even though the University has provided me with an excellent education, they have forgotten to include an important aspect into our education � daily living skills.
Being an anthropology and communication double major, I am pretty confident within these areas of study. I also I know a decent amount about English, religion, math and global/area studies due to the fact that we have such a wide variation of courses as part of our core curriculum. However, I must admit that there are many daily living skills that I do not have. I have never changed a flat tire. Sure, I could probably figure it out and some may say that's what AAA is for, but I think it would be helpful if I knew how to change a tire in case I were ever alone at night in a deserted area with no cell phone service. I also have never changed the oil in my car. Yes, I have checked it, but never changed it. This too would be a handy skill to have.
Beside basic auto maintenance, I have little knowledge of how to do my taxes and what kind of insurance I should have in the near future. I personally have had help from a parent when filing my taxes, and I am not looking forward to tackling this task when I am actually making a decent amount of money and maybe even investing it in property and stock. As far as insurance is concerned, most students are still under their parents' coverage, but unless you stay in school, health insurance and other types of insurance are a necessity that seniors need to start looking into.
The point that I am trying to make is that even though the University is doing a fine job educating us in the areas of academia, to fully educate the whole person and prepare us for entering "the real world" they should add daily living skills courses to the core curriculum. This would help ease the transition from student to functioning adult, as well as to help people feel more confident with their own abilities. Can I write a coherent 8-10 page paper, complete with annotated bibliography? Check. Can I be confident in an interview setting or an office meet-and-greet? Check. Can I rattle off facts about 401K plans and insurance premiums with the confidence that I know what I am talking about? Not quite.
I realize there are certain programs offered around campus for students to take in their free time, that will help students with some of the issues I have highlighted. I also realize that some of the business school students are chuckling to themselves right now because they feel prepared. But not that many people I know have very much free time to attend sessions outside of class and I know lots of students that haven't taken one class in the business school because their schedule doesn't permit it � myself included.
Therefore, I propose that the University make it a priority for every student to take one or two daily living skills courses that could cover financial information, automobile care, cooking, emergency preparedness skills and a variety of other skills I haven't even thought of. A Santa Clara University education should include not only a vast array of knowledge in academic subjects, but also the skills to help us be successful individuals in everyday life.