Here at Loomis Chaffee, there are many unique elective courses available for students to take, ranging from Astronomy all the way to Stage Combat. However, even with this wide range of classes available, students are required to take certain classes or reach a certain level at Loomis in order to graduate, meaning they can’t take only electives.
For example, some requirements are to take both World History and US History, complete Algebra 2 at the math level, and take both the freshman and sophomore levels of English. While these are requirements the school considers necessary for students to complete, students themselves feel that these restrictions limit their ability to take classes they are truly interested in.
“I think it can be very limiting, as students need to balance both the requirements and their interests at the same time, which can actually offset them from their path to strongly determine their major in college,” says Eva Borges ‘28.
As she stated, within the limited four-year period students have at Loomis, it is difficult to fit into all the classes students are interested in, especially given the necessity of required classes. She emphasizes that requirements take away students’ time that could be used to take courses that pique their interests. By juggling both schoolwork and after-school activities, students often find it difficult to find time to pursue their true passion. If students are not able to take classes that fuel their passion, they may feel less motivated to do better in those courses.
However, though such impositions may put some limitations on students, I believe they ultimately provide academic balance and teach them the importance of perseverance, even if it is not their favorite class.
“To take rigorous courses, there needs to be a foundation of certain knowledge. These requirements allow students to build a base that will support them in more advanced classes and further in life as Well,” agreed Kin Asvanund ‘27.
As Kin explains, without the analytical and close reading skills learned in freshman and sophomore English, many would struggle in more advanced college-level English courses. Similarly, with the required course of World History, students are able to learn to view the world from a wider lens and analyze different perspectives, a skill that will help them tremendously later on.
Thus, I believe that these required courses are necessary in order for students to flourish, especially in harder classes. Furthermore, these requirements allow students to explore new fields that they would not otherwise have chosen to do.
