BSM offers a vast array of elective options that can evoke the unique interests and talents of students. Most students enroll in elective courses, however, squeezing elective classes into one’s schedule can come with a few downsides. Oftentimes, taking many electives comes at the cost of not having a study hall for freshmen and sophomores or a free hour for juniors and seniors. The question then becomes: which is more beneficial to the learning of the student, a free hour or an additional elective class? Students have contrasting opinions.
For some students, having a free hour/study hall is crucial to their learning and school experience. Sophomore Grant Lockman, who takes both Photography and Biomedical Research as electives, believes that electives courses are better for younger students but as you continue through school and your core subjects become more challenging, a free hour/study hall is the better option. “It’s nice, but it’s also kind of getting harder as you get higher up in school,” Lockman said.
Freshman Haddie Gott feels similarly, explaining how, in her opinion, a study hall/free hour is better for students because they have extra time to talk to teachers and get work done during school hours. “Electives are more of like a fun thing and not… learning… so I think a study hall can help you learn,” Gott said.
Junior Anna Kelm feels similarly, believing that a study hall can be more beneficial for a student’s mental health. Kelm takes ceramics but doesn’t enjoy taking electives over having a free hour as she describes staying up as late as one in the morning doing homework due to her jam-packed schedule. Although Kelm has a free hour, she wishes she had taken another one instead of her art credit. “I think that for your mental health…[free hours are] better,” Kelm said.
For some students, study halls/free hours seem redundant and unnecessary. Sophomore Audrey Broglio has a complicated schedule. Broglio participates in the EPIC marketing/social media internship, which is in place of a class half of the time. The other half of the time, Broglio has a study hall. Broglio also takes engineering as an elective and believes that electives are more beneficial than study halls/free hours because she personally doesn’t do very much work during her study hall. “I would say an elective was better for me for my academic progress,” Broglio said.
Seniors have an increasingly interesting perspective as they have the privilege of leaving campus during their free hours. Senior Lauren Howell, who doesn’t take any electives, loves having her first hour free because she can relax in the morning as she doesn’t have to show up until 9:20 in the morning. “I like getting Starbucks at the beginning of the day, and I just like being able to just finish homework in general,” Howell said.
Overall, every student has a different opinion about whether study halls/free hours or elective classes are more beneficial or generally better. Some believe that having a study hall/free hour is necessary to catch up on homework or keep up with a rigorous course load, while others find it unnecessary and believe that electives are better for students. It is safe to say that having the choice is the best option for all students as no two people have the same perspective.