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For many newcomers, Brown University's open curriculum is a breath of fresh air after years spent fulfilling arduous requirements. But having just finished his freshman year at Columbia University, transfer student Carlos Blanco '13 disagrees.
"I just want someone to tell me what to do," Blanco confessed on Monday. "I mean, without a rigid Core, how will I ever learn what others think is worth knowing?"
Peers from Columbia said Blanco, whom they described as "subservient," "lethargic," and "completely lacking initiative," had expressed a feeling of unease even before he accepted Brown's offer of admission.
"Carlos definitely wasn't sure if he could handle being in classrooms where all of his peers were actually interested in the subject matter," said Dan Campos, one of Blanco's closest friends. "That sounded pretty incredible to me, but he was just so appalled by the option to never take another science class if he didn't want to."
Campos said Blanco was similarly disgusted by Brown's lack of a Music Humanities requirement. "How am I supposed to truly appreciate music if an institution of higher learning doesn't shove it down my throat in exactly the same way it has for every student since the Truman Administration?" Blanco asked in a recent statement. "More importantly, how can I adequately internalize Western cultural hegemony without having it reinforced by entirely Eurocentric classes on Contemporary Civilization and Literature Humanities?"
But for Blanco, perhaps the toughest change of all was Brown's lack of a physical education requirement.
"For my whole life, I've let my school dictate my physical health," he said. "Now that I don't have to pass a swimming test to get my degree, I've lost all desire to exercise, walk, or even stand up."
In an e-mail to the Noser, Dean Katherine Bergeron said that while she was aware of Blanco's concerns, there was little the University could do to address them.
"Brown is specifically designed to let students explore their interests and craft their own curriculum, turning them into cosmopolitan citizens who revel in and are eager to contribute to a world of multiplicity and change," Bergeron stated. "What kind of unmotivated fucknugget wouldn't be into that?"
Nevertheless, Blanco remained unconvinced.
"I came to college hoping that when I left, I'd be armed with the necessary tools to connect with wealthy, geriatric white men and complain about the Art Humanities class we were both forced to take," he explained. "Who am I supposed to engage with now - my peers?""
