I came to Mercyhurst three years ago with the intention to leave with the best liberal arts education the ’Hurst had to offer, which is nothing to scoff at.
Our professors are deeply passionate about their students’ success and will go above and beyond to give their students as much experience that they can take.
However, no matter how dedicated a professor is, no matter how receptive students are, time is a huge factor to accomplishing the goals set out by the professor for the class.
Classes that are only 50 minutes long seem to end before they even begin. I feel like I am wasting my time, and that the work that goes into planning a class is wasted by my professor.
One thing that I truly cherish about Mercyhurst is how intimate the small classes are, and how that is a fantastic environment to get into meaningful discussions with my classmates.
In the 50 minutes that we are given, it is proving difficult to both cover new material and have a discussion about that new material.
On the other end of the spectrum, I have a Mini class that meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are in class for two hours and 45 minutes.
While that gives us more than ample time to discuss, by the end of the class we are drained of energy. I feel like a wrung dishcloth, if a dishcloth could drink too much coffee and become over-caffeinated.
Class requirements are also similar to a full semester course, seeing as Mini classes are also three credits. This leaves us trying to read, write and digest the same amount of material.
Deadlines are coming quickly, making me one rather anxious, over-caffeinated dishcloth.
I love the Minimester courses for the way that they give me a chance to dip my toes in something that is not my major, like a class on the presidential election process.

Striking a balance is going to prove difficult. We need to spend enough time in class to accomplish what we set out to do, but not so long that entire civilizations rise and fall while we are in class. Once that balance is found, class will be more enjoyable and productive for both student and teacher.