Memories - Classes
On Classes
Every term since the beginning of HOL's time, a list of classes goes up, letting HOLers know what possible subjects they could sign up for in the coming weeks. Suddenly the virtual air is filled with a buzz of excitement, a frantic browsing of websites, a neurotic case of the "eenie meenie miney mo"s, and numerous posts/IRC queries of the same question posed in a variety of ways: "What classes are you going to take?"
I'm part of that phenomenon, because every year, my excitement over the new subjects and perhaps even the old subjects hasn't changed. I love the thought-out research that goes on in some of the classes, the aesthetic designs in others, and the solid homework assignments in most. Like I do every year, I check the websites with subjects I'm interested in, I make sure I look at lessons and assignments if I'm truly interested, and then I bug the class instructor with a gazillion questions (okay, don't follow my example on the latter).
Then, like any number of HOL student, I reluctantly whittle my class-list down to five of the ones I really want to take. Sometimes this is easy, but most times it is truly difficult, more so during the beginning of the HOL year. But signing up eventually happens, and then the homework, the whining, and the emails asking for extensions begin.
I would try to recall my favorite classes of the years I've had here, but there were so many that I've lost track. I do know I had missed taking the one class I wanted to take when I first heard of HOL, and that was Prof. Ilyaster Neverwhere's Mythology class (I'm pretty sure it was named something else). Fortunately, there have been more than enough professors and student teachers who have created mythology classes in the past years that I never found wanting. I've even taken a number of them and enjoyed them!
Excitement over classes seems to be a foolproof formula, and the next time you're around for when the class list goes up, watch for the perked-up eyes and the sudden apprehension of whether professors and student teachers are accepted/rejected. Most of all, watch out for the rabid crazy instructors who try to bribe you into their classes with cake and other forms of pleasantry. I'm sure they mean well, but bribery aside, pick the classes you want to take. It's more fun that way.
-Cassandra Lobiesk
Every term since the beginning of HOL's time, a list of classes goes up, letting HOLers know what possible subjects they could sign up for in the coming weeks. Suddenly the virtual air is filled with a buzz of excitement, a frantic browsing of websites, a neurotic case of the "eenie meenie miney mo"s, and numerous posts/IRC queries of the same question posed in a variety of ways: "What classes are you going to take?"
I'm part of that phenomenon, because every year, my excitement over the new subjects and perhaps even the old subjects hasn't changed. I love the thought-out research that goes on in some of the classes, the aesthetic designs in others, and the solid homework assignments in most. Like I do every year, I check the websites with subjects I'm interested in, I make sure I look at lessons and assignments if I'm truly interested, and then I bug the class instructor with a gazillion questions (okay, don't follow my example on the latter).
Then, like any number of HOL student, I reluctantly whittle my class-list down to five of the ones I really want to take. Sometimes this is easy, but most times it is truly difficult, more so during the beginning of the HOL year. But signing up eventually happens, and then the homework, the whining, and the emails asking for extensions begin.
I would try to recall my favorite classes of the years I've had here, but there were so many that I've lost track. I do know I had missed taking the one class I wanted to take when I first heard of HOL, and that was Prof. Ilyaster Neverwhere's Mythology class (I'm pretty sure it was named something else). Fortunately, there have been more than enough professors and student teachers who have created mythology classes in the past years that I never found wanting. I've even taken a number of them and enjoyed them!
Excitement over classes seems to be a foolproof formula, and the next time you're around for when the class list goes up, watch for the perked-up eyes and the sudden apprehension of whether professors and student teachers are accepted/rejected. Most of all, watch out for the rabid crazy instructors who try to bribe you into their classes with cake and other forms of pleasantry. I'm sure they mean well, but bribery aside, pick the classes you want to take. It's more fun that way.
-Cassandra Lobiesk
After the Sorting Hat sorted me in my House, I joined my first five classes: Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Potions for Beginners, A Visit to Hogsmeade and History of Hogwarts: the Founders. Mainly, I love all of them, but if I had to choose my favorites, I would chose A Visit to Hogsmeade (it's a fantastic place with a lot of attractions and places to visit! And teachers of this class are very gentle!) and Arithmancy (in RL, I'm very good in maths and all subjects that involving numbers! That's why this is one of my favorite subjects!).
Now, I'm not joining anything else classes because I want to do my homework very well (you will find me in the Library, behind a pile of books!), but I would have wanted to take part to the Triwizard Tournament (it would have been fantastic, if I had been the champion of my school…).
-Abigail Granger
Now, I'm not joining anything else classes because I want to do my homework very well (you will find me in the Library, behind a pile of books!), but I would have wanted to take part to the Triwizard Tournament (it would have been fantastic, if I had been the champion of my school…).
-Abigail Granger
I have had so many favourite classes at HOL, it is hard to pick just one. Most of my favourite classes are no longer even included in my Student Fact Sheet, I took them so long ago! While stumbling through the deepest halls and recesses HOL has to offer, I found my school records, and began my blast from the past. It is somewhat amazing to see how different the classes I used to take (almost entirely Fantastic Beasts related classes, including "Fantastic Beasts" taught by Prof. Kara Wreibyn!). Since then my classes seemed to turn toward history and science.
Among my older favourites are Conary Barclay's Magical Creatures of the Deep classes. I took all of them, and actually passed them! Those were actually the first classes I fully completed. To me, that speaks worlds. Another favourite class was the History of Middle Earth class. To this day I have not finished reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I still know and love more about the Elves of Middle Earth than some die-hard fans. OK, so that may be *tad bit* of an exaggeration, but I did enjoy learning about HoME.
More recently, since I first began my 5th year courses, the science picked up to include more of my 'favourite' classes: Cryptic Codes, where I learned sooo much about ciphers that years later I was able to help a uni classmate do her Linear Algebra/Code Breaking homework. To this day I am still astounded by Maya's ability to make a fun and informative class. (I also dream of becoming a cryptologist one day...She has indeed created a monster.) Alexia Riaper's Forensic Science class took the cake my final 6th year, again, teaching me things I should have learned in school but didn't, or didn't remember. Advanced forensic science was a bit more crazy hard, but still fun. (Analysing blood patterns from crime scenes was not exactly what I was expecting from HOL when I signed up a the age of 12.) To finish up the amazing science classes I have taken at HOL is Rosa Gullveig's Wizarding Science class. Now THAT class is the class I was hoping Astronomy would be my very first year. I loved delving further into the world of magic in a way that my skeptical brain could comprehend and accept.
Now, before I end this walk down memory lane, I want to give a shout out to one more very important set of classes I took: The entirely Harry Potter-based classes of Rorey Padfoot's classes. These classes (A Visit to Hogsmeade, A Visit to Diagon Alley, and Internship at the Ministry of Magic) really helped open up my creative side again; something that has been mostly closed off for years. Internship at the Ministry has easily earned itself a place in my top 3 classes (I'm being very diplomatic here), since it got me thinking, writing, and doing puzzles. What I loved about the first two classes, however, is that I had not done any graphics for years before taking them, and because of those classes I have graphics I am proud to call my own, even if they pale in comparison to other people's work.
What this 'walk' has shown me, is just how many good memories of classes I have from HOL. How, even entirely fictional classes can teach you many useful things for life; how, just because you aren't taking a class in school, doesn't mean you can't learn something. I wouldn't trade HOL for anything... except for maybe the real Hogwarts.
-Akira Yamada
Among my older favourites are Conary Barclay's Magical Creatures of the Deep classes. I took all of them, and actually passed them! Those were actually the first classes I fully completed. To me, that speaks worlds. Another favourite class was the History of Middle Earth class. To this day I have not finished reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I still know and love more about the Elves of Middle Earth than some die-hard fans. OK, so that may be *tad bit* of an exaggeration, but I did enjoy learning about HoME.
More recently, since I first began my 5th year courses, the science picked up to include more of my 'favourite' classes: Cryptic Codes, where I learned sooo much about ciphers that years later I was able to help a uni classmate do her Linear Algebra/Code Breaking homework. To this day I am still astounded by Maya's ability to make a fun and informative class. (I also dream of becoming a cryptologist one day...She has indeed created a monster.) Alexia Riaper's Forensic Science class took the cake my final 6th year, again, teaching me things I should have learned in school but didn't, or didn't remember. Advanced forensic science was a bit more crazy hard, but still fun. (Analysing blood patterns from crime scenes was not exactly what I was expecting from HOL when I signed up a the age of 12.) To finish up the amazing science classes I have taken at HOL is Rosa Gullveig's Wizarding Science class. Now THAT class is the class I was hoping Astronomy would be my very first year. I loved delving further into the world of magic in a way that my skeptical brain could comprehend and accept.
Now, before I end this walk down memory lane, I want to give a shout out to one more very important set of classes I took: The entirely Harry Potter-based classes of Rorey Padfoot's classes. These classes (A Visit to Hogsmeade, A Visit to Diagon Alley, and Internship at the Ministry of Magic) really helped open up my creative side again; something that has been mostly closed off for years. Internship at the Ministry has easily earned itself a place in my top 3 classes (I'm being very diplomatic here), since it got me thinking, writing, and doing puzzles. What I loved about the first two classes, however, is that I had not done any graphics for years before taking them, and because of those classes I have graphics I am proud to call my own, even if they pale in comparison to other people's work.
What this 'walk' has shown me, is just how many good memories of classes I have from HOL. How, even entirely fictional classes can teach you many useful things for life; how, just because you aren't taking a class in school, doesn't mean you can't learn something. I wouldn't trade HOL for anything... except for maybe the real Hogwarts.
-Akira Yamada