My Unpopular Opinions – What Makes Me Me
Written by: Shubh Borad, 4th Year Health Sciences
Photo by: Stokkete on Adobe Stock
We are constantly being influenced by those around us. Our family, friends, colleagues. mentors, and even random people we don’t know all influence who we are, how we act, and what we think. We often go as far as entirely changing our views just to fit in. Although conforming to certain norms is essential to be an active and accepted member of society, having your own opinions, even if they oppose the status quo is equally important. These unpopular opinions and unique quirks are what sets us apart from the rest of the world and make us the amazing individuals that we are. On that note, I will share with you two of my opinions that I uphold regardless of the backlash they receive.
Unpopular Opinion #1...
My first unpopular opinion that I would like to share with you might hit a little too close to home: online classes are much better than their in-person counterpart. Now don’t get me wrong, I love going to class, get out of the house, and seeing people just as much as you do, but after spending a year and a half learning from home I am slowly beginning to see the merit of online school. On top of the superficial reasons for why online school is so great such as being able to sleep in, or not having to make the trek to class in the wintertime, it has resulted in a better educational experience for me. Firstly, I love how online school gives you the chance to learn at your own pace. Before COVID, I would always find myself struggling to pay attention in class, especially in the longer 2-hour ones. This was primarily due to the pace being either too slow, leaving me bored and disengaged, or too fast, resulting in me struggling to keep up and inevitably giving up. On the other hand, online school allows you to replay recorded lectures to the pace that best suits your learning. In my case, watching lectures at a pace I was comfortable with directly resulted in me absorbing and understanding more information faster without the need to go back or use a secondary resource to fill in the knowledge gaps. Another thing I appreciate about online school is that assessments now focus much more on your understanding of the knowledge, and application, and thinking skills. Whether it is an anti-cheating measure to prevent students from using the Find feature for all their exams or just a result of me taking higher-level courses, I found these styles of exams forced me to actually sit down, take my time, and get a good understanding of the course content instead of just memorizing the lectures the night before and barfing it out on the exam paper. Although I am extremely excited to return to in-person classes, I certainly miss online school.
Unpopular Opinion #2...
Another unpopular opinion I unequivocally stand by is that fruit flavoring is an insult to your tastebuds. I love eating fresh fruits, be it mangos, watermelons, apples, or strawberries, but I absolutely cannot stand things with artificial fruit flavoring. Oftentimes, these “fruit” flavored snacks or drinks taste nothing like the fruit they are trying to mimic; instead, they are just a cocktail of chemicals and sugar making a lousy attempt at fooling your tastebuds. For example, have you ever tasted a cherry-flavored snack that tasted like actual cherries? No right? Whether it's juice, candy, or freezes, the cherry flavoring has a distinct sourish, almost bitter taste to it. Have you wondered why? It’s because the primary ingredient in cherry flavoring is Benzaldehyde, a chemical made after a long, complicated process. You may think I am crazy for passing on the plethora of fruit-flavored goodies you love to devour, but I am just going to stick to the good, sweet, natural flavoring of fresh fruits.
Although you may not agree with my views on the merit of online school or may even be offended by stand against your favorite snack, these opinions are what make me the unique individual that I am, just like how yours sets you apart. With that in mind, what are your wacky weird unpopular opinions?
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