Hey everyone! My name is Ian Byers, and I’m a computer science major who is anticipated to graduate in 2021. I’m the in-person section of this class, but I am commuting to Georgia Tech, so I won’t be on campus very much this Summer. The only other class I am taking in the Summer is a late Summer semester class, so I am currently spending my free time preparing for my Fall classes since I will have a pretty difficult schedule then.
This is my first English course which I am taking at Tech, but I have heard lots about other peoples’ experiences in these classes and how they are different than English courses at other colleges. In my previous English classes, the expectations were very different than those of a course at Tech, but I am sure that many basic skills will be transferable. I would say that I enjoy and prefer oral and visual communication, while I tend to struggle more with written communication. Although I hope to improve all aspects of my communicative abilities this semester, I will focus most on improving those which I find more difficult, particularly written communication.
As far as the course theme goes, I had a superficial knowledge of Hamilton before this class on account of its popularity, but I had not listened to or watched it in any form. I also do not have significant experience with musicals in general, and although I do not have any inherent dislike for the genre, and can even appreciate it at times; I definitely dislike the culture that exists around it. I have a similar opinion of hip hop, except that I have listened to it in the past and am exposed to it regularly, as my friends listen to it often.
My interests are admittedly fairly uncommon ones. I have an amateurish interest in European history, and have visited many European countries. One thing about me that people may find unusual about me is that I have I actually have a strong dislike of most modern technologies and their uses. This may seem odd considering my major, but this is actually part of why I chose to study computer science in the first place.
Here’s a picture of me with my mom on a glacier in Iceland, which is some of the most fun I have had while traveling abroad!