I attended Rose’s screening of the ’80s classic, Dead Poets Society, last Friday night. I had been shown a scene from the film years ago, in a high school English class. However, without any context, the scene had very little impact on me. But now having viewed it full-length, I can say that Dead Poets Society is an absolute masterpiece, and, although flawed in some ways, it affected me very deeply. The last time I felt so moved by a film was when I watched Avatar, maybe 7 years ago.

The movie tells the story of an all-boys boarding school that demands intense discipline and exacts corporal punishment against those who don’t comply. The students face pressure from their parents to get into Ivy League schools and pursue typically high-earning careers in business, engineering, and the sciences. In comes Robin Williams’ lovable character, Mr. Keating, the new English teacher who shares his romantic view of life with the students and encourages non-conformity, individualism, and dream-following. Obviously, drama thus ensues.

The film affected me because as a science major aiming for pre-professional school after my undergraduate education, essentially the only courses I take now are science prerequisites and major requirements. I truly do love and am passionate about science, and am happy to be taking these courses. However, the film made me recognize that the arts are also important to study and appreciate — just because you aren’t going to be a writer or an artist does not mean you should not experiment with courses in literature and art history. Therefore, the film has motivated me to add an arts course into my science-heavy schedule. I want to keep the arts in my life, even if they are not my future career.

The movie also encouraged me to get outside more and enjoy the Earth. Often, I think we college students get so conjoined to our schoolwork that we spend all our time sitting at a desk, hunched over whilst reading textbooks and typing on our laptops. Work is important, but the benefits of the outdoors should not be ignored.

Overall, the film teaches us to seize the day, which is continuously repeated in its Latin translation, “carpe diem,” throughout the film. Yes, we should work hard and aim high; but that doesn’t mean we need to eliminate from our lives everything that is not directly synonymous with reaching our career goals.