The Life of a Student
Written By: Michael Keba on Fri, Nov 23rd 2007
Last summer, I worked as an assistant in a small boutique wine store ten minutes away from my house. It was my first real experience in the wine industry, and even though I was only receiving shipments and stocking shelves (meticulously positioning thousands of bottles of wine), I got a good taste of how the retail end works. As a UC Davis Viticulture and Enology student, customers assumed that I knew a good deal about wine. Needless to say, I was constantly bombarded by questions from wine enthusiasts frequenting the store. Most of these people had the idea that as a Davis student, I was actively involved with winemaking on campus. They expected me to tell them stories of harvest on the school's vineyards and long hours in the winery, something along the lines of an apprenticeship. On the other hand, some joked that I probably spent every day "hanging out in a classroom donated by Robert Mondavi drinking with a bunch of pompous winos."
Unfortunately, as a second year undergrad student, I hate to say that my daily life is far from extraordinary. While Davis upperclassmen might be able to tell some stories, I don't (at least about making wine for classes). The first two years of this major are comprised mostly of prerequisite classes, not unlike other science majors. I log most of my time in the library doing math and chemistry problems, not stomping grapes in a winery. So far, you couldn't distinguish my studies from those of biology major, which is the reason I always find myself studying with my buddy who has his sights set on medical school.
Some of the prep courses for the Viticulture and Enology major are:
- General Chemistry
- Organic Chemistry
- Biology
- Calculus
- Physics
Quite honestly, I'm getting a little frustrated. I just got off of a three-day camp out in the library studying for midterms. I know that all of these classes piece together into a bigger picture in the long run, but I'm getting tired of preparing! I want to get my hands in on the stuff that makes Davis Viticulture and Enology so world-renowned. It has been a tough ride so far, but I know that there is still a long road ahead. I have to remind myself that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that my day is coming soon enough. It won't be long before I have some amazing stories to tell.
