I did Zoology, half my classes had us either identifying dead animals (whole / parts) or dissecting them. One of my tests was identifying the sex, age, and species of waterfowl just by their severed wings. I also did a summer plant class where all we did was walk trails and identify plants.

Best part of college is how hands on your degree courses are, since they're trying to prepare you for work in the real world

Not hands. Tongue

Yeah geology is fun. Lots of hands on stuff, class camping trips out to the field usually once a semester at least. Then there's field camp which is a couple months in the wilderness mapping outcrops and studying local geology. I think it's one of the most fun majors you can do, but I'm biased.

Geologists identify rocks in the field that way sometimes.

https://www.iflscience.com/why-do-geologists-lick-rocks-70107

Not at all.

I have to know, how was sanitation handled? did you each student have an individual sample, or were you all licking a communal rock?

Heh that sounds like my buddies professor. All he said was your tongues always there and it’s a good instrument so why not use it. I just make fun of him licking rocks.