Go For Variety

One of the great opportunities that college provides is the option of taking courses from different departments and backgrounds.  While we are generally at college to learn about a particular major or two, there are thousands of classes available that can broaden your intellect.

Classes unrelated to your major can offer a fun break from routine, especially if you have more than two or three classes from your major on your schedule

Spread out your GEs

All schools have a General Education (GE) requirement that must be fulfilled to graduate, usually needing three or four classes in various departments of campus.  When I started college, I was told to get my GE classes done early so I could focus on my major in my last two years.

I do not recommend this at all.

In my third year, I realized that I was bored with my schedule.  I love my major, but taking four classes on the same subject is not very fun.

After that, I started looking for other classes to include in my schedule, and I really enjoyed the increased variety.

So don’t worry about finishing your GE requirement as fast as you can, because it’s not a race.

Check the prereqs

If you don’t know yet, prereq stands for prerequisite, which you will encounter all throughout your college life.  Prerequisites are required classes that you complete in order to take subsequent, higher-level classes.

I mention this so that when you find a GE class that you want to take, make sure you have completed any lower-level classes that are required.

Have fun!

When taking class that aren’t required for your major, you should make sure that you like them.  Since you aren’t shackled to GE classes, you can be choosy with your selections.

In my four-year college career, my three favorite classes were Modern Literature, Sports in America, and Basic Nutrition.

And although none of those three classes were remotely related to my major (Political Science, if you were wondering), I feel that I learned more from them than from any other classes that I have taken.

If anyone else has any similar experiences, please share them below.

Also, if anyone has any GE class recommendations, please post them.