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Taking classes for fun?

Have you ever taken any classes for fun that do not fit any requirements? How was you experience? #student #university #college

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Kim’s Answer

Gwen,

Are you talking about taking a class that won't even fulfill your elective requirements? I don't understand. If it won't fulfill ANY requirements, not even electives, then I would recommend you find some other way to take that class. Reason? School is expensive! There are a lot of free classes on line, through MOOCs. If it is something you would have to be present for, perhaps an athletics class, look into what is available in your community. It can almost always be found for cheaper than you would pay at school!

Are you looking for a diversion, something to help with the stress, or ? See what else is available on campus. Ping Pong tournaments?

If it will satisfy an elective, then, go for it! Pottery? Keep in mind that what we know is fun doesn't always turn out that way. I loved Colonial American History. I took an upper level course, as an elective. The professor found a way to make it the most boring subject on the face of the earth! It was one of only 4 C's that I got, and of course, lowered my GPA.

It is often possible to "audit" a class. You take it, but not for credit. It works differently at different schools. The cost is usually lower. You might want to look into that! This way it would not hurt your GPA if you did not do well.

Kim
Thank you comment icon Yes I meant purely for fun, not satisfying any requirements. I didn't think about auditing but that's a good idea. College is expensive it's better to focus on other things for a distraction that are free/less expensive. Thank you for your advice! Gwen
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Kyle’s Answer

Hey , I have taken many courses for the college credit, and they did not fulfill any specific requirements. Some of these classes were Chocolate Science, Golf Course Design, and Leadership Development. I know some other popular courses at my school that are taken for fun are Skydiving, Rock Climbing, Beer and Wine, and Barbecue science.
Thank you comment icon Those sound like awesome courses! Thanks for replying! Gwen
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Nadine’s Answer

If you need electives, then yes, you can take them. It is important to be well rounded. I know one company even asks you what you think about their artwork on the walls to see if you can have a conversation b/c that tells them if you can connect with clients about various topics. However, you will get this through your general education courses. If you don't need an elective, that is a lot of time and money to take it for fun.
Thank you comment icon Thank you! Gwen
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Alecia’s Answer

Most degrees allow for 2 electives.
I was Industrial Engineering and took a floral design class - it was SUPER fun!
Enjoy taking something completely out of the norm, make new friends, and expand your horizons!
Thank you comment icon That's awesome! Gwen
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Ayesha’s Answer

Hi Gwen,

I think this is a great and underrated question because we usually begin college either with a clear educational goal or as an experimental process to figure out our career prospects, and before we know it, it's almost time to graduate!

I agree with Angela and Kim's responses, but being a young professional, here are some of my suggestions to you when you're considering taking courses for fun:
1- Consider whether they will add some practical skills you may use in your professional life. A creative writing course may help you in making creative marketing campaigns, who knows!
2- Electives (and especially free electives) are a great opportunity to opt for fun courses — research this option thoroughly to find the best courses that are of interest to you. I majored in Economics but took intro to programming and constitutional law as electives because I had the option to and I was intrigued by then!
3- Fun courses may not always be the easiest to score in, so research the course content, instructor and evaluation methods to assess whether your GPA could weather a hit. I also took a course in Cognition because I loved psych but my GPA never truly recovered, ha.
4- Try to first complete your major courses with good grades and leave some space in your schedule toward the end of your degree to take some risky but fun courses, to avoid a big hit to the GPA.

And if you don't have the capacity to take fun courses without risking your GPA or compromising your attention towards your major in college, you can always take free online courses/classes on YouTube, LinkedIn Learning and edX etc. that interest you.

Hope this helps!
Thank you comment icon Thanks for the advice! Gwen
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Angela D.’s Answer

Wow, this is the third question of yours that I've responded to...your inquiries are important and thought-provoking! Yes, I have greatly enjoyed several free university-based online courses for some time that do not fulfill any requirements. Some can count toward an online certificate or degree at that particular university for a fee, but don't always transfer. Many are self-paced and range from 8 hours to 2-8 weeks to a semester, so you can fit them into your schedule easier. I mentioned how important time management is in an earlier answer. To fit in an online course, I exchanged watching some cable/news for it. There is so much variety out there...I've taken several classes such as history (e.g., A History of Royal Food and Feasting - which included time period and updated/contemporary recipes!), Big Data statistics (a four course series), science (e.g., Good Brain, Bad Brain), and English/Language Arts (e.g., Start Writing Fiction - still working on that!). I'm a lifelong learner and this is a fun and easy way to gain knowledge from university-based instructors/professors and peers without the pressure of grades, plus you can participate in online questions/answers, posts, feedback on writing submissions, and quizzes/tests (usually optional). It's a wonderful way to decompress, yet engage your mind. Enjoy! Regards, Dr. B

Some online organizations that have Massively Open Online Courses - MOOCs include but are not limited to (alphabetized): Coursera, edX, FutureLearn, The Open University, Udacity, etc. And you can search individual universities such as Stanford, Yale, MIT, Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, UC Berkeley, Oxford, and more.
Thank you comment icon I appreciate your in-depth answers! Thank you so much! Gwen
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F’s Answer

Yes I have and I would really recommend it. Taking classes that you chose rather than ones that are mandatory were a real motivator for me. I was able to look forward to these classes all week!
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