Did you know there’s a class on “Conspiracies, Cryptids & Enigmas” this semester? Or that you can take a class titled “Beer: Science, Styles and Sampling?” This semester, consider taking a class you’re not obligated to take for your major.
It’s easy to get bogged down with core classes and major requirements, but taking classes outside your major such as “Beginning Scuba” can break up your schedule, giving your brain an opportunity to rest while you still receive a credit. Chances are, you’ll have a much easier time snagging an “A” in “Social Dance” than you will in your upper-level accounting class.
More importantly, learning about something new will provide you with a deeper understanding of the liberal arts and will contribute to your overall intelligence.
The purpose of a liberal education is not just to understand a little about a few things in order to excel in jeopardy and shine at cocktail parties. Rather, it is to understand the complexity of the world by breaking it down into different pieces and understanding how those pieces are invariably unified.
A liberal education develops your mind in such a way that learning about something new not only expands your knowledge, but enhances it. Taking classes outside your major enables your mind to understand the topics within your major from a new perspective.
Even from a practical standpoint, taking classes outside your major makes sense. As full-time students, you can take up to 17 credits without having to pay additional fees. You may as well use those pre-paid credits to learn something new and put a few credits towards your graduation requirement. Plus, if you take these classes as an underclassman, they may prompt you to change your major or add a minor.
Listing coursework outside your major can bulk up your resume and add more context to your interests. A 2012 Forbes article recommends it, especially if it applies to your future career plans or if it could be considered work experience. You may also meet new professors — who might prove to be invaluable connections in finding a job or serving as a mentor — or new students, with whom you could become good friends.
If you take a class in which you learn a skill, then you can use that skill for the rest of your life. For instance, if you take a private cello lesson and decide to continue playing after graduation, then by the time you’re 50 you will have been playing for about 30 years.
This is most likely the only time in your life that you will have this opportunity. Embrace it.
