Issue date: 6/25/08 Section: Features

College is a time to experiment - with your class schedule that is. If you just graduated from high school, or recently transferred from a junior college, the class catalog has some classes worth checking out.

The key to staying awake in class is to pick a subject you will find interesting ("interesting" being a very relative term).

Here are a few tips to help you have an exciting semester. Who knows - maybe it will even go by faster.

Experiment outside of your major

Junior anthropology major Tim Firpo said he has taken several classes outside of his major, and is looking forward to the day when his registration priority will enable him to enroll in a metal working art class that is constantly full.

"Half the fun of college is taking those classes that are just full of interesting stuff," Firpo said.

For instance, if you're a film buff, but you won't come within an inch of anything Shakespeare, the English Department has a couple of classes that are focused on the literary analysis of films. English 197A, "Film, Horror, Comedy and Science Fiction," is one of those classes.

In the English course catalog, this class comes with a warning label: "Some films we study will feature moments of violence and/or nudity and explicit sexuality."

There's got to be something to keep you awake in that lecture.

Get some exercise

A gym membership may be too expensive after all those books you just bought, but taking a dance class, or one of the many kinesiology classes, can definitely make up for those extra calories and keep those endorphins pumping. The Kinesiology Department has classes on conditioning, healthy exercise and beginning weight training for those of you who want to stay in shape throughout the semester.

Learn more about yourself

If the idea of starting a new semester at a new school sounds completely overwhelming, then you may be interested in taking Psychology 137, a stress management class.

Psychology professor Rebecca Cameron said she taught this "very experimental" class during a winter intercession. She said several months after the class, her students approached her and told her how the class made a difference in their lives because they implemented the stress management techniques they learned.

"I think every student should take at least a couple of psychology classes because so much of what you learn affects your daily lives," Cameron said. "You become a more thoughtful citizen."

Make sure you get your prerequisites out of the way

If there is a particular class you want to take, make sure you're able to enroll. Cameron said the trick is for students to make sure they have their prerequisites done in order to take "interesting upper division classes."

Adina Zerwig can be reached at azerwig@statehornet.com.

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