Hello! My name is Ethan Stang, and I am a current first-year student majoring in biological sciences and a Jr. VP External for SIMS! My first experiences in university so far have been exciting and equally challenging. Learning how to be successful while trying to balance a wide range of educational, social, and personal opportunities is a near-impossible juggling task for any university student, but like most students, I am slowly developing new strategies every day that help me find the time and mental health to explore these opportunities!
One of the most extensive challenges I am tackling throughout my first year is time management. Planning ahead is an important tool for university and the future too. We university students have many things to plan and keep track of in our schedules like lab/lecture schedules, due dates, and exam dates. We also have many social or extracurricular activities that fill much of our remaining time. I am typically a very organized person, so for peace of mind, I need to know everything about my weekly schedule. Unfortunately, I often lack the foresight to look much farther than a few weeks ahead in my schedule and I'm gradually starting to see the impact of my negligence. With my first year of university rapidly coming to a close in a little more than a month, a friend of mine asked what classes I was thinking of choosing next year, and I realized I had no clue because I hadn't planned that far ahead! Some of my classes will be required with my major, but I realized I had no clue what kinds of options I would pick because I had no clue what kind of options existed! I decided I would do some planning for my future and find some interesting/fun options that I could take.
With that in mind, here is a small list of a few different fun/easy/interesting options that I compiled from some students from a range of years. This list is of course not comprehensive nor exhaustive, so I imagine there are many other options for a wide range of interests. I would highly suggest doing some more exploring on your own as well!
Geology 201/209-GLGY 201/209
A lot of people might think this intro class is "rocks for jocks" which is partially true, but the course has a lot of interesting content about the earth that I enjoyed learning about. I also found most of the labs to be a delight, very simple, and engaging to look at different rock samples while socializing with your lab group. I also really liked professor Alex Dutchak, a very expressive and engaging guy!
Kinesiology 487-KNES 487
In this fun class you get to learn about the Olympic games, all while watching the Olympic games! I believe this option is available in the fall term i.e. when the Olympics is occurring. Two of the students I talked to said this class was super engaging, and one of them said Craig Greenham was a fantastic professor. If you have a chance to take this course you should!
Drama 203-DRAM 203
This class is all about creativity! The student I talked with said you will need to enjoy writing or you might not enjoy the class, but they also said it's not too hard! They also talked about how their final assignment was a cool sculpture project which was a little difficult, but overall they said they enjoyed the project.
Psychology 203-PSYC 203
Most of the content in this course is simple and interesting! A good psychology course to choose if you just want to check out some psychology content without committing too much effort or time. The student I talked with said Melissa Boyce was one of their favorite professors.
Geology 305-GLGY 305
Who doesn't love dinosaurs? This class is essentially all about them! The student I asked said that the lectures can sometimes be a little dry, but the guest speakers in this class were very interesting and engaging and that the exams were also pretty easy.
Anthropology 203/303-ANTH 203/303
One of the students I talked with had taken both of these courses with professor Chris Holdsworth who they said was a great professor. They said both classes had similarly straightforward and interesting content about cultural anthropology. Slightly difficult tests/exams, but overall still a stressless course.
Music History and Literature 309-MUHL 309
A class about the classics! In this class, you get to learn all about the impact of historically popular music and culture! A fun class for music lovers with a performance and a "name that tune" component if that's your thing.
Economy 201-ECON 201
A popular introductory course that all three of the students I talked with said was super easy. If learning a little about different aspects of the economy interest you, or you just want an easy mark, this simple introductory course is a good choice. Also, two of the students specifically told me to take the course with professor Atsuko Tanaka over the other professor.
Philosophy 259-PHIL 259
A fascinating class with topics relating to sex, love, and death. Larger courseload with a few essays, but the content is easily manageable, especially if you are good with writing. David Boutland had great reviews for this course!
Archeology 201-ARKY 201
Fascinating course about how archaeological remains are found and recovered. You might be surprised by the scope of paleontology as a topic! The student I talked with said the labs are easy, and the tests are manageable.
Psychology 330-PSYC 330
Fun course with some interesting controversial topics! The two psychology majors I talked with said it was a relatively easy course with a good lineup of content! One of them said Dr. Lisa Daroux-Cole was a great professor for the course. Tests are generally straightforward!
Film 201-FILM 201
An introductory course about cinematography, narrative, and sound. The best part? You watch movies during your lab times. It's easy and it's fun.
Anthropology 311-ANTH 311
If learning about behavior in primates sounds interesting to you, this class is a great choice! Not only do you get to learn about some interesting stuff in lectures, but you also have an option to go see primate behavior in person (Assuming COVID-19 restrictions do not interfere). The course load and test(s) are pretty easy-average in difficulty.
Biology 311-BIOL 311
Definitely a course that requires some effort, but this class focuses on the intricate and fascinating topic of genetics. Hands-on labs where you learn all about yourself!
As I continue to find new courses I will be adding them to this list! I look forward to trying some of these exciting courses in the upcoming years!
Kommentare