How To Find The Best College Classes

By Lev Novak

In college, a decent amount of your day is spent actually in class. This is more true for some majors than others (hi, fellow English Majors) but with all these options, how are you going to find the right one for you?

Simple. Follow these steps.

1. Whittle Down Times

The best classes are the ones you go to. Don’t suffer anything out of whack with your schedule. Friday classes are fine, but not Friday morning. Not any morning. If you sleep through a class twice, it’s going to be a lot less fun catching up. If you have to worry every time that you’re going to oversleep, than that class has dominated your sleep cycles.

Breathe. The best classes won’t have drawbacks. Look deeper, and…

2. Don’t Rule Out Subjects

Go out of your wheelhouse for classes, not because you’re supposed to “expand your mind” or any obligation but because every subject has the same breakdown: a few great classes, some good ones, some okay ones, and the bad, boring, dreadful ones. But people stay in bounds when they don’t have to! A great History class is better than an okay class in your major, if it’s not required.

I don’t care if you don’t like History, or if that’s not your major. A great History class is better than a mediocre class on topic. Even if you don’t like History, you’ll like Greatness.

3. Check The Syllabus

A film class that shows Hitchcock, Tarantino, a few movies you’ve vaguely heard of that are well-liked on IMDB and Rashomon is very different than a class on experimental silent French films, but both classes might have similar titles and descriptions.

If a class sounds good or even potentially good, ask the teacher for the syllabus. The teacher will love that and you’ll start of class on a good foot, plus you’ll get a better sense of the riskier picks before you settle down.

4. Ask Around

People have opinions. Have you noticed?

If you ask around, people will be happy to share their favorite classes. Everyone has them, and it’s like a boast combined with a favor to let someone tell you how much they loved this teacher or that class.

Take their advice, in a pinch. It’s better than flying blind.

5. Go Narrow And Strange

The vaguest classes tend to be the most boring.

If a class is talking about “English Literature from 1200-1975” it’s going to be boring, vague, and annoying. There’s not much to say, and no way to delve deep. It’s cursory- a punch in/punch out approach to learning/

Meanwhile, if a class is about one book- just one– the teacher cares. A lot. And, chances are, you will too.

When you can, err on the side of caring.

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