Help choosing electives

Flay

I'm about to enter my second year of a Visual Communication (graphic design) and International Studies degree; the first year we get to choose an elective subject. With every course available (barring those with prerequisites) I have no idea what to choose. Should I take something close to my own course, or something completely different? Something I'm interested in, or something practical?

Help!

Improvolone

Explore.

Buddies

What is your goal after you graduate?

Work or Grad School? What Grad School if Grad School.

I suggest something that is interesting and fun. I'd lean towards something related to your field, since you should be interested in those electives anyway.

Most jobs only really care about that Paper.

"You got a degree? Good. Oh wait, you took Brikham Yoga your sophmore year? No, I'm sorry but you aren't qualified." It's not something your going to hear in the field you are going into.

CrossBuster

They're called "electives" for a reason - it's a class whose subject you elect, rather than having it chosen for you.

My short answer would be to take whatever you want - if you want to take something unrelated to your major, but interesting nonetheless, go for it. If you want to further expand your understanding of the subject of your major beyond the required courses, take something closely related to it.

Of course, you have to choose what your priorities are in that regard, but I don't think any long-term harm will come if you take a course or two for no reason other than that they sound fun.

RUNN1NGMAN

I'd definitely take something fun that you are interested in. I was a science major, but for electives I took classes on the Civil War, WWII, Modernism, etc. It's good to branch out and experience different things that your major isn't exposing you to.

JHunz

The questions I researched when selecting electives was as follows:
1. Does this course fulfill one or more of my outstanding annoying general education requirements?
2. Is there something related to but not required by my degree that sounds really interesting?
3. Does it sound awesome, even if it is completely unrelated to my degree?
4. Is anyone else I know taking it, and/or can I persuade one to? (For study purposes in some cases, just for fun in others)

Using this selection methodology, I took both a number of really cool degree-related classes (graphics programming, and a math course that let me play around with the CAVE), a great Shakespeare course, and some stuff like ice skating that was just plain fun.

Flay

Hmmm... There are so many things I'd like to do. Creative writing, history, photography, film, maybe even psychology, law or management. Science would be interesting, but not so useful without a) background knowledge and b) completing associated subjects. One course really stands out for me though - a life drawing course, but I might be able to do that outside of university.

Improvolone

Photography is going to require buying expensive gear.

Flay

I have a fairly decent camera which should be enough to see me through.

Gilbert0

I took Greek and Roman Mythology, film studies, music and anthropology. I was a Computer Science grad.

Definately do something that you are interested in and not only will you learn more about something you like but you should get a better mark because you are interested.

MagicToaster

Advertising or Marketing.

bsjezz

which uni are you at, flay? i can speak from experience that macquarie has an excellent creative writing program, and i hear that UTS and UWS are pretty good too

Niceguy Myeye

If you have a major that can have a pretty broad application, I think it may be a good idea to explore specific parts of those applications. For example, I have a degree in Chemical Engineering and two of my electives were Biofluid Dynamics and an Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Lab.

The rest were things I just wanted to learn more about such as a few sociology classes, Chinese History Class, and an industrial era lit class.

You could always take a language, or higher level language classes or lit classes in a language that you're currently taken also if that interests you.

Aphostile

You could also see how close you would be to a minor/double major with some creative elective choices.

That always looks good.

Flay

MagicToaster wrote: »

Advertising or Marketing.

Hm... Coming from you this sounds like it could be a wise choice.

bsjezz wrote: »

which uni are you at, flay? i can speak from experience that macquarie has an excellent creative writing program, and i hear that UTS and UWS are pretty good too

I'll send you a PM.

Niceguy Myeye wrote: »

You could always take a language, or higher level language classes or lit classes in a language that you're currently taken also if that interests you.

My double degree means I'll already be studying a language - Japanese.

Aphostile wrote: »

You could also see how close you would be to a minor/double major with some creative elective choices.

That always looks good.

Already doing a double degree, but I can't decide whether or not to do a submajor...