10 college courses we wish we would have taken.

When I was an undergrad at UofSC, my friends who had recently entered “the real world” kept reminding me to take advantage of every opportunity college has to offer – sign up for cool electives (not just easy-A filler classes); say yes to dollar beer night at Saloon (while it’s still socially acceptable); join an intramural league (as if).

Beth, hopping from class to dollar beer night, circa 2012 | Photo by @one_in_a_millie

Now that I, too, work a 9-5 (more like a 24/7 when you run COLAtoday), I fully realize that my four years of waking up 15 minutes before my 10 a.m. class and taking courses like “Musical Theatre Workshop” •just because I felt like it• were truly more precious than gold.

Here are 10 cool, intriguing, or just plain fun courses offered by local colleges that I would take if I could turn back time…

👩‍🎓 FINA 101 – Introduction to Personal Finance | UofSC | Basically an entire class on adulting. This course will teach you what you really need to know after graduation – like how to manage your income. Learn about banking, credit cards + reports, student loans, taxes and how to deal with identity theft. My dad told me to take this course before I graduated, and I took another theatre class instead. You win, Dad.

👩‍🎓 ENT 361 – Women and Minority Entrepreneurship | Allen University | Understand race, gender + ethnicity relating to entrepreneurial business ventures and how these characteristics are identified as “success barriers” in the U.S. + around the world. Topical.

👩‍🎓 PEDU 147 – Beginning Stand-up Paddleboarding | UofSC | Take advantage of going to college 20 min. from Lake Murray. Learn how to paddleboard with this course that focuses on the techniques, history, terminology + fitness benefits of the trendy vacation sport. (Our intern Nicole is trying to figure out how to sign up rn.)

👩‍🎓 TRP 434 – Traffic Flow Theory | Benedict College | Learn more about different models of vehicular traffic flow and the theories of solution for traffic problems. Take one for the team. Enroll in this course and help fix Malfunction Junction or Cola’s train waits for good.

👩‍🎓 HUS 230 – Interviewing Techniques | Midlands Tech | A practical class with skills that you will actually use post-grad. For anyone who wants to work on their social skills and ace future job interviews.

👩‍🎓 COMM 235 – Nonverbal Communication | Columbia College | Become a pro at detecting body language. A.k.a. win at poker. Study non-verbal characteristics (like smell + touch and body, eye + facial movement) that can influence culture, identity + social interaction. The course also examines 100 nonverbal influences in online/virtual environments.

👩‍🎓 ANTH 214 – Drinking in Culture: Anthropology of Alcohol | UofSC | This class dives into the culture of alcohol production and how humans have consumed it since ancient times. Examine the social roles alcohol plays in relationships, agriculture + the economy. Be the smartest person at the pregame.

👩‍🎓 ENG 420 – The Poetics of Hip Hop | Allen University | Develop your close reading + critical thinking skills by analyzing hip-hop and rap lyrics. This class goes deep into the work + culture of hip-hop artists from the past few decades. If you’ve memorized Kendrick Lamar’s or Biggie’s entire music library, here’s your chance to boost that GPA.

👩‍🎓 MGT 340 – Effective Presentation and Communication for the Entrepreneur | Benedict College | Want to make it on your own post-grad? Develop on-point entrepreneurial skills through this course – like how to prepare business plans + funding proposals. Again: things we wish we knew.

👩‍🎓 ENGL 431B – Picture Books | UofSC | A class that focuses on the visuals + verbals of literature written for children. Are the exams gonna be coloring books, tho? 🤔

Are you attending a local college and taking a course you’re wild about? Reply to this email + LMK so I can complete my fantasy Spring 2018 schedule.

–Beth