When I was an undergrad, 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, join an intramural league (not ashamed to say I was UofSC’s top female bowler – for a couple weeks – in 2010), get as much free food as you can at organization fairs.

Now I fully realize that my four years of waking up 15 minutes before my 10 a.m. “Visual Merchandising and Store Design” (where I got to help design storefronts of Five Points retailers) class were truly more precious than gold.

Here are 8 cool, intriguing, or just plain fun courses offered by local colleges that I would take if I could turn back time…

👩‍🎓ANTH 214 - Drinking in Culture: Anthropology of Alcohol | UofSC | Learn about the cultures of alcohol production + consumption from ancient times to the present – including its social roles, tech innovations, agriculture + more. And we’re hoping you get to do a little taste testing too. You know, for historical comparison.

👩‍🎓JOUR 428 - Super Bowl Commercials | UofSC | If you can’t get into the game, at least get into the commercials. This class teaches you about everything that goes into a Super Bowl commercial – like how they reflect + influence society and the different creative tactics advertisers have used over the years.

👩‍🎓WRIT 150 - Blogging | Columbia College | Because everything doesn’t always have to be AP Style. You’ll become a master at writing short, fact-based and timely commentary for a general online audience – plus develop skills in interviewing + reporting.

👩‍🎓BUS 271 - Personal Financial Management | Columbia College | Honestly, it should be a required course. Learn how to manage your money, credit cards, investments, pay taxes, insurance + all the other financial hassles that come along with “adulting” post-graduation.

👩‍🎓AUT-262 - Adv Auto Diagnosis & Rep | Midlands Tech | No more letting the auto repair shops tell you that your car needs more wiper fluid. This class will teach how to properly diagnose + repair today’s cars.

👩‍🎓COM 4250 - Disney, Culture & Influence | CIU | Take a deeper dive into the life of Walt Disney himself and his Walt Disney empire (i.e. movies, tv shows, theme parks, resorts, sports + more) – and learn how they’ve impacted cultures across the world. I’d totally sign up for this today if I was allowed.

👩‍🎓Mus 320 - History of Jazz | Benedict College | Louis Armstrong. Miles Davis. Ella Fitzgerald. Learn about the history and current study of jazz music, the different styles + influences – and develop a newfound appreciation for the soulful music.

👩‍🎓TRP 337 - Highway Design | Benedict College | Maybe Malfunction Junction wouldn’t exist if this class had been around years + year ago. This class gives you a basic understanding of highway design, focusing on safety and the economic + operational repercussion of different strategies and standards.

Oh how my life would have been different if only I knew these classes existed when I was in college. I’d definitely win every Disney trivia night + probably would have been a bit more financially stable entering “the real world.”

We asked y’all what some the crazies classes were you took back in the day, and got everything from Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame to Death and Dying. 😳 Read all your answers here.

Here’s to learning something new everyday,

–Sam