5 College Classes I Took for Fun

College doesn’t have to be all about writing papers, cramming for exams and dealing with strange roommates.

It can actaully be fun!

As a current senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, I’m majoring in journalism with minors in political science and history. Sure, I have to take many required classes.

But my schedule these last four years has allowed me to take some classes just for the fun of it. Here are my five favorites:

1. The American Presidency

As long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated with American presidents. Everything about them excites me to want to learn more.

I learned about this class during freshman year.

I needed to take a fun class to balance out some of the more difficult classes I would be taking that semester. But I had no idea what to take, or what was offered.

My advisor asked me some of my interests, and after a few minutes of looking through classes, he came across one. He asked: “You said you like presidents right?”

“Yeah, I do,” I told him.

“There’s a class all about the history of them and the presidency. Would you be interested?” How could I possibly say no?

I signed up and I regret nothing about it.

The class took us on a journey of American history but with a focus on the presidents. We learned about each one from Washington to the present day.

We learned about their childhoods, time in office, post-presidency, scandals and so much more. I learned more from this class than I ever did from any history book.

I couldn’t wait to attend class each day. The professor made the history come alive, and it’s much of the reason why this class is at the top of this list.

2. History of the Big Ten

I was taking an introduction to computer science course, and I was pretty much failing it. There was no way I could come back.

Again, I talked to an advisor who suggested I take a class about the history of the Big Ten Conference. How could I say no to this one too?

Illinois has been a part of the conference since its founding in 1896. It’s become a huge part of college sports today.

In the class, we discussed the conference’s foundation, growth, women and race issues over the years, conference expansion and the future of it.

All of the information was new to me. This and the fact that everything about it interested me made me enjoy this class more so.

I’m not a huge college sports fan, but after this class, I now have a higher appreciation for it.

3. Creative Writing

I’ve always been a creative person. I’ve always been a writer too.

Much of this passion and interest has bled into writing fiction too. I had written some in the past, but never for a class.

In this class, I honed my skills writing fiction, poetry, drama, and memoir, among so much more. I sharpened my writing skills while also having fun.

I never dredded a single assignment. Instead, I wanted to have more than required.

The class was just that much fun.

4. American Civil War and Reconstruction

Being a history buff, I don’t stop at the presidency or the Big Ten. I enjoy the Civil War too.

This class discussed what led to the war, the war itself, and the years that followed. We read accounts by soldiers, statesmen at the time and everyday people witnessing the war from their home.

The professor truly opened my eyes to the time period. He made it all come alive right from the textbook’s pages.

I couldn’t wait to attend class each day. I never minded any assignment.

It’s a class I would take all over again.

5. Food Science and Human Nutrition

I’ve never been much of a science person, but this class allowed me to learn more about the human body, information I lacked knowing before this class.

We learned about the various organs in our body, what they do to us and our health. We learned about healthy eating habits, dietary restrictions and diseases and so much more.

It made me appreciate my body more so. It also helped me realize I should be eating healthier too.

Health risks are real, and now that I know about various kinds of food and what they do to my body, I’m taking it into more consideration for the future.

It’s a bit of a dark subject at times, but I enjoyed taking this class. It was so much fun!

Closing Thoughts

I’ve enjoyed my major and minors these last four years, and the classes I took pertaining to them. But I also enjoyed these classes I took for fun.

I would take them all over again if I had to. They were just that much fun!

Don’t think college is difficult all the time. You can take some fun classes. Who knows, they might just become your favorites.