If you have some open space in your schedule for electives, here are five classes that I took that I'd recommend.
1. Women & Gender Studies
This is probably the class your conservative family members refer to when they talk about kids going off to college and "turning liberal". Well, that's because this class is extremely mind-opening. We talk about power, privilege, and equity, and explore issues most people never thought about before. In the end, the objective of the class isn't to "turn kids liberal", but to explore subjects that some don't have to think about otherwise and allow them to decide for themselves how they feel.
2. LGBTQ+ Studies
OliviaAM
Similarly to Women's Studies, this course explored topics I often didn't have to think about as a cisgender woman. Whether or not you agree wholeheartedly with all that is taught, you'll walk away with quite a bit of history and general knowledge you didn't have before. For instance, children who are born biologically intersex- there was so much I didn't know about that before I took this class.
3. College 101
OliviaAM
Okay, so I ended up taking this one in my second to last quarter of community college- didn't realize it was required until then. I don't recommend doing it then, because you probably already know most of what is being taught: where the library is, how to print things on your student account, what credits you need to graduate in your major, etc. However, if you're just starting out, I'd recommend taking this class. If nothing else, it's an easy 2-credit A.
4. Healthy Adult Living/Women's Health
OliviaAM
I took both of these classes, but I don't know how helpful Women's Health will be for a certain demographic. Unless you had a really good health education program at your high school, there's a lot about your body that you probably don't know. These classes are good and stay interesting enough to keep you hooked.
5. Intro to Economics
This was the class I ended up taking because I needed more credits but everything else was full. Amazing course, though, even if a lot of it is attributed to my specific professor. He wanted to make sure we were educated about the world around us, as well as how economics work in our own country. He was pleasantly satirical when teaching us about policies he didn't agree with, in such a way that we still learned about them and why some people do agree with them. And he used John Oliver to get us hooked on one week's lesson.
So there you go. As you plan your courses for next semester, here are some to keep in mind!
