One of the beauties of college is even when you know exactly what major you wish to pursue, there is still freedom to explore other options and learn about things you couldn't have dreamed of in High School. There are hundreds of classes in different categories to choose from and especially for freshmen, the opportunities are endless.

Coming into my freshman year of college I had a good amount of credits from dual enrollment in high school so there were really only so many required classes I had to take before applying to my major. This left me with the freedom to pick a few classes to fill in my hours. One of my filler classes of choice was Psych 1001 or Intro to Psychology. I didn't know much about what it was going in other than it being the very first class in the pathway in major. Little did I know what it would open me up to.

The intro class was a perfect mix of anatomy, philosophy, and science as it tried to hit the basics of such a wide category. It was amazing to learn not only what parts of the brain controlled what reactions but how those reactions came from past experiences of the individual person in the world. And this was one of the few classes where the things learned applied to literal every day life. There are countless times a lesson would pop into my head when one of my friends acted a certain way. It would be as simple as how we reacted to stressful midterms or when we had our "deep talks" late at night. Everything is applicable and it makes it that much easier and fun to learn.

I've since taken higher level classes in psychology that focus more on specific aspects such as personality or abnormal behaviors. Unfortunately UGA does not offer psychology as minor or else I would put those hours to good use. For now though, I just use them to fill out my schedule and to give me a break from my regular journalism.

So if you get the chance, take a psych course. If nothing else, it is a pretty good party trick to "psychoanalyze" your friends, just make sure to mince your words when needed.