Practicality can come in many forms. A class can benefit a student because it fulfills a requirement for a major or minor, or because it satisfies an elective demand of an arbitrarily insistent university. There is always that. A class can be also be a benefit by being really easy, or being somewhat challenging.
A really easy class can be good because it lets you bring up your GPA without, in many instances, having to even attend the lecture all that often. Introductory classes in every discipline are often conducted from a commanding lecture podium and overhead projector in a very large, stadium shaped room. Obviously, if you are fairly intelligent, you can coast off the book and just show up for the midterm and final. If you use this strategy, however, I do advise that you attend at least some of the TA sessions, where much of the nuts and bolts work of comprehending material comes in. You may not even need a supplement to the course text to know what’s going on, but TA sessions are also often where they hand out the assignments. If your knowledge of the subject has any weak spots, be sure to ask your TA for help as he/she will appreciate explaining something that is basic for them. TA’s are also often nervous in front of these classes, as many of them are just dedicated graduate students that are not cut out for the flair of public speaking. You can help set their mind at ease by moving the session along with a good question or two.
A moderately challenging class can be of benefit, obviously, by increasing your capacity for study and concentration. Moreover, a class that expands your horizons can look good on a transcript or even be a talking point in a job interview, when it comes time to ask that question: ‘so, what have you done in your life that you weren’t exactly the best at? How did you do?’
This article was written by the Editor in Chief at www.Goodtermpaper.com