The most useful classes to take in college.

[zhenka11230]

What are the most useful classes to take in college in your opinion and why? Keep in mind this is for general education, not about pre-med specifically.

I will start:

Social Psychology is THE most important class i ever took. We are social creatures and there is nothing that helps you understand the implications of that as this subfield of psychology.

Reasoning and Critical Thinking if you don't like philosophy, at least take this class. It will teach you the most important skill in life - how to think and analyze flaws/strengths of arguments.

Social Anthropology prepare to be amazed about what is considered normal in other cultures.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Cegar]

General biology, general chemistry, engineering physics, calculus.

 

[zhenka11230]

General biology, general chemistry, engineering physics, calculus.

Well those are kind of obvious, i meant more of like classes that deviate from normal pre-med education.

 

[Cegar]

Surface analysis.

 

[HumidBeing]

International Politics

Computer Programming

Personal Finance

Public Speaking

English

Spanish

 

[fxny12004]

I just want to mention that underwater left handed basket weaving is a MUST. No one should graduate from an institution of higher education without making first some baskets!

Now, on a serious note.

1.World Philosophy- This class focuses of the teachings of the greastest philosophers of all time from Plato and Socrates to Thomas Aquinas and it teaches you about Metaphysics,Epistemology, ethics and logic. In Lamen's terms it will make you think critically (hence logic) about you sorroundings and you will begin to question how rather than why. (WARNING: It can become absolutely boring sometimes to the point where you will fall off you chair b/c you fell asleep (take it from some1 with experience as this happened to me) ) But in the end this class is absolutely worth it and i wouldnt mind taking more courses in it! As a matter of fact, I AM!!

2. English- I cannot stress the importance of expressing oneself in an intelectual manner. I hate writing essays and reading long poems and plays written by someone who is 500 yrs older than me just like a lot of you, however, it is important as future doctors to be able to manipulate very well and master the english language. In other words, you will learn big words, you will learn literature, and you will be able to hold scholarly conversations without the use of yo, thats wuz up, and you feel me holmes. Note: It can also aid you in the verbal section of the MCAT in the future. Practice means Perfect.

Last but not least:

3. Political Science/ Economics Couse (One or Both)- No one should leave a college campus without basic knowledge of money and government. These are two MOST IMPORTANT and INFLUENTIAL variables in your life. You will never go without money in your life (unless of course you dont take an Econ class and dont know how to handle your assets and liabilities) and you will never go without a government (unless of course the world goes into anarchy<---Please see Course #1 listed above for more info) Knowledge is power, and power is money. Makes Sense?

These 3 courses Are ESSENTIAL for the general population. Everyone should take these classes as they should be IMO the basic foundation for a college education. If you cant think for yourself and make decisions (Philosophy), speak proper english(Self Explanatory), and understand how our economy and government work(Political Science/Economics), then you are taking the wrong courses. Drop Underwater basket weaving and Take these courses!!

 

[ChubbyChaser]

2 semesters of gen chem, org chem, physics, english, and math...

 

[Cegar]

2 semesters of gen chem, org chem, physics, english, and math...

Seriously.

I've sat in on some econ/gov/other humanities classes. Not a whole lot of stuff that I couldn't learn from some light reading or observations of world events.

Fluid flow on the other hand? Ehh....

 

[funkydrmonkey]

Introduction to Public Speaking.

'nuff said.... no pun intended.

 

[Tizoc]

Introduction to Public Speaking.

'nuff said.... no pun intended.

Agreed.

 

[wisconsindoctor]

Most useful:

- Speech - you speak everyday in the working world. The best speakers always stand out.

- Critical thinking - umm, 99.9% (a rough estimate) of people don't know how to criticaly think.

The rest of the classes are fill ins. How useful other classes are to you depends on what you get out of the classes (not just by what the professor provides you..but what you make of the class....don't blow off a lot of classes and you will come out ahead).

 

[zhenka11230]

Seriously.

I've sat in on some econ/gov/other humanities classes. Not a whole lot of stuff that I couldn't learn from some light reading or observations of world events.

Fluid flow on the other hand? Ehh....

This is a scientist stereotype you present here. This is a common mistake people make about humanitarian classes. They are not obvious or easily observable. The only people who say that are those who either never took them or never payed attention in class.

Most people assume philosophy/psychology is easy or common sense or whatever else excuse they have to not take it until they actually do take it and their jaw drops.

To give you an example. My epistemology class had only about 30% pass on the test, while my science class had over 70%. People think it is easy but once it gets to the test they realize they don't know jack.

 

[Tizoc]

This is a scientist stereotype you present here. This is a common mistake people make about humanitarian classes. They are not obvious or easily observable. The only people who say that are those who either never took them or never payed attention in class.

Most people assume philosophy/psychology is easy or common sense or whatever else excuse they have to not take it until they actually do take it and their jaw drops.

To give you an example. My epistemology class had only about 30% pass on the test, while my science class had over 70%. People think it is easy but once it gets to the test they realize they don't know jack.

Ehhhh...it really depends. I was not all that interested in the humanities to want to delve into it any deeper than I did (I went to a liberal arts school for undergrad, so we took those in the bunches). I was interested in my intro classes, but I couldn't see myself wanting to go any deeper. Whetting my appetite was good enough and as I get older, I figure I'll probably be better prepared to study them more at my leisure.

 

[Cegar]

I am not a stereotypical scientist. Trust me.

I started out wanting to be an English major at West Point.

I also never stated that such classes are common sense. I've taken "tough" humanities classes. I know what they're like. In my opinion, when difficult, they are so artificially. Also, I'm excluding a lot of the humanities realm. Not all classes are bunk. A lot of them tend to be though. But whatever. You might see more beauty in epistemology than I do.

 

[zhenka11230]

Ehhhh...it really depends. I was not all that interested in the humanities to want to delve into it any deeper than I did (I went to a liberal arts school for undergrad, so we took those in the bunches). I was interested in my intro classes, but I couldn't see myself wanting to go any deeper. Whetting my appetite was good enough and as I get older, I figure I'll probably be better prepared to study them more at my leisure.

Intro classes are notorious to be easy and not really give you the taste of the depth. The crap i learned in intro to psych/philosophy does not compare to what i learned in adv courses. It is like 2+2 = 4 vs calculus.

 

[HumidBeing]

I am not a stereotypical scientist. Trust me.

I started out wanting to be an English major at West Point.

At least you don't want to be a Fine Arts major there.

 

[Cegar]

At least you don't want to be a Fine Arts major there.

You would be surprised at what they had available there.

 

[zhenka11230]

I am not a stereotypical scientist. Trust me.

I started out wanting to be an English major at West Point.

I also never stated that such classes are common sense. I've taken "tough" humanities classes. I know what they're like. In my opinion, when difficult, they are so artificially. Also, I'm excluding a lot of the humanities realm. Not all classes are bunk. A lot of them tend to be though. But whatever. You might see more beauty in epistemology than I do.

Fear enough.

 

[Cegar]

Fear enough.

Was that some sort of Freudian threat?

 

[Tizoc]

You would be surprised at what they had available there.

Art History?

 

[Cegar]

It's a field of study, but not a major. It might be though. I'm not entirely sure.

Definitely a field of study.

 

[CK0112]

I thought my most useful class was always the one that kind of helped me relax during the semester. I schedule my courses so that I have one class each semester where I can just have fun, like the history of rock and roll, or judo, or something like that. Something to make sure I don't get too stressed out about the more serious classes. Sure it may not have any real-world application like the courses the OP outlines, but anything that keeps you sane during a packed course schedule is useful. Other than that, probably a critical thinking course like others already mentioned.

 

[redlight]

statistics and calc

social psych

a course on the great works (western canon)

some sort of foreign language

a university critical thinking/philosophy course

english composition

a chem/physics lab (or both, w/e)

 

[Bacchus]

What allows me to stand out from my peers is my speaking ability. I wouldn't have it without communications or public speaking.

I also suggest metabolic biochemistry and genetics. Yes, they are science courses but they are interesting too. Great classes.

 

[DrJD]

Neuropharmacology!

Really interesting to learn about addictions and the details of what you, or others in your family may have gone through...

 

[ScienceJunkie]

2. English- I cannot stress the importance of expressing oneself in an intelectual manner. I hate writing essays and reading long poems and plays written by someone who is 500 yrs older than me just like a lot of you, however, it is important as future doctors to be able to manipulate very well and master the english language. In other words, you will learn big words, you will learn literature, and you will be able to hold scholarly conversations without the use of yo, thats wuz up, and you feel me holmes. Note: It can also aid you in the verbal section of the MCAT in the future. Practice means Perfect.

Last but not least:

3. Political Science/ Economics Couse (One or Both)- No one should leave a college campus without basic knowledge of money and government. These are two MOST IMPORTANT and INFLUENTIAL variables in your life. You will never go without money in your life (unless of course you dont take an Econ class and dont know how to handle your assets and liabilities) and you will never go without a government (unless of course the world goes into anarchy<---Please see Course #1 listed above for more info) Knowledge is power, and power is money. Makes Sense?

lololololololololololololollolololololololol


edit: was that post a joke?

i hope so

 

[loganhayes]

College: English lit, Math (all of them and I have 16).
Grad school: Business Law (an MBA course, and I was in engineering).

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Sex ed....I had no idea it worked like that.

 

[Wylde]

Those 3 you listed (OP) are pretty good, now I kind of want to take an anthro course.

Some good things to take might be some personal finance courses, courses that teach you to manage your money/save money.

 

[hum3a]

hated every philosophy/humanities class. except russian civ, russia has some violent history!

 

[zhenka11230]

lololololololololololololollolololololololol


edit: was that post a joke?

i hope so

I hope your post was a joke because spelling =/ intelligence. In the brain, the part responsible for spelling is extremely small and does not represent the general ability in either language or intelligence as a whole. There are more irrational people who can spell then i find feasible. There is absolutely no correlation between spelling and anything else.

 

[Cegar]

I hope your post was a joke because spelling =/ intelligence. In the brain, the part responsible for spelling is extremely small and does not represent the general ability in either language or intelligence as a whole. There are more irrational people who can spell then i find feasible. There is absolutely no correlation between spelling and anything else.

So says the person who can't spell.

 

[hum3a]

i would definitely want the doctor writing my prescriptions to have poor spelling abilities, cuz that means he's much more intelligent.

 

[zhenka11230]

i would definitely want the doctor writing my prescriptions to have poor spelling abilities, cuz that means he's much more intelligent.

Well not this bad ; ))))
ok ok maybe there is some correlation! >.<

 

[cpants]

Spanish.

Yoga.

 

[zhenka11230]

So says the person who can't spell.

I wasn't born here : )
I bet you can't spell in Ukrainian!

 

[Asp]

Some important subjects:

--Discrete math: basic number theory, combinatorics, graph theory
--Software engineering, both theory and practice
--Engineering thermodynamics
--Bayesian probability theory
--Evolutionary psychology
--Theory of evolution, with some math
--Microeconomics and monetary theory
--Color theory
--French cooking technique
--Basic familiarity with the Western canon, from Plato to Camus
--Basic understanding of the history of the West, and why it triumphed

There are of course many other important things, involving taste and class, which are somewhat difficult to learn, so they are not listed above.

And remember: it's much better to be beautiful, than to be educated.

 

[bhishma]

In all seriousness? Quantum Mechanics. Maybe not the same version the Physics students take, but the subject matter is basically the foundation of everything termed "modern". The class just opens your eyes and puts the universe in a new perspective.

 

[zhenka11230]

Ehh... I think they are equally important. Although if i had to choose one, i would pick beauty too but thank god i don't.

 

[Asp]

Quantum physics for poets isn't offered at my university though.

I tend to think quantum physics is one of those fields where a little knowledge is much worse than complete ignorance. For every person who goes on to gain deep familiarity with Hilbert spaces, there's a hundred persons who come to believe that What the bleep do we know!? is something more than just pure drivel. Quantum physics is the mystical outlet of the scientifically inclined.

Remember kids, mystery only exists in your mind, not in the world.

Read Feynman's QED.

In all seriousness? Quantum Mechanics. Maybe not the same version the Physics students take, but the subject matter is basically the foundation of everything termed "modern". The class just opens your eyes and puts the universe in a new perspective.

 

[Asp]

Beautiful AND posting on SDN? I think not!

Ehh... I think they are equally important. Although if i had to choose one, i would pick beauty too but thank god i don't.

 

[anomalous738232]

the 2 must takes in college:

the course itself differs @ every institution, but all who attend know about the "easy A" class where lectures are not mandatory. use sparingly, but take as needed.

the one that makes you think about the world. intro philosophy did the trick for me

the intermediates are whatever-

 

[MilkmanAl]

In all seriousness? Quantum Mechanics. Maybe not the same version the Physics students take, but the subject matter is basically the foundation of everything termed "modern". The class just opens your eyes and puts the universe in a new perspective.

I taught 2 people PChem from my basic pre-med chem knowledge and what I learned in my quantum class. Quantum definitely illuminates a lot of the material we'll need to know in med school. That is, you learn why things happen rather than just memorizing orbital theory and chemical reaction junk like crazy.

 

[void]

What do you guys mean by a reasoning/critical thinking class? Do you mean something like logic, or argumentation and debate?

I think some important classes to take are:

statistics
computer programming
international economics
US constitution
psychology

 

[Phillykid162]

I took a Critical Thinking class this semester and, besides the occasional classroom discussion, lecture was a waste of time. However, the textbook was awesome and well worth reading. The skills I learned translated into all my other classes, especially English Composition.

Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric: The Use of Reason in Everyday Life

by Howard Kahane

Other good classes are Economics, Psychology, and of course Interpretive Dance!

 

[Charles English]

Was that some sort of Freudian threat?

lol

 

[PharmDstudent]

Ehh... I think they are equally important. Although if i had to choose one, i would pick beauty too but thank god i don't.

Beauty can be a curse. Looks are one-dimensional and quite limiting. Beautiful women have to act a certain way as well. Otherwise, people think they're snobby, selfish, or *****y. There isn't enough negotiating room, because they have to live under unsolicited criticism.

If I had to chose, I would rather be smart, perhaps because I value autonomy.

 

[PharmDstudent]

Remember kids, mystery only exists in your mind, not in the world.

Huh? I'm a feen for murder mysteries. The best ones are about spouses who kill for insurance money.

 

[DrZaius]

Introduction to Religion - any course that surveys the various major religions of the world is really cool. If anything, it will give you a talking point with virtually everyone, especially if they have a religion that's unfamiliar to most Americans.

 

[EpiPEN]

Calculus

Becuase math is more than just numbers, it's a way of thinking and how to approach a problem. The introduction of the idea of inifinty and how it works is a real mind blowing experience if you understand to really appreciate it.