STUDENT SURVIVAL GUIDE ’11: Classes

BY DEB
SCHLEEDE

Colleges offer
all different kinds of classes, and nearly all of them are useful in one way or
another. Those general-education classes you’re required to take mostly consist
of good-to-know information and can help you throughout your college career.
Then there’s your core major classes that will help you out professionally,
should you choose to pursue a job that falls in line with your major. Calculus,
biology, and medieval history are all well and good, but there are some courses
that are useful in the real world, too.

            I took a step back after four years
of college to think about the classes I took, and how some of them provided
skills and information that I use every day. These are the kind
of classes that are often easy A’s, plus they arm you with tools to get ahead
academically, professionally, and personally for the present and future. Not to
mention that they are a good use of your tuition dollars.

Public
speaking

Nearly every
Rochester-area college offers public-speaking classes, and at most of them it
counts as a required general education credit. Public-speaking classes teach
you how to speak in front of crowds, and while you might not regularly address
mobs once you get your diploma, the communication techniques you learn in these
classes can help in other areas. Take job interviews, for example. In
public-speaking class you learn how to articulate yourself in a straightforward
way, keep eye contact during a conversation, and appear sure of yourself. That
kind of behavior can make you more appealing as a potential employee. Project
presentations at school will be infinitely easier when you don’t stumble over
your words, and you can manage yourself to meet those dreaded minimum-time
requirements. You can also pick up some verbal techniques that can come in
handy on a personal level. Having a concise, persuasive argument helps when
trying to convince your parents (like why you need that extra $50) or friends
(when you dispute about what to do for dinner). Learning how to confidently
present your stance on something can go a long way, even if you aren’t totally
confident in your defense. Look for public speaking offered in your school’s
communications, English, or speech departments. At Geneseo register for
COMN102, and at Nazareth register for CSD103.

Personal
finance

Unless you found
a flowing waterfall of cash in your dorm room, chances are you might be feeling
the pressure of money management now that you’re not under your parents’ roof.
For most students, financial problems only grow as your time in school
progresses, and once you’re done you might find yourself in some kind of
financial turmoil (see: college-loan debt, credit-card debt, or most likely,
both). Thankfully, many area colleges have classes on personal finance
management. Learning about personal finance can be a total savior in the long
run. These classes cover simple things like why it’s good to have a savings
account, educate you on how to shop smart for credit cards, and make a proper
budget for financial survival. The class arms you with the knowledge you’ll
need to make smart loan selections for cars and houses as well. Not to be
cynical, but planning for the worst can save your skin later in life.
Money-management classes are most often found in the business, management, and
finance departments of schools. At MCC register for ECO103 (Personal Money
Management), or for Personal Financial Planning it’s FINA218 at St. John
Fisher.

Massage
therapy

I took a massage
therapy class at the beginning of my senior year and I instantly wished that I
had taken it sooner. Massage can be incredibly powerful as a healing tool. Like
many people, I was initially skeptical. Sure, massages feel good and can maybe
make your back loosen up a bit. That’s cool. But what else?
I can honestly say I am a total convert after a few simple techniques I learned
through my massage class that eliminated an awful limp, and pain and swelling
in my chronically broken knee. A few months later those same techniques saved
me from needing a second surgery. Massage therapy can cover practical student
concerns: ways to relieve headaches, achy wrists, hands and fingers after
typing up papers or hundreds of lines of code. Not only can you learn a
significant amount of helpful information, but a massage class during exam
season is a total godsend.

            Not every Rochester area school offers massage classes, but
if you go to RIT you are in the green. FLCC has a class called “Oriental Healing
Arts” that deals with therapeutic touching. Nazareth has “Soft Tissues Techniques” that is
offered under Health Services/Physical Training department. UR’s wellness center offers the classes
sporadically, as well as Chinese healing method Qi Gong offered in its dance
programs. Many other schools often have massage seminars, so keep your eyes out
for those. At RIT register for “Massage and Wholistic
Therapy” course number 1107-028, or DAN209 at UR for Qi Gong.

Stress
management

Summer is over
and you’ve had a great time between classes. You’re on your own now, and it’s
totally cool. Sorry, but that bubble is about to burst. In a few weeks you will
probably have two projects due, an exam, plus a quiz in every class — all in
one week. Your roommates might not be as fun as they were the first week of
school. You may have your parents breathing down your neck about how much money
college is turning out to cost, and you’d better be putting those hundreds of dollars’ worth of textbooks to good use. I feel an
anxiety attack coming on just thinking about the mid-semester rat race.

            Luckily there are a few area
colleges that offer classes aimed at calming your nerves and helping you manage
the tough times. Learn techniques like meditation and focused breathing, as
well as time-management skills to help balance your life. One specialized
course at Finger LakesCommunity
College aims at helping you use exercise to release chemicals that reduce your
stress. RIT has stress-management classes, but also special classes to help you
deal with body image, quitting smoking, relationship stress, and spiritual
health. These are classes you will look forward to at the end of the day after
pulling that all-nighter for an exam worth a third of your grade, that you’re
not sure if you bombed, and won’t know the results of until next Tuesday. Deep breaths, now.Deep breaths. If
you’re at FLCC you can take Stress Reduction Through
Exercise with PE164, or register for 1107-100 for Stress Management at RIT.

Foreign
languages

Many high schools
require students to take a second language, and let me tell you right now:
college language classes are not high-school language classes. What you cover
in a year of a high school language course is covered in less than a semester
of a typical college language course. Languages can be difficult, expensive,
and time consuming to learn later on in life, so take a language course or two
while you’re in college and it will be easier. Plus, you’re already paying
tuition, so it’s more cost effective.

            Knowing a second language can really
open up doors. It can help significantly if you have any interest in studying
abroad, and speaking a second language makes you more valuable as an employee
when it comes time to apply for jobs. As for what language to take, languages
like Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and Spanish are growing in popularity thanks to
our increasingly global economy. Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic and other
non-Western Germanic languages are considered the most difficult to learn, so
picking them up while you’re in college is a good use of your tuition.

            Look for the foreign-language
departments at your school for what languages they offer — most have Chinese
and Arabic, some have Japanese, and all of them have Spanish. Take CHI 101 at
UR for Chinese, or ARA 101 at MCC for Arabic.

Nutrition

Nutrition classes
may sound a little boring, but they offer up a lot of information that’s useful
in everyday life, plus they are often an easy-A class. Your body is the best
tool you’ll ever have, knowing how it works and how it processes the food you
eat every day is information you can take with you for the future. Nutrition
classes are similar to a basic science course; you’ll learn about digestion and
the basic chemistry of food and nutrients. When you understand how the body
breaks down carbs, fats, minerals, and vitamins, and then how it puts those
components to use, you’ll think a little bit more about what you cram down your
mouth. Eating healthy and being in college are two things that do not often go hand
in hand, but knowing more about your food and your body is information that
shouldn’t be underestimated when you need energy to stay awake in early morning
classes. If you’re at FLCC you can take Introduction to Nutrition with NS 115,
or take HLS311 at Brockport for Nutrition.

This article appears in Aug 17-23, 2011.