Upon graduating, Bucknellians will enter the real world fully equipped to solve complex Calculus problems, conduct their own chemistry experiments and psychological studies, critically analyze Shakespeare’s works, and much more. However, many students find themselves lacking in certain skills necessary to navigate the muddy waters that is college life. Sure, knowing that humans come from the phylum Chordata can help you ace your next Biology exam, but this information will be rendered useless in much of our daily lives.
HC Bucknell has composed a list of the classes we wish Bucknell really offered:
Party Dancing 101– Perfect the art of staying stable on elevated surfaces and achieve the delicate balance between awkward-7th grader-at-a-middle-school-dance and Miley Cyrus-style twerking.
The Math of Shopping– Learn how to optimize your savings and how to get the most bang for your buck and gain expertise in basic mathematical operations necessary to navigate a store: 40% off a $70 pair of shoes with a coupon for an extra 25% off=???
Adulthood 101: Prepare yourself for the real world by learning the basic terminology associated with “adult” things like buying a car, house, doing your taxes, banking etc.
Anthropological/Sociological Study of Dating– Why do opposites attract? What is the importance of playing hard-to-get? What are the implications of our hook-up culture? Find out the answers to these questions and more.
How to get a job 101– practice interviews, perfect your resume, write cover letters, apply to internships.
iPhone Etiquette– Learn how to solve the algorithm behind the appropriate time window between meeting someone and texting them; Emoji use, social media interaction, drunk texting, double texting, “read” receipts, group message etiquette and more topics like this will all be discussed.
The Science of Dieting– Find out what really works and why. Discuss the physiological aspect of losing and maintaining a healthy weight.
Pop Culture 101– Get a refresher on who Taylor Swift’s most recent song is about or the last person Kanye West offended.
Some colleges are taking it upon themselves to set the precedent for offering classes that are, while bizarre, geared toward students’ interests. For example…
At Temple University you can feel even classier next time you’re sipping on your glass of Pinot with The Chemistry of Wine.
Learn how to strut your stuff at Centre College in Kentucky with The Art of Walking.
Appreciate the little (and dirty?) things in life with the Joy of Garbage taught at Santa Clara University.
Achieve expertise in the field of procrastination and cramming with Learning from YouTube at Pitzer College.
Channel your inner buddy the Elf with Toy Design at MIT.
Discover how to survive the zombie apocalypse with Surviving the Coming Zombie Apocalypse: Catastrophes & Human Behavior at Michigan State.
Get tips and tricks on how to not gain the freshman 15: Cosmo Says You’re Fat? I Ain’t Down With That at UCLA.
While it may seem hard to imagine Bucknell administration introducing these unusual classes into our course catalog next fall, these trend-setting schools prove that it is not impossible. So get your pens ready and look out for a petition to have “Frat Dancing 101” offered at Bucknell next semester, because really, who needs to know how to do math when you know how to get down in the basement of a frat house?
Sources:
- http://www.collegemagazine.com/13-courses-you-wish-your-school-offered/
- http://www.takepart.com/photos/10-most-bizzare-college-courses-you-wish-you-took/surviving-coming-zombie-apocalypse-catastrophes-human-behavior
- http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/blogs/thenextgreatgeneration/2011/12/10_college_courses_you_wish_yo.html
- http://mashable.com/2013/01/08/college-classes-tech-design-enthusiasts/