Last week I officially turned in my very last college assignment, and this week I’m turning in my senior thesis and I’m so excited to have accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish. Reflecting on my undergraduate experience, I thought about the classes that really taught me the most. I mean, I learned a lot, don’t get me wrong. But there were a few classes that taught me not just the material and some interesting facts or basic knowledge for grad school, but they taught me things about life that affect the decisions I make every single day. I honestly believe these classes have improved my communication and business skills, broadened my character, and made me a better person.

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COLLEGE CLASSES EVERY UNDERGRAD SHOULD TAKE

You may not be able to find or take all of these classes, but I highly recommend you try and take as many as you can. Obviously, a good professor makes all the difference in the world and a bad one can ruin even the best recommendation. So if you find there’s a class you don’t think will match my recommendation, feel free to email me at ashleigh@fashioninflight.com and I can give you my favorite points and some readings which will hopefully help you grasp the most basic details.

And feel free to email me anyway if you have any other questions about college life or classes, or whatever you need! You can also find me on my social media channels to the right – I’m more than happy to help you!

ONE. Human Variation and Human Universals.

So the first one would technically be two different classes, but I highly recommend you take both if you’re going to take one. The first one teaches you so much about what makes people unique and why people are different from one another. It gives you a biological foundation, and a cultural explanation. The second class, human universals, teaches you what it means to be human. Where culture comes from biologically, and what that means for humanity.

I must warn, these two classes are not all niceties. You learn some harsh truths, but they also make you more perceptive, more helping, more forgiving, and more understanding of literally every single person around you.

I don’t talk too much about politics here, but if I could require any voter to take a class, I would say they need to take these two classes. The intersectionality and psychology covered really dig deep into how the human mind works and how people find themselves in the situations they are in. It will make you much more sensitive to answers that claim to solve all the problems in one fell swoop.

Ask your Anthropology and Psychology departments for these classes. Take them when the best professors teach them.

TWO. Writing for Business.

The way you write for school is totally different from writing for business. So, so, so, so, so different. And most of what you write outside of school will fall into this category, more or less, so it’s important to learn how to write like a professional. These classes usually teach you how to write an amazing email, a business proposal, and a resume and cover letter. This is the kind of class that will teach you skills that mean you get the job, and not the next applicant. Many people are graduating, and a lot of them share a same or similar resume, your ability to write and communicate powerfully and persuasively in a non-academic context will set you apart and make you an asset to whatever occupation you decide to join.

Ask your Writing department for this one first, then your Business department if you have one.

THREE. Statistics for Social Scientists.

If you’re in a math or hard science major, you’ll likely need to take a stats class. However, if you aren’t a hard science major and stats isn’t required, you should still take a version for social scientists. I know math sucks, but I promise you will learn something you will use for the rest of your life. As consumers of online content (you’re doing it right now!), you’re going to run across people saying “According to research by XYZ,” and stats will teach you to be critical of that information. Making a conclusion with a sample size of 50 people is totally different than a conclusion with a sample size of 150, and that’s totally different than a sample size of 100 from 5 different locations around the world.

Stats will teach you to understand the data that is thrown at you and it will help you be a critical, healthy, savvy consumer.

Check with your college advisor for this class. Many social science departments will offer something similar, so do some research and pick the department that produces the content most similar to what you like to read. Anthropology is always a good choice because it is so broad.

FOUR. Childhood Development. 

This class was so helpful to me because it’s made it so much easier to communicate important information with children, teens, and adults. These classes also touch on the psychology of divorce and other family situations which can help you be more sensitive to these issues, without being overwhelmed. This class is the most helpful for people who want to go into schooling, however, if you have any, any inclination at all toward teaching others or tutoring in any context, I recommend you take it because it will dramatically improve your ability to spontaneously change your teaching methods to fit the situation.

Check your Education and Psychology departments for this class.

FIVE. Entrepreneurship.

This one might be a little harder to find, but I recommend every single person take this class even if they have no intention of becoming an entrepreneur. The lessons you learn can translate into building yourself. As you shop for a career, you’re marketing yourself, you’re pitching yourself, and you’re pivoting your skills to where they will best serve you. Even if you don’t start a company, you are product to sell. And you can plan your career like it was a precious start up. Or you can start a start up, which is freaking awesome and if you do, share it with me! I’m a little a lot obsessed with the start up community!

Check your Business department or with an advisor to find a class like this. Also, read this blog by John Greathouse if you can’t find the class. You will learn so much even just from these!

BONUS. Two books I read in college that I learned SO much from (and still read through regularly).

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes & Barry Posner

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