If this is your first time reading my blog, allow me to introduce myself! I am currently a junior at the University of Michigan studying business at the Ross School of Business with a concentration in marketing. I am also pursuing a minor in Religion through the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.
Something that I really enjoy about college is the freedom to schedule your own classes and to take whatever classes you want! Now of course, there are certain classes that I’ve had to take because they’re required for my major but I’ve also had the ability to take other classes that I am genuinely interested in.
1) ASIAN230: Intro to Buddhism
I took this course my first semester of freshman year. I’ve always been interested in Buddhism. The professor, Donald Lopez is amazing! I loved coming to lecture and just listening to him talk. It didn’t feel like a lecture at all, rather Professor Lopez was just story-telling. I loved his course so much that I am currently taking another Buddhism class that he is co-teaching with an art history professor. ASIAN230 is what made me want to pursue a minor in Religion.
2) MKT 313: Consumer Behavior
I am currently taking this class right now and really enjoy the topics that are covered. The class is a nice mix of discussing business cases and applying psychology to really understand consumers and what motivates them. The professor, Amy Angell, is very engaging and I love the energy that she brings to class every week. She is also super understanding and accommodating and truly cares about her students.
3) PSYCH 280: Social Psychology
I took this course my first semester junior year (last semester). As a business student interested in marketing, I have found this class to be super interesting because of the principles that we covered. A lot of the concepts actually overlapped with MKT313, which is always cool when course material from different classes overlap! The professor, Alison Earl, is super passionate and engaging during lectures.
4) BL 300: Business Law
This was a class that is required for my major. However I actually really enjoyed the material that we covered because of how relevant everything was. Business is everywhere and I found it refreshing at how applicable the material is. We would learn about something in class and then I would read about it on the news the next day!
5) RCSSCI360: Millennials & Gen Z
I am currently enrolled in this class and it is a seminar of 10 people. I love taking seminar classes because the class size is often small and I like the intimate setting of a seminar. I enjoy getting to know my peers on a more personal level. Seminars also allow me to open up more because I am more comfortable with a smaller class size. The topic of Millennials and Gen Z stood out to me in particular because we always hear about the different generations in the news. I feel like the different generations are always terms that are thrown out in the media. I wanted to learn more about each generation and what characteristics each generation possesses. I enjoy class discussions and bouncing off each person's opinion.
As you might have noticed, a recurring theme with my favorite classes is that I have to be genuinely interested in the course material. An engaging and passionate professor also makes the biggest difference in the world! For college students, I recommend that you take classes that you are actually interested in and not classes that are “easy As”. Look up reviews for professors and ask upperclassmen who the best professors are. I guarantee that you will do better in the classes that you actually have a genuine interest in. It also helps to come to a class where the professor is super passionate about what they're teaching.