As much as you may loathe your general education requirements as an undergraduate student, some of them can be beneficial to your development in college. For me, it was the dreaded public speaking class.

Not many students consider themselves to be shy or quiet, particularly in college. However, when it comes to speaking in public and for a grade, there is a large tendency to be nervous and not yourself.

Why should you even bother taking that public speaking class when there is a perfectly good theory class that you can take that will meet the same qualification?

Not only is practicing speech writing and professionalism important as you begin adulthood and venture into the professional world of work, it also allows you to relax into your environment and get over the fear of speaking to strangers or people you know.

By being able to not worry about the dynamic of the setting you are in, you are setting yourself up to be more confident and willing to speak in tasks further in your career.

Also, in comparison to your other classes, public speaking does not require too much stress or memorization. Professors are lenient with the memorization of your speech. Note cards and practice are both blessings when it comes to your overall performance. They look for professionalism and how much you rely on your notes to see how well you prepared.

Your professor isn't looking to see whether or not you memorized the entire speech. They prefer to see a speech that is all put together instead of a speech you are struggling to remember word for word.

Your public speaking class is about your improvement, not about whether you are a confident or shy speaker, or a good or bad speech writer. It's not about who has the quirkiest or most informative speech. It's about your delivery and your growth throughout the course.

Don't be afraid, just take the course, grow as a speaker and earn that college credit!