College. It is a seven letter word sometimes used interchangeably with university despite the fact that the two differ in their literal, dictionary definitions. Symbolic of the supposed "best four years of your life" and a time to grow up and become slowly integrated into the "real world," college is undoubtedly an important time and to be both enjoyed and thought out. For all of the planning you do, it will never quite be what you've expected. College, like going to a foreign country, can be a bit of a culture shock sometimes. The freedom to do (almost) anything you want or get the opportunity to do coupled with the typically strenuous courses taught by tenacious and enthusiastic professors can be a little daunting at times.
Many students, whether fresh out of high school or hardened veterans of collegiate studies attempt to meticulously plan out their rigorous schedules hour by hour, class by class. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, it isn't entirely necessary. Sure, if you're paying a lot of money to go to a school you're naturally going to want to get the most "bang for your buck" and not waste a single dollar or class. But sometimes we forget that college is also a time to open yourself up to new ideas, viewpoints, studies, opportunities, cultures, and possibilities. It's alright to experiment a little bit. Take that art history class if it's something that interests you. Step out of your comfort zone and join a club or course that you haven't ever had much experience with before. Learn a language or take a culture credit about a country whose name you've only heard in the news.
Your typical major program allows for extra hours of either general education credit or miscellaneous courses. You aren't going to have to painstakingly choose each and every class perfectly to fit your schedule in order to pursue your degree. I'm a Chinese Language major- a fairly difficult study to pursue in some respects, however, I have also had the time to take courses that interest me and are outside both my major and potential minor study tracks and outside of general education requirements. There should always be some room for you to take what interests you beyond what you are required to take.
Because I go to a private institution, I get the chance to dabble in some general education courses that perhaps most public institutions may not require of their students. Each and every school is different and that should be further cause to explore the opportunities available to you at your particular college or university. Branch out from the bland offerings of your major or general education and take some of the more intriguing courses you come across as well. Even if you aren't going out of your way to take some obscure course like "Ethics of Scientology" (hypothetically speaking), at least explore interesting options within your major studies as well. If you are a Biology major there are a guaranteed plethora of options at your disposal beyond Bio 101 or the like.
Exploring outside the realm of your major studies doesn't mean you have to go take the most challenging course you come across in a completely different study track. Be cautious that you don't end up taking Neuroscience 250 as an English or History major unless you're fairly confident in your ability to knock out just about any genre of study. There is definitely a difference between experimentation and a complete lack of planning. You should still do your research prior to each semester and signing up for new classes. However, don't be afraid to branch out into interesting and previously unexplored territory, albeit not at the expense of your GPA.
If your university offers courses both domestically and abroad that encourage and integrate travel into the curriculum, take the opportunity to enroll in at least one of them during your time there. As a Chinese Language major, I've already studied abroad for a summer semester in Shanghai, China, and several other major cities. Even if your major doesn't require study abroad or out of your state, there are internship and study opportunities virtually everywhere that you can easily apply for if interested. I've already signed up for an ecological study in California for the winter since it is something that has absolutely nothing to do with my coursework but intrigued me nonetheless. College is about learning how to operate as a professional and an adult as well as how to navigate the challenges the world presents to us. Gaining as much experience as you can from a variety of experiences in and out of classes can only further enable future generations of students to reach out and find success.
Listen to your career and course counselors when they tell you about potential opportunities in terms of classes and programs inside and outside your area of study. Their job is to help you to be the best you possibly can and they're generally pretty good at doing that job. It is always OK to experiment with college classes and you should be growing increasingly comfortable doing so throughout your undergraduate career.
