I love classes. Classes are something to look forward to. I can’t wait to start my Spring Semester classes.

Maybe many of you don’t echo my enthusiasm, but maybe it’s because I’ve remembered to budget some fun into my schedule. Have you? Being as how I’m about to graduate, I imagine that I will miss the privileges of being a student. There are so many opportunities to have fun within the classes we take that I’d really rather stick around a bit longer so I can take all the classes I wanted to take.

Unfortunately, most of us are on a straight-arrow path to graduate, and we’re kept so busy the four (or more) precious years we’re here that we miss opportunities we’ll wish we’d taken advantage of. We’re here to learn, not just finish majors, and the pressure to get done with all the stuff that gets thrown on us in our departments is the focus of one of my biggest criticisms of the university.

I won’t go there now. But remember: College is supposed to be a place to find out about the world, life and ourselves. It’s a place that’s supposed to promote bringing out our talents and equipping us to do great things. It’s not just a factory that equips naïve John Doe with a trade skill and leaves him with no more insight into life than he had when he arrived.

So remember to do the things you really came here to do while you’re here. Take the classes that you really want to take. Don’t pass up a great class as long as you can reasonably fit it into your financial time-frame for graduation.

I have therefore scanned the timetable in an effort to find some classes that you might want to consider. I certainly did not know that many of these existed until I checked. So here are Brad’s picks for great Spring Semester opportunities to have fun without leaving the routine of going to class:

(In no particular order)

1. Anything offered by the dance department. Jazz, Ballet, Modern. Take your pick.

2. Swimming. It’s spring. You might as well get credit for going to the pool. Plus you get to learn to enjoy it more.

3. Bowling. Are you one of those people who get frustrated at your lack of bowling skill when you’re supposed to be having fun with friends? Here’s a solution.

4. Anything martial arts.

If you don’t have time for this kind of thing, check out the personal and professional development classes. They are open to the public and only meet once or twice. You can take advanced courses or beginner courses on software. They’ve offered things like bread-baking and other culinary tutorials as well. And hey, why not get licensed as a wedding coordinator or para-legal? If your degree isn’t gonna pay, now’s the chance to get some skills you can sell. Here’s some more titles of courses they offer to encourage you to check them out:

1. Get Published

2. Time Management

3. Exploring the Night Sky

4. Ballroom Dancing

5. Photoshop for Photographers

6. Starting your own Business

7. Incredible Edibles and Traditional Medicines

8. Acryllic Painting (This is great if you want to learn but don’t want to get graded and be in an art studio class)

I’m planning to take full-term courses in ballet, tai chi and tai chi sword. I’ll be so fluid and graceful I’ll be able to float to class.

Let me leave you with a brief story. I studied abroad my sophomore year. I went to Hong Kong. I took classes that would transfer and help me graduate. It didn’t set me back at all when it comes to graduation. I took a class there that had nothing to do with my major or any distribution requirements. It was not even a gen. ed. course. I took it only because I wanted to take it. I took it because it was at the core of what I was interested in. I took it because I might not have the opportunity to take it again. I am now a senior about to graduate. That class was the single best class I have ever had in college, and I will remember if fondly for the rest of my life.

I loved it because I was interested in it. Do you find yourself taking a bunch of classes you don’t like just so you can get in the field you want to be in? Make life more fun. Take a class that you will love. I didn’t regret it. I bet you won’t either.