Tae Kwon Do class allows time for fun

By Bethe Croy

Before coming to campus, many students imagine being able to take whatever classes they want; however, after attending a couple advising sessions, it may seem there is not much time for those fun or random classes. With advice from advisers on campus, taking these courses may benefit a student’s personal and academic life.

Before taking a class outside of requirements, it is important to consider the number of credits the course is worth, if it will set you behind for graduation, the difficulty or dedication level required, and why you want to take it.

Joe Boberschmidt, adviser at the Academic Advising and Exploration Center, said students should think of it more as “a course of personal interest” or a course that “enhances personal knowledge” rather than a “fun” class.

“Students need to take an active approach in understanding their plan to graduation and realize what semesters or what years they may have a little bit more flexibility to fit in a ‘fun’ class, so to speak,” Boberschmidt said.

Benjamin Prather, also an adviser at AAEC, suggested students should become familiar with their four-year plans, a document available to all majors to help students graduate in four years. Students have an opportunity to take classes outside their majors, but some colleges give more flexibility than others.

The four-year plan shows which classes and how many credits a student should take each semester in order to graduate after four years. The plan, along with the academic advising report, guides students to schedule classes appropriately.

“You have eight to 12 credits of electives that the university requires you to take,” Prather said. “That gives you at least four classes of something that you can be interested in.”

Cost is another factor. The estimated cost for a three-credit class is about $1,000, Prather said. It is important for a student to keep the financial aspect in mind because if they are paying for it, it would hopefully benefit the student.

In addition, students can choose different credit amounts. A three-credit philosophy class, for example, is going to be more time-consuming and demanding than a half-credit physical education general course. It’s all about interest and time.

Freshman Tiffany Tushkowski took Beginning Tae Kwon Do: Karate for the first eight weeks of the semester. She chose the course because her father suggested she take a self-defense class. Though it is only an eight-week course, Tushkowski said it was challenging.

“I feel like it’s a harder class because you actually have to know what you’re doing in practice: – know the techniques,” Tushkowski said. “If you don’t, then it’ll show because you’re the weaker link in the group.”

The time commitment, however, was not much of a challenge, she said. She plans on taking the next level course, Intermediate Tae Kwon Do: Karate.

Other PE general classes offer different benefits to students. Rhoda Ko, a second-year graduate student, was in Yoga and Stress Relief. She said she took the class because she enjoys doing the yoga section in P90X videos, but staring at the screen hurt her neck, so in class she is able to get more instruction and feedback. She said taking this class has been beneficial

to other aspects of her life.

“I think it’s helped,” Ko said. “It taught me how to relax and breathe a little better during stressful times, like exams and such.”

Students have a variety of classes to choose from, and with university-required electives, every student has an opportunity to enroll in at least a few fun courses; the trick is to choose wisely.