UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 29, 2024

Elective classes often fun

Share This:

It’s hard to know whether or not to take an elective, and choosing just one elective from the hundreds of possibilities is nearly impossible. 

Christina Merrill, office manager of the Center for Media Innovations, said deciding to take an elective or not is largely a matter of focus and age.

“For the older, non-traditional students, it seems like it would be a distraction from what they want to do,” Merrill said. “For the younger student, it would be an opportunity to take advantage of things they might not get to do again in their life.”

For 37-year-old Jennifer Quevedo, a sophomore nursing major from Los Angeles, Merrill is right about non-traditional students.

“Electives for me, at my age, don’t have a lot of value,” Quevedo said. “If I was younger, I’d want to have the whole college experience.”

Traditional student Demitrize Oloton, a freshman general education major from New York City, likes electives but doesn’t have a favorite.

“I don’t think it’s a waste of time,” he said. “It’s part of the educational system.”

Jared Buist, a junior Computer Information Technology major from Hurricane, isn’t taking any electives this year.

“I still have generals and major classes to take,” Buist said. 

Buist said the best electives are the ones that are double-duty.

“If an elective counts toward your major, then by all means take it,” Buist said. “If you’re taking them just to take them, it’s a waste of time.”

In a world where calculus and chemistry count as electives, it’s hard to know what electives to take. Expanding one’s experience and broadening horizons are important things to keep in mind.

The college offers many electives, and not just calculus or chemistry. 

From accounting, acting, American Sign Language and anthropology classes to sociology and social work, the college is full of options. 

“I would take dancing,” Quevedo said. “I love dancing.”

The college offers 24 different dance courses, including ballroom, jazz, tap, Latin and even modern dance courses.

“It’s a great opportunity to get some more experience,” Merrill said. “Because of an elective, I changed my whole degree and career path.”

Quevedo said students should try and discover what they like and what they have passions for, and Merrill said college is the perfect place to do that.

“Students should take advantage of whatever the college education has to offer,” Merrill said. “Part of that is the electives. It’s a way to grow and to get more out of their education.”