If you’ve been trying to discreetly find out what are some easy classes to take in college, you don’t have to be coy about it. Each year, thousands of new students want to know the same. When your schedule is already packed full with difficult classes, it’s only natural to seek so-called blow-it-off classes. A blow-it-off (or BIO for short) is something that will not require a whole lot of work and will offer a welcome break from studying hard. Whether you are enrolled in community college or Ivy League private school, you are allowed to explore and fool around a bit. That’s why we have prepared this list of the easiest classes to take in college.
Of course, which classes are the easiest often depends on the college. Some schools offer electives that others don’t. Moreover, some instructors can be more lenient than their colleagues, so a class can be taxing in one college while being considered a blow-off in another.
Easiest College Classes in Difficult Disciplines
Sometimes you are required to take a course in a field that is considered difficult overall. However, there still might be a leeway.
Math: Statistics
This one is probably the easiest of math classes, so if you are required to take one as a non-major, go for statistics at any level. Of course, it’s not an easy one per se, compared to all the options on this list, but in the realm of math, it is. Plus, knowing statistics comes very handy when crunching data for your research projects and, eventually, your thesis, so it’s recommended for everyone.
Science: Earth science
If you are not very good with science, but you need to take one class for your associate degree or general education requirements, go for Earth science. It will give you a relatively easy A, at least the entry-level course. Most students agree that this is one of the easy college science classes. On top of that, instructors tend to be chill, but you should look up yours on Rate My Professor or ask around the campus.
Foreign Language: Norwegian
If you need to take a foreign language class, but you never fancied yourself as a polyglot, try Norwegian! It is one of the easiest foreign languages to learn for an English speaker. Both Norwegian and English are from Germanic family and share a lot of vocabulary. There are Norwegian words that look absolutely like they do in English: problem, person, finger, glass, over, under, arrangement, etc. Others are a bit different, but still, something you can easily intuit: vinter (winter), sommer (summer), kan (can), hjelpe (help), and so on. Plus, Norwegian has roughly the same word order as English, a very straightforward grammar, and a high tolerance for pronunciation differences due to various accents that are all considered “correct.”
Of course, Spanish is also considered one of the easiest languages to learn, but if you have Norwegian available at your college, go for it! It is just as easy yet looks rather impressive on your transcript and CV.
Fun Easy Classes to Take In College
Okay, even easy stuff can be boring. If you are looking for something fun, refreshing, and exciting, turn your gaze to one of these.
Film and Media
Watching movies and discussing them definitely sounds like fun! This is a perfect class for everyone: both creative souls and analysis buffs will find something to their liking. You will study film theory, history, and filmmaking techniques and learn to engage with films and appreciate them on a deeper level. Studying film and media also helps you to understand society better. For example, Hunter College offers such fascinating courses as “Cult TV and its Audiences” or “Propaganda and the Mass Media.” However, prepare to invest many hours in watching movies and writing critiques. If the latter isn’t very appealing, you can always get a hand from our avid paper writers.
Acting
One of the most fun and engaging electives out there, acting is also a confidence booster. You will learn a lot about your mind, body, and emotions, master techniques to let go of your worries to overcome stage fright. Even if you don’t plan to participate in professional or amateur theater later, trained voice, expressive gestures, and confident presence will come in handy in public speeches, interviews, and Zoom calls with colleagues.
Creative writing
Storytelling grows in popularity as a skill. It is now one of the key competencies in many professions. Why not cut your teeth on creative assignments for the class? Creative writing will help you discover your voice and use the power of writing to many ends. You don’t necessarily have to envision a writing career to benefit from this experience: from personal blogs to ad copy, creative writing application is versatile. Moreover, some assignments, such as journal entries, short stories, or poetry, can be very therapeutic.
Easy College Classes to Take Online
With quarantine restrictions in place and colleges switching to virtual learning, classes you attend in-person become scarce – and more valuable. To free up space for face-to-face instruction on subjects that matter most, take some of these easy online college classes.
Health Education
Most colleges require you to take some basic health classes – sex ed, physical wellness, alcohol education, and so on. They are undoubtedly valuable. However, being general education subjects, they aren’t essential for your major. That is why you should take a health class online, if you can, and save time to study for other courses. What makes this idea even more compelling is that you can take this class on an online learning platform whenever you want and transfer to your college later.
Zoology
If you must have a natural science class in your studying plan, zoology is the one that can easily be taken online. Most of the success in this will depend on your ability to memorize taxonomy and miscellaneous animal facts. Plus, most wild animals can only be observed on video anyway, so online is almost no different from offline. Botany is similarly a good option, but if your school has a conservatory, you may still benefit from offline lab work.
Art/Music History
As a rule, any degree requires you to take a course in arts. However, suppose you believe you are a hard-core left-brained person and don’t want to practice any art. In that case, you can take an art/music history or appreciation course online. You will have to read, research, and write essays, which can be done remotely. The curricula are relatively easy and have the added bonus of making you a well-rounded person capable of maintaining sophisticated small talk.
Easy College Classes To Boost GPA
Taking easy classes for many credit hours is the most popular way to raise GPA without working extra hard. However, you still should stay organized, attend classes, and turn all the papers in on time. That said, here are some easy GPA boosters.
Physical Education
Easy, fun, and good both for your body and your GPA, PE is a must for your weekly schedule. Unlike high school, physical education in college takes many forms. You can choose yoga, team sports, swimming, tennis, horse riding, sailing – whatever floats your boat (pun intended). Earn academic credits while staying in shape and de-stressing after long studying sessions.
Psychology
Even if it doesn’t quite line up with your major, a psychology course will definitely be an interesting elective. Understanding how the human mind works and what motives lurk behind our actions will help you in your future professional, social, and personal life. Even though this course is highly concept-based, you can easily apply all the theories to life, making it more straightforward.
Personal Finance
Personal finance may not sound particularly entertaining, but it’s both easy and highly practical. To be fair, this elective is long overdue to be made mandatory because it arms you with an essential life skill. Still, if it isn’t on your curriculum, add it! It will teach you how to budget, handle debt, invest, build responsible spending habits, and develop a healthy relationship with money.
Of course, you should challenge yourself, but college is not only about getting your major. It’s about trying out new things, figuring out who you are, and – yes! – having fun. If it were meant to be a straight and boring line from enrollment to graduation, we wouldn’t have all those quirky elective classes available, now would we?
