Taking any class you want

Former Member

Coming from a chat room before it turned to the shitty x factor... I hate the show so much and I've never seen it or even live within 1000 miles of where they play it!

Anywho... why can't you take any class you want? I said, maybe there will be a class on some topic of WWII that will interest you, then you can take it... but then it was replied (just in case she doesn't want her name written ) that she is not a history major (or whatever you call it) so she cannot. Why?

There are only a few "required" classes I have left to take but if I found a class I was interested in, as long as I found the cash or a loan to pay for it I could take it. There are maybe only 20 students in one of my classes now and at least 1/4 are random people, non students... they don't have to write the term papers or take the final, just pay to hear what the professor has to teach...

I said I cannot wait until I am done with work and school to take some classes as I go to a small university and a lot of classes I would be interested in are not offered like various Native American studies... and I would take them for pure pleasure, no degree in sight.

You can't do that there?

Former Member

Wheres there? England?

Former Member

Yeah - My Name is an American student rather than English.

My basic understanding might be a bit out of date here, but from what I know American courses tend to have a smaller number of required elements, then additionally course can come from other areas. I've always understoof the major/minor thing to imply that you could almost choose the direction of studies, to some degree, once you're at uni.

English courses tend to be more specific - you're signed up to do a particular course and whilst this may give you some choice around specific topics (for example, early on in my politics degree you could pick sociology, history, economics, philosophy introductory modules as part of the first year) you tend to be locked into really specific choices.

So studying in a humanities course would mean you couldn't do science modules or sports coaching - you're only looking, at best, at other modules within that 'school' of the university.

Anyway, that's my distant remembered and no doubt out of date understanding - anyone else?

Former Member

Ah okay, missed the bit about money. University places are actually pretty over-subscribed across the UK so it's only students on a particular course who can actually attend them.

Plus, since uni education is vastly cheaper in the UK for EC citizens, the kind of cost involved in paying would be huge and not something people would prepare for. The only places really open to anyone who can pay, rather than pay and still pass entry requirements for a full course, tend to be part-time evening degrees and the Open University. You do have lots of mature students - but again they are focused on a particular degree.

Money tends to be divided up by a uni based on number of students on a particular course as well. A physics student doing history would get money for the physics department, I think, not the history department - causes more blocks to people taking different courses.

Former Member

I think it depends on what course you do, really, in my course and in some friend's courses (sciences) at the same UK uni you can take 1-2 out of 6 elective modules in first year in another department - in subsequent years you almost always have to take 6 modules of your own subject. I think its a bit of a shame really, but its possible to e.g. take language classes in the evenings in addition (not for credit). Also, with my course I was lucky as I intended to do an Erasmus (abroad) study so was able to take a language module both in first and in second year. There's also the possibility at some uni's to study so-called 'combined arts' or 'natural sciences' where you can combine 2-3 subjects and study those throughout the course, and 'joint honours' courses in stuff like chemistry and maths, chemistry and biology, physics and maths etc. I think if you're enrolled as a student at the university and pay the yearly tuition fee (same for everyone throughout England at least?) you don't pay for what individual classes you take (unless they're extras like evening classes), so it's not about the money, but I might be wrong

Former Member

I didn't now I wrote this I think I got it, since you don't pay for individual classes, you can't just go and take any ol class you want.

So what about these "extra" classes that you speak of? Are they classes at your local university that you can take whatever you want of, for entertainment or continuing education purposes?

I guess that is a nice set up, so you don't end up like me in school forever and a day with more than enough credits to graduate but not enough of anything for a degree But it also seems like a poor idea as you could miss out on a lot of interesting things.

Former Member

american student

i dont know how it is in europe, but in america you can start to choose advanced classes in middle school and classes that interest you in high school. if its still a high school it will be free, but if its a colledge course you're taking in high school, you will have to pay- but nothing compared to the crazy tuition of any of the community colledges let alone universities.

Former Member

scarter14616 wrote: »

i dont know how it is in europe, but in america you can start to choose advanced classes in middle school and classes that interest you in high school. if its still a high school it will be free, but if its a colledge course you're taking in high school, you will have to pay- but nothing compared to the crazy tuition of any of the community colledges let alone universities.

If you think the community college has bad tuition you are in for a rude awakening. Many people (and the number is rising) take their gen-eds at community colleges because it is so dirt cheap. This summer I will be taking one class at a cc and it is 1/7th the cost of my normal tuition!

As for college classes in high school, ask about PSEO. A lot of high schools offer it to juniors and seniors. They will pay for your college classes along with cost of books and any other fees (excluding room and board if you choose to go to a school farther away, but I've heard of some that still cover that)... get all your gen-eds for cheaper than a cc... free!