Greetings y'all! Hope you've all settled comfortably into the school grind. I haven't completely, but I have come to enjoy the classes I'm taking a lot. Taking 2 CS classes (Algorithms and Software Engineering) is a little less coursework than last semester, but I've come to enjoy them along with the other Non-CS classes I'm taking.

In fact, I would like to incur curiosity in focusing on classes outside of CS. As a CS-major, I know the pain in trying to pick up as many CS classes as possible. The idea is to get as much of your upper-division credit and in-college programming experience you can before graduating. Especially with the 'year-standing by credit' law in registration, as well as a limited amount of waitlists (4) and a policy for registering over 2 CS classes, it seems critical to take as many CS classes while we finish prerequisites in order to graduate "on time" and go into our respective post-college paths.

But here at UT, there are a wide range of Non-CS classes you can take not for the sake of GPA or fulfilling pre-requisites, but for building character and learning life skils. All the Physical Education (PED) classes are great in order to build your physical abilities. I would challenge anyone who's never danced to try out Beginner's Social dance. Not only does the class introduce you to many traditional dances (East Coast Swing, Waltz, Salsa, etc..), but additionally, it is a great opportunity to meet people and improve your social skills. I've met many amazing people through the class and it's rare to find someone, if anyone, who has a negative opinion of the class.

Aside from phys-ed classes, you can also take some interesting classes that go in hand with your degree. This semester, I'm taking Fiction Writing with the intention initially of getting the writing flag as well as hopefully learn some skills to help me in my spontaneous desire to make my own manga. But I've found the class to be very enlightening, bringing me a new perspective over what writing is! Not only do I learn how writers of best-selling books grasp ahold of readers and choke the attention out of them, but I get to read some very captivating stories along the way (The Things they Carried, Girl, etc..), and by the end of the semester, complete two short stories. Obviously a surprise for someone who only expected to write code during college.

Besides those classes, other courses I suggest taking are Interpersonal Communication Theory (improving interpersonal communication between people in all aspects), Human Sexuality (learning about your own sexuality and other topics relating to that), and Computational Linguistics (how techniques of computer science are applied to the analysis/synthesis of language and speech). These courses are great for the content they hold and beats just picking a random history class on Ancient Greece that you have no connections towards (no harm towards Greece). I believe these non-CS classes help not only in being more aware of what other subjects/skills are available in the world but also helps you become a more well-rounded person when you go into industry. Who knows, a topic from a class you take may impassion you, helping you understand more of who you are as a person, and point you towards a path in the future filled with certainty and joy that you wouldn't have found by going out of your field.