Tag Archives: general education

Choosing Your Major

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Choosing a major can be difficult. If you’re not sure what you want to study just yet, don’t panic. It’s normal for students to start college without knowing what they want to major in or what career path they want to take. Here are some things to think about and do while you choose.  

Take Career Tests 

If you aren’t sure yet what you want to major in, take a career test. There are many free online tests available where you can find out your career path. Also at liberal arts schools, such as PUC, you can use your General Education credits to test different departments to see which one fits for you. 

The PUC Career & Counseling Center is also available to help you clarify your interests, strengths, and values as well as provide valuable information about various majors and career options. If you have questions about your options or don’t know what to major in, make an appointment to talk with our counselor, and begin your career exploration process. 

Know Your Interests 

Your interests are important to think about when you’re choosing a major. If you don’t like what you’re studying, you’re going to be miserable. You won’t find your classes interesting, which can lack your motivation to study. It’s essential you are actually interested in what you’re studying. 

Know Your Abilities 

Think about what you’re good at when choosing a major. If you’re stronger in math and science, think of majors that circle around those subjects. If you’re stronger in English and the arts, consider the majors in those departments. Don’t choose a major with classes you will struggle in. You should be confident you will be able to do well in your work in the area of your study. 

Know Your Goals 

You might have specific goals you want to achieve, like becoming a teacher or doctor. Once you have a general goal in mind, that will help lead you into a major that fits with your goals. 

Research

After knowing your interests, skills, and goals, you should start researching jobs that align with them. Find out what types of jobs there are for your career and what classes you need to take for them. This should help you narrow down your options so you can start thinking about jobs that intrigue you and what majors could help you get those jobs. 

Talk To Others 

If you know people that work in the fields you might be interested in, talk to them and get their perspective on their job and what that career path entails. Talk to your academic adviser and share your interests. Their job is to help you find your right career path and connect you with professors that teach in your desired department. 

Trying to decide what path to take towards your future can be overwhelming. If you really don’t know what you want to major in, that’s okay! Make the most of fulfilling your college credits by taking a variety of classes to see which ones interest you. Talk to other students and your professors and of course, praying about it!

Find Something Different: Five Interesting Classes You Can Take At PUC

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By: Ally Romanes

Whether you’re daydreaming about all the classes you can take once you arrive as a new student at PUC or you’re currently sitting in your dorm room working on registering for spring quarter, keep in mind, PUC offers some really fun and interesting classes you can take to fulfill your extracurricular credits. Here are a few of our personal favorites.

ITAL 111 – Beginning Italian

Have you always wanted to learn a new language but never found the time? Join a language class and earn college credit while learning a new skill! PUC offers multiple language courses but Italian feels the most fun for us. Learn to speak, read, listen, and write in Italian while also learning about the culture. 

AVIA 101 – Introduction To Flight

Is your head always in the clouds? How about taking your actual head into actual clouds? PUC is lucky to have a private airport that is home to our department of aviation. But you don’t need to be an aviation major to experience the Napa Valley and our campus from the sky, register for Intro to Flight and you can do just that.

Bonus: PUC has a state of the art flight simulator in case the Angwin skies are a little too intimidating. 

MUHL 245 – Introduction to World Music and Culture 

Music transcends language barriers and is known to bring people together. It’s important to explore the different types of music the world offers and at PUC, you are blessed to have the opportunity to do that while still earning credits toward your degree. Introduction to World Music and Culture examines how people from different cultures incorporate music into their lives with an emphasis on non-Western and folk music. 

ARTF 212 – Ceramics I

What’s more fun than playing with clay? Sign up for ceramics and spend some time each week creating art with your own hands while trying to master the ever difficult wheel-throwing technique. Who knows, you might even walk away with a great gift for your parents! 

ESAC 107A – Swim & Stay Fit 

Everyone at PUC is required to take fitness classes, it’s just part of a general liberals arts education. However, why not make sure you’re having a blast while you earn those credits. Take a break from the classrooms, fitness centers, and weight rooms and hop in the pool! This class aims to teach you the use of swimming skills to enhance muscular and cardiovascular fitness, but ultimately, pools are just fun! 

These are just a small sample of the classes PUC offers. For a full list, check out the course catalog. 

 

Academic Spotlight: Interesting Classes at PUC

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While you will obviously take many classes for the major you end up studying, one thing you may not know about college is you will also need to take general education classes as well. What are general education requirements? Essentially, it’s classes that cover basic ideas and concepts PUC wants all of its graduates to know, like English, history, religion, etc. It amounts to approximately 23 courses (68-79 hours) for students studying bachelor of science degrees and 24-27 courses (72-97 hours) for those studying bachelor of arts degrees. You can read “What on Earth are General Education Requirements?!” to learn more.

We thought it would be fun to highlight some of the different and unique classes at PUC students may be able to take to fulfill their GE requirements or simply take as an elective.

  • AVIA 101: Intro to Aviation
  • AGRI 212: Home Greenhouse Gardening
  • AGRI 213: Organic Vegetable Gardening
  • BIOL 227: Natural History of California
  • BIOL 331: Marine Science
  • BUAD 118: Personal Money Management
  • CHEM 210: Laboratory Glassblowing
  • COMM 105: Introduction to Communication
  • JOUR 110: Current Issues in the Media
  • JOUR 350: Campus Chronicle Production
  • ECED 181: Introduction to Early Childhood Education
  • EDUC 101: Introduction to Teaching
  • DRMA 229: Acting Fundamentals
  • ENGL 210: Bay Area Theater
  • ENGL 212: Shakespeare in Performance
  • WRIT 313: Creative Writing: Poetry
  • ESAC 160: Fencing
  • ESAC 178: Canoeing
  • ESTH 365: Outdoor Experience
  • HIST 360: Adventist Heritage
  • PLSC 124: Introduction to American Government
  • MUHL 105:Survey of Music
  • EMER 104: Emergency Medical Technician
  • EMER 180: Fundamentals of Technical Rescue I
  • NURS 110: Introduction to Nursing
  • HLTH 101: Introduction to Allied Health Professions
  • PSYC 121: General Psychology
  • SOWK 121: Introduction to Social Work
  • RELB 180: Introduction to the Old Testament
  • RELB 190: Introduction to the New Testament
  • RELB 230: Psalms and Wisdom Literature
  • RELB 250: Parables of Jesus
  • RELB 328: Jesus and the Gospels
  • ARTD 130: Fundamentals of Graphic Design
  • ARTF 212: Ceramics I
  • ARTH 260: History of World Cinema
  • ARTP 150: Black & White Photography Fundamentals
  • MDIA 152: Introduction to Filmmaking

Hopefully, you’re getting excited about college and the prospect of taking classes more aligned with your interests. This list should give you some great ideas of classes you could take your first year at PUC, or options for future years. Class registration starts in just a few days on April 4, so start thinking now about what you want to take. If you haven’t paid your $200 enrollment fee yet (it’s required before registering for classes), visit puc.edu/alreadyaccepted or call (707) 965-7530 to pay now so you can be ready to register!