Tag: PDP

Sarah: The Best Non-COM Classes I’ve Taken

In my experience, if there is one thing freshman want to know going into their first and second semesters here at BU, it is what classes to take. We hear a lot about all of the great COM classes to take, and there are plenty, but there are tons of hidden gems throughout all of BU. Here are a few of my recommendations.

SED-DE570 & DE571 American Sign Language 1&2

Jason Norman & Kelly Kim

I could dedicate an entire blog post to my love for ASL. In fact, I have (check out my post from last February). If there was one requirement I dreaded, it was the language requirement. I avoided it altogether freshman year, hoping COM would magically drop it and I would be free. When I couldn’t put if off any longer, I registered for ASL; it was the perfect choice for me. I loved learning about Deaf culture and discovering an entirely new way to communicate. And, the class was just fun! We learned by playing games, role-playing and creating vlogs. If you like very active and hands-on (no pun intended) learning, this class is for you!

CAS-PH266 Mind, Brain, and Self

Walter Hopp

The dreaded philosophy requirement does NOT have to be so bad. This class came highly recommended to me, so I feel compelled to pay it forward. I’m not going to sugarcoat it – the class is difficult. It took me half the semester to just train my brain to think philosophically. But, if you put in the effort, you will be fulfilled (and feel whackid smaht!). Professor Hopp really makes the class what it is. He is incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the subject, and it shows. He is also one of the funniest professors I’ve had (one of my friends in the class kept a list of priceless Hopp quotes). And, he is all about helping his students do well. I would send him page-long emails of jumbled thoughts and he would respond with two page-long emails of brilliant feedback.

PDP-DA 150 Cardio Jazz Funk

Jossie Coleman

This class is just as fun as it sounds. If you can commit to them, PDP classes are a great way to de-stress from a hectic week. I always looked forward to starting my day off with a little bit of dancing. Jossie is a wonderful teacher, and is accommodating of all levels of experience. She has crazy amounts of energy that will get you fired up and moving. She demands the same kind of energy and pushes everyone just a little bit outside of their comfort zone. I also loved the variety of people in the class. Some people had years of experience; some people had never taken a dance class before. But, everyone had a blast!

CAS-AR100 Great Discoveries in Archaeology

William Saturno

I took this class the first semester of freshman year, and I still miss it to this day. The work was reasonable and discussion sections were always fun. The material can be a bit dry at times, but Professor Saturno is the best lecturer ever! I feel like he should be hosting his own show in Vegas instead of teaching an archaeology course. But, he is certainly well-qualified to do so. Professor Saturno has gone on expeditions all over South America, and has a million and one stories from all of them. One of them involves a very territorial bonobo ape, but that’s all you’re getting out of me. He has also made some incredible contributions to the field – he recently discovered the oldest known Mayan murals in Guatemala. How cool is that!?

Richie: PDPs: Schedule a Bit of Time For Fun!

Richie

Now, we all know Boston University’s College of Communication is a top-notch school with the best in terms of academic classes, but we seldom hear about the other classes available to us as BU students.  It’s true, while completing our general requirements, we’ll likely be exposed to a wide variety of classes in the many colleges throughout our university.  We’ll probably take an incredible philosophy course or a foreign language course we’ll fall in love with.  But what I’m talking about are PDPs.

“What’s a PDP?” you may be asking yourself (along with the question, “Does BU purposefully abbreviate everything to confuse new students”).  I’ll be honest, don’t ask me what “PDP” exactly stands for, but I do know they’re BU’s Physical Education Credit Classes.  Offering an insanely huge amount of diversity, students can sign up from anything to rock climbing, yoga, or even scuba diving with a PDP course!  You can check out over a hundred different classes in categories like court sports, dance, mind and body, aquatics, and more!

Courses are usually somewhere in between 0.5 and 2.0 credits, and since our regular academic classes usually only take up 16 credits, why not fill up the remaining two credits available to you with a class like cardio-jazz funk?! Or if you have the GPA requirement for it, you could go crazy and literally overload with PDPs! (Yes, I am overloading with Hip-Hop, Tango, Springboard Diving, and Intermediate Sailing, but don’t judge me).  If your still hesitant to sign up for one (not sure why you would be after you read “rock climbing”) just think about all the added benefits.

For one, it would definitely have you visit the gym more frequently.  I know many of you are familiar with our state-of-the-art fitness center, but probably  only familiar with it from afar.  I’ll be honest, I visited the gym here in my entire freshman year probably a total of two times and know plenty of students that did the same.  Perhaps a cooking class that meets for two hours a week would help you learn a little more about FitRec.  It could even give you the little extra push you need to actually start visiting our gym independently!

You’re also bound to meet some great friends.  Whether you’re taking a class in something you already have an interest in and find people with common interests, or find someone who is just as clueless as you are about the class; you’re bound to make some great friends!

Finally, I know things can get hectic as a college student. With a part-time job, school work, and classes; scheduling some fun can be extremely beneficial.  Step out of your comfort-zone a bit and sign up for that dance class you’ve always wanted to learn.  The Pass/Fail system of PDPs won’t give you the same amount of stress a regular class would (since passing is only graded on attendance) and you’ll come out of it with a new skill.

By the way, you still have time to sign up for a PDP on the student link! As for me, I can’t wait for the weather to clear up and sailing to begin!