A list of ‘easy’ classes that will effectively shit on your GPA

A list of classes at UW that everyone will say are easy but will leave you crying

Another semester at Madison has come and gone. Those who graduated left with big smirks after thinking about never having to look over the “List of Science Classes for Non-Science Majors” ever again. As for the rest of us, we’re just desperately trying to knock Gen-Ed classes off the To-Do list while boosting our GPA. We’ve all taken that class our friends recommended as easy with a nice professor just to struggle through every class.

As my mom says every single time I sign up for a “blow off” class, “there’s no blow off classes at UW.” However, we want Gen-Eds to be straightforward with easy tests and a good professor, how hard is that? We have compiled a list of classes that we’ve struggled through so that you don’t have to.

An exact picture of what life will look truly look like if you take a class like these

Astronomy 103: The Evolving Universe

Unless you have a deep passion for stars and their composition, avoid this class at all costs. As a non-science major, I understood maybe two lecture slides in every class. Attendance was mandatory (taken with iClickers), and I still struggled to find motivation to go. You’ll have equations that have letters in them, which is always a no-go. Despite studying the hardest I ever have, I failed every single test with less than forty percent. Only positive thing about the class was that there was so much extra credit offered and the curve was huge, because none of us knew what we were doing.

Forest and Wildlife Ecology 110: Living With Wildlife

Unless you’re looking to hike through the rainy arboretum for extra credit, AVOID!

Truthfully, this could be a great class. I was either sleeping or skipping nearly every class, because I was so bored. If you don’t think you’ll be stimulated by lectures about birds, it might be wise to reconsider.

The professor was a cute, old man who loved everything to do with wildlife, but I still could never get into it. There was no textbook to refer to when you needed to study the material. Slides were literally jam packed with information and would go to the last possible minute of class. Tests had questions of the most specific things I didn’t even remember learning. The extra credit that was offered was hiking through the arboretum and looking at trees…. Unless you have quite a bit of self-motivation, this class is not recommended!

General Business 311: Marketing and Management for Non-Business Majors

Let’s be real, the minute you walk into the Business School and see the damn waterfall, you know they don’t fuckĀ around.

“Fucking hardest class of my life. We had three large assignments due the first week. I dropped the class so I could have fun at the home football game….no regrets” says senior, Shannon Murphy.

Advice of the day: If you aren’t seeking a business degree, avoid Grainger like that plague.

Geology 170: Our Digital Globe

Online classes aren’t always the good we imagine them to be. Yeah, it’s pretty cool that you can get them done in the comfort of your bed, but sometimes not seeing physical lecture slides or having a discussion section hurts your ability to consume the information.

They also commonly have a lot of online quizzes or homework assignments that equal a big portion of the final grade. Geology 170 is a class typically offered online and has the same negative characteristics.

“I thought it was going to be very easy but there are four quizzes that make up forty percent of your grade. So, if you do shitty, then you’re basically screwed,” says sophomore Shelby Weiland after struggling through the class.

Let’s try to spend the night at the library as minimally as possible

Nutritional Science 132: Nutrition Today

In the past, Nutri Sci was known for being an easy class coupled with easy exams and generous professor. In recent semesters, however, Nutri Sci exams have gotten harder, and the class has become much more extensive. I took Nutritional Science online and got one of the lowest grades I have ever received at Madison. The homework was easy, but never set you up for the long exams. Sure, I knocked off some needed credits, but I could have done it with a way easier class.

“BSchool kids were told by older students to take it and they’d get an easy ‘A’. The new professor or class just ended up being three times harder, so a lot of kids were blindsided,” says sophomore, Sam Brennan.

 

 

More
University of Wisconsin