Education forms the roots of our career paths and influences our lives in innumerable ways. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to every aspect of our educational journey to make sure we reap the maximum benefits from it. This article will give you a detailed overview of one such aspect – Electives Courses in Colleges. Here we help you find whether Elective Courses are a good choice for College students or not. let us know, “Are Electives good For College?”
Elective Courses are the Courses a student can take up in College in addition to the Core Courses that are mandatory for them to undertake. These courses help in combining various fields of knowledge and interests. Electives are good in College as Elective Courses are definitely a smart choice to make for college students. In addition to increased knowledge, they also provide students with better future prospects and a wider range of careers to choose form.
What is the Academic Credit System in the USA?
To understand what an elective course is, we first need to understand the Academic Credit System followed by majority of the Universities and Colleges in the US. An Academic Credit System is a method adopted by Universities across the world to evaluate the students’ performance in their course. so Electives are smart choice in College.
The Academic Credit System in the US is based on Semester Credit Hours (SCH). These SCH are further composed of several Contact Hours. Contact Hours are based on the time the students attended lectures/lab sessions for.
Usually, any particular semester would require a student to take up around 5 Courses. These five courses include 45 to 48 Contact Hours each. These contact hours add up to make 3 SCH per course. So in totality, a student would need to have 15 SCH or credits per semester or 30 SCH or Credits per year.
What is an Elective Course?
As we know from the section above, the Universities and Colleges in the USA give credits based on the number and type of courses a student takes up per semester. so you see Electives are good in College.
Elective Courses are the courses that add up to a student’s total credits and thus assist in completion of their degree. These courses are however, not mandatory. Unlike the Core Courses which are compulsory for you to undertake in order to get your degree, Elective Courses can be chosen by the students based on their interests and what they believe would enhance their education.
It is pertinent to mention that all Elective Courses may not necessarily earn you credits to your overall credits earned. Different Universities have different policies for granting credits for Elective Courses. Please visit the website of your respective University to get more information about the same.
Do Elective Courses have different categories?
Elective Courses can be divided into three major categories for US based Institutions to have a better understanding of the matter.
- Free Electives – These are the most liberal Elective Courses which allow students to pursue fields that are not related to their Core Course. It can be taken up to explore an unrelated field of interest.
- Area of Study – These are the electives which are related to the Core Courses of the student. They can be considered as widening one’s horizons within their Core field of education.
- General Education Electives – These electives give a more in-depth knowledge of the student’s Core Courses. They might give hands-on experience or practical insight into the subject.
Reasons to Take Up an Elective Course
There are a number of reasons to go for an Elective Course including but not limited to portfolio enhancement, varied learning opportunities etc. The advantages have been discussed in detail below –
- Diverse Portfolio – In today’s world several fields are integrated with one another to produce the best outcome. Therefore, it is a good idea to widen your horizons in terms of education and knowledge. Many companies these days prefer their employees to come with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Having an additional course that compliments your core field will definitely give you that much-needed edge.
- GPA Improvement – Given that an Elective Course is picked by the student based on their interests and as per general norms, they usually tend to be easier as compared to the Core Courses. This gives the students a chance to make their overall Grade i.e. GPA better with the help of their Elective Courses.
- Amalgamation of Interest and Education – Opting for an elective course gives the students an opportunity to learn new skill sets that interest them. The best part is that they will get an opportunity to link these skills to their profession on later stages having an in-depth knowledge of both perspectives.
- Forming Links Across Fields – College years are some of the best years for getting to know people who will be going into different walks of life. Opting an Elective Course helps in making the best use of this opportunity by giving one a chance to come in contact with students outside their Core field.
- Wider Career Prospects – Studying a variety of courses opens up several opportunities for a student after they complete their education. In case they want to change their field in favor of their Elective Course, they can do so easily because of their educational background in the field.
Reasons to Avoid Taking up an Elective Course
Even though there are a number of undeniable advantages of going for Elective Courses, there are a few factors that might discourage a student from doing so.
- Some Core Courses demand a lot of time and energy on the student’s part making it difficult for him or her to take up any additional courses.
- The right combination of Elective and Core courses may not be available at their respective Institution.
- The desired Elective Course Credits might not be added to the students’ Credits based on the Institution’s policy.
Conclusion
Elective Courses are an appealing way to increase your Academic Credit Score while enhancing your knowledge and career prospects. They can help you link your field of interest to Core Professional education making it wholesome. However, there are some factors that need to be kept in mind while choosing an Elective Course to get the maximum benefit possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q 1 How many Credits can be earned by taking up an Elective Course?
The number of Credits earned per Elective Course depends on a number of factors. These factors range from your Core Courses to your preferred Elective Courses. In addition to this, each University has its independent criteria for the same. Hence, the best way to get an exact answer would be to contact the respective Institute directly or visit their website.
Q 2 Do High School Electives help in College-level Selection Process?
Yes, opting Electives in High School Definitely helps in getting into Colleges. It opens up doors to more Courses for you. It also makes the selection committee see your wide range of interests and capability to juggle many things at the same time. It also showcases your inquisitiveness and curiosity for learning.
Q 3 Which Elective Course to pick?
Selection of an Elective Course is a very crucial task. One must keep in mind their field of interest and how it would assist their primary field of education. In addition to this, they must also gather detailed knowledge of the Credit System for Elective Courses of their respective University before making any decision.
