With collegiettes™ across the country trading the glamorous, sun-soaked world of summer for the decidedly less glamorous world of the classroom, schedules are once again filling up with classes and homework instead of tanning sessions and pool dates.
Biology, English, calculus and other such sleep-inducing subjects consume most students' days, with an interesting elective here or there. But just what kinds of electives are out there?
Her Campus has rounded up the craziest college classes from around the nation, utilizing its team of over 2,000 student experts at 175 colleges and universities to truly define the oddest, most interesting and sometimes perplexing options available to students this year.
Once the usual subjects like biology and calculus are taken care of, college students are allowed the freedom to explore classes that fit their liking. Elective classes are usually associated with fun and intrigue, some more so than others. For instance, what if you could take a class like 'Scuba Diving' or 'How to Watch Television'? Well, believe it or not, some students actually have these course titles listed on their transcripts.
10) "GaGa for Gaga: Sex, Gender, and Identity" - UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Sure, you go to her concerts and blast her lyrics on your iPod speakers, but have you thought about the residual effects of Lady Gaga's massive media presence? University of Virginia's popular class focuses on gender boundaries and how Lady Gaga challenges them. During the term, students study social divides while honing in on their argumentative essay writing skills. So there's some work involved ... but it's hard to complain when the topic is none other than the Lady Gaga.
9) "Alien Worlds" - BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Interested in outer space and extraterrestrial life? BU's astronomy department offers a course especially suited to you! In "Alien Worlds," students investigate stars, planets and the possibility of other life forms. The class even provides opportunities to use telescopes. Recent BU grad Bekah Handler says, "I had always wanted to take an astronomy class. The topic seemed fun and would satiate my curiosity about outer space ... and the possibility of extraterrestrial life!"
8) "Love and Sex" - UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
According to U of O student Jessica Williams, this class is different from anything most students have experienced. During the semester, you study the topics of love and sex by examining animal behavior. "Learning about love and sex through the scientific study of monkeys is quite interesting!" Williams says. "Watching videos about couple-drama from monkeys in the wild was unlike anything I've done in other classes I have ever taken."
7) "Harry Potter: Ethics and Imagination" - UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA BIRMINGHAM
You've read the popular books and seen the highly anticipated movies, but have you taken an exam on Hogwarts History? Most Harry Potter fans would jump at the chance to take a class centered on the series. UAB student Jaime Ritter says that her school offers a solution to your wizardly wishes. "It's an English 400-level class. It dissects all the books and their summaries, symbolism, and the socio-ethics of both the wizarding and Muggle worlds." Another cool fact? UAB's Museum of Health Sciences even had an entire exhibition dedicated to the teenage wizard for three months this past year, housing the traveling exhibition "Harry Potter's World: Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine."
6) "Chocolate: History, Culture, and Science" - CAL BERKELEY
Calling all foodie friends and cultured connoisseurs! This class will satisfy your chocolaty cravings and make you think of dessert in an entirely new way. According to the course description, students will spend the semester learning about the technical aspects of chocolate by delving "into the world of chocolate research, finding out what commonly held ideas are being debunked, and asking questions as-yet unanswered about the culture, history and science of chocolate."
5) "Scuba Diving" - OHIO UNIVERSITY
Swim 23 yards underwater, survival-float for seven minutes and tread water with no hands. Sound easy enough? If you can pass the swim test, consider yourself enrolled in Ohio University's scuba class. OU student Jessica Salerno says, "It's actually pretty intense. You have to know how to use all the equipment and take regular tests on every aspect of scuba diving. You also have to pay extra to take it, and if you pass all the tests at the end, you get your license!"
See the rest of this list -- and more! -- at Her Campus.com.