What course should I take next semester?

[Mogget]

So, I have some free credits next semester that I want to fill, ideally with something that would help me get into grad school in Environmental Studies. So, I want your advice, here's my options:

Environmental Problem Solving - looks at interdisciplinary ways to "define, analyze, negotiate, and implement environmental solutions."

Advantage - one area I might study is policy and activism, and this looks at both of those. Would be a fascinating class.

Disadvantage - Not very hardcore, no significant learning about policy or science. And it's a night class, four hours once a week.

Environmental Policy and Politics - looks at national environmental policy and policy implementation.

Advantage - covers a broad range of topics, intense discussion of policy.

Disadvantage - whether or not I take it, I'll probably end up taking a similar or even identical course in grad school.

Climate Change - looks at evidence for natural and anthropogenic climate change, climate modeling, and case studies of the environmental impacts of climate change. Primarily science-orientated, but includes some policy.

Advantage - hard science class in an area that is highly relevant for my proposed area of study. Could take for graduate credit.

Disadvantage - very difficult and demanding professor (probably the toughest in the science department), is a hard science class when it looks like I'm more likely to end up on the policy side of things.

Advanced Statistics - multivariable statistics class.

Advantage - would help me find work after school if I don't go directly to grad school. Would educate me in using multiple statistical analysis softwares (my intro to stats class only used one). Could take for graduate credit.

Disadvantage - depending on the grad program I go into, statistics may not be a requirement, or they may have their own statistics program that's required that this might not be considered adequate for. Also, it starts at 8am.

[Gerry]

I would go with either Environmental Policy and Politics or Climate Change. Reason for EPP is it sounds like an interesting class and it would probably help you out when you get to grad school and end up taking a similar course in it. Reason for CC is like you said, a hard science class that could give you graduate credit while at the undergrad level would be a good option. The difficult prof might throw you off. But if I had to pick between the two I would probably go with Climate Change and just work my butt off. Plus, the subject has always interested me.

[Filip]

Personally, I think I'd pick between Environmental policy and politics, or Statistics.

EPP: I have good memories from when I took a similar class. It's good to have an overview of all ways to look at an issue, plus intense discussion always helps to formulate your own thoughts better (or even to change them on some issues).

Also, since it's the broadest overview, it might really help you in picking the courses you want to take in grad school

Personally, intense discussion is also the way I made friends and good acquaintances in college, though that's more of an incidental bonus.


Statistics: No matter who I talk to (and I don't just talk to engineers), people are either regretting not knowing enough math to adequately analyse data, or don't regret it and are prone to jump to unfounded conclusions.
Even if it's not a requirement for grad school, I think having a solid introduction to multivariate analysis is something you might have use of in all kinds of ways later.
Plus, if you do take more hard science courses later, things you learn from this class will come in handy.


If I had to pick just one, my preference would be EPP. Even if you have to take a similar class later on, it's good to have a head start

The reason I wouldn't pick the two others:

Environmental Problem Solving sounds a bit too much like a "think tank" kind of class. You might see a lot of nifty ideas to solve things, but you'd get an introduction to those in the policy class tooo (I'd hope), and often the policy and politics are more important in the implementation of the solution than the possible solutions themselves.

Climate change: The hard science part sounds good. But I also do fear that the most you can actually do with it is having better ammunition in a believer/nonbeliever debate. Plus, if you're only taking this course to fill up extra credits, you might not want to take an extra demanding one.


The above, of course, coming from a guy who doesn't really know how the U.S. credit system works... So I didn't really take the "graduate credit" you can gain into account here.