Taking Classes Off-Campus

Although taking classes at one of the other 4 colleges in the consortium always seemed like a really great opportunity, I definitely also thought that it might be a little weird to be in a classroom at a different school. This semester, I got to choose my first elective so I decided to try it out and take a class at Claremont McKenna. I’m planning to concentrate in Economics, so I talked to a few professors and got approved to take an Intermediate Macroeconomics course at CMC for the spring semester!

When I initially thought about taking an off-campus elective, I heard a lot of information about it being really hard to get into specific courses at other schools, especially as a freshman. This made me rethink my decision, but I figured that even if I went through the process this semester and didn’t get into a class, I’d know what to expect next year. After a lot of emails and conversations with professors and other Mudd students who had taken similar courses at CMC, I finally managed to decide on a class I wanted to take and successfully perm into it. Though it was a little difficult and stressful at times, I definitely think it was worth it.

CMC campus (feat. the economics building obscured by trees. Photo credit: Aanya Pratapneni

Most of the students in my class are from CMC, and it’s interesting to not be in a class full of Mudd students who are all STEM majors. I really like that I get to hear different perspectives and work with people whose strengths are significantly different from mine. After working on linear algebra or mechanics assignments for most of the week, it’s refreshing to be able to focus on something a little different for a little while.

I have yet to master the art of getting to class on time, since I don’t have much time between classes on different campuses. I always seem to be a couple of minutes late, but I’m sure I’ll be able to figure it out by the end of the year. At least we have some office hours on Zoom so I don’t have to walk all the way to CMC when I’m feeling particularly lazy.

The long (and uphill) walk back to Mudd. Photo credit: Aanya Pratapneni