Love them or hate them, everyone has to knock out a few GE classes during their time at BYU. At best they can be enlightening and help you get a better sense of what you might want to major in. At worst they can rob you of your will to live and steal your soul while crushing your GPA with three C- credit hours.
Many students like to debate the top GE courses, so we here at The Alternate Universe decided to put together a definitive list of the top ten GEs at BYU.
10) Foundations of the Restoration
One of the best ways to enrich your BYU education is to spend a semester being quizzed relentlessly on how the 1835 account of Joseph Smith’s “First Vision” differs from the 1832 version. It’s also always enlightening to hear McKeighlegh from Draper take on why polygamy was a challenge for the early Latter-day Saints.
9) Biology 100
This class can really differ in difficulty depending on who you take it from. We recommend taking it from Riley Nelson, who does a great job inspiring a love of nature and conservation in his class. If you can’t get into his section, we recommend you try to get into one of the evening sections in the MARB basement. Legend has it that the ghost of Steve Irwin makes appearances from time to time.
8) Geology 100
You can learn about rocks and stuff if you’d like.
7) Chemical Engineering 386
In a strange turn of events BYU decided in late 2018 that starting in the fall of 2019 all students would be required to take ChemE 386 “Chemical Reaction Engineering.” Commonly referred to as CRE, this class covers the basics of chemical reactor design while also making brief detours in the economics of chemical plants and basic plant safety ideas.
6) Eternal Families
All Eternal Families instructors are contractually obligated to open the first day of class with a joke about how the goal of the class isn’t to get you married. Everyone knows this isn’t a funny joke but laughs anyway.
5) Economics 110
Have you ever wanted to foster a deep and brooding hatred for the field of Economics? If you said yes to that question, Econ 110 might be for you.
4) American Heritage
Learning about the founding of the United States of America is an edifying pursuit, one sure to pay dividends after the country collapses in three to five years.
3) Writing 150
This class requires a good amount of writing. If you don’t expect that going in we suspect you may not have been admitted to the university under normal circumstances.
2) Latvian 330
The rich culture and history of the Latvian people comes alive in this 14 week long tour-de-force of a class.
1) Chemistry 105
Dread it. Run from it. Chem 105 still arrives. Horror stories are told all around campus of this general chemistry nightmare. Your best bet would be to take this class your second semester, thereby giving you time to marry a lonely chemistry, physics, or engineering major who can carry you through it. You can just divorce them once you pass if you want.