Hi all!
This is Jooah.
As we are facing Thanksgiving break, the fall 2025 semester is quickly coming to an end. For the spring 2026 semester, I really maxed out Amherst’s open curriculum and registered for different kinds of classes I’ve been wanting to take. I am going to briefly take you guys through some of the courses that don’t relate to my prospective majors (econometrics and music) but are very interesting!
Spanish I
I am currently fluent in Korean and English, and I’ve always wanted to become trilingual because I’ve experienced the beauty of being able to see the world in two (very) different languages and cultures. Of course, knowing a language is a very practical skill in general too.
I was skeptical about signing up for this course at first as I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take a course to learn a language–wouldn’t I acquire a language more effectively if I learn the practical phrases rather than learn it academically? However, one of my closest friends here took Spanish her freshman year, continued to take courses, and is now double majoring in Spanish. She spoke highly of the professors and the Spanish program, motivating me to register. Moreover, Mexico is 1.5 hours drive away from my house in San Diego, so I would be able to utilize my skill one day! (Hopefully I will retain it till then.)
Intro to Video Production
I’m not gonna lie, I’m a bit nervous about this course. I have zero experience in video production, and it is a solid time commitment–three-hours-long classes twice a week. However, I’ve always been interested in video production, so I decided to give it a try! According to the course description, this course is beginner-friendly and covers a wide range of topics such as scene construction, lighting, sound-image concepts, and final edit. I’m really really excited overall!
Jazz Piano Lessons (half credit) & Jazz Combo (half credit)
Although music lessons are often competitive here and may require you to wait for a semester, you will get to take free music lessons at Amherst. Whether that’d be electronic music production or classical voice, you can explore an instrument of your choice even if you are a total beginner. I have taken classical voice lessons during my freshman year and am taking jazz piano lessons as a sophomore. Lessons happen once a week, and there are often recitals to invite your friends and perform at the end of each semester. I really enjoy my jazz piano lessons because my instructor goes through lots of theory and its application which is something I’ve always wanted to have a solid understanding of.
Moreover, if you are looking for more of a jazz performance experience rather than private lessons, jazz combo is for you! Jazz combo instructors put you in a group of five to seven musicians that you will work with all throughout the semester. I have never done jazz before college, but I’ve been involved in jazz combo since my first semester as a singer. Scatting and improvising under spotlight makes me really nervous at every performance, but I love the freedom that jazz provides within the structure.
That’s it! Although I’ve had many second thoughts during registration because my schedule felt too distant from academic rigor or major requirements, I’m really glad I am exploring my interests. A huge shoutout to Amherst’s open curriculum for letting me (potentially) double major, (hopefully) study abroad, and sign up for random but really interesting courses even during my second semester of sophomore year! I suggest you try the same when you come to Amherst 🙂