In addition to required courses, electives are a chance to explore your interests, broaden your knowledge related to personal or professional goals, and make your education more well rounded—which is appealing to employers down the road and beneficial to your own growth. You may have to take that History 101 class (a total snooze-fest since you couldn’t care less about memorizing boring dates), but you get to follow it up with a fun graphic arts workshop—which is worth staying awake through the Revolutionary War slideshow. You can explore a topic you know little about, like children’s literature or game theory, or a subject you’re passionate about outside of your degree program, like cinema, painting, or dance. Talk to your advisor to see which electives fit your schedule without taking away from your major requirements. Whatever you choose may complement your professional goals—for example, taking a public speaking course as a marketing major. Or you can just have fun with it, like taking a guitar class so you can learn to play.