Appropriate classes for sophomores

Recently a student asked me what classes he should take in the Winter semester of his sophomore year. He already has taken Acc272 and he is wondering whether or not he should take one of the core courses (perhaps marketing or finance).

My answer: I don't think he should take them early. He should take the core courses with his cohort next year. They will provide a good support network (both for helping and commisserating) in these courses. So, what should he take?

• English: 225 (Argumentative writing) or 229 (Technical writing). Both of these courses would be great preparation for the business school and for work, generally.
• Stats: 350 (Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis). The business curriculum is analytically challenging. This course prepares you well for the analytical work you'll be expected to do in the business school. You should know that you will be required to take a statistics class in the Ross School; however, if you feel weak in this area, this course can provide you a good leg up on what you will need to do while you are at Ross.
• Econ: Any of the 300-level econ courses (if you have already taken both 101 and 102) provide very nice preparation and education in an area that is the foundation of the study of business.

Are there other courses that you might take that would be good courses? Sure there are. These are just ones that come most quickly to mind.

Other criteria that you should use when deciding what courses to take are the following:

• Take what you are interested in! If you're interested in the movie industry, take a course over there. If you're interested in sports marketing, take a course related to that. But, by all means, think about what you want to do with your life or, assuming you do not know what that might be, what you are interested in on a day-to-day basis.
• If you can, come into the business school with enough credits so that you can take just four classes in your first semester in the business school. This can make all the difference in the world in your experience --- i.e., it can markedly reduce your anxiety level.

That's just about it. Take what you want to; don't rush to get in to the business school; and take good classes that train you to think, write, and analyze. What bad can come of that?