<p>Alectricity, thank you so much! It was such a specific question that I had given up hope of an answer, and my curiosity got the better of me! Without giving my name, I called the School of Communication to ask the question. To be honest, I am a bit surprised that they did not suggest the Intro to Management class - would you think they cover 3 and 4 as well as the finance aspects? However, they did confirm that students are welcome to take directed study courses. </p>
<p>For the benefit of students reading this, I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend that you
take advantage of the opportunity of directed study classes in your own department and others. They were some of the very best courses I took, both in grad and undergrad school. I feel so strongly about this, that I think I will start another thread on the parents section for ideas on what to study! I also did this when forced to take a crummy course only offered by one professor on a topic that should have been very helpful (multi-cultural studies). I basically flattered him into letting me take it independent study, so that I could learn about how to test students with other backgrounds rather than the history of race relations. Even bad professors will usually let you do this if you have a plan and are willing to minimize their time while researching on your own. In that case, instead of sitting through a BORING night class, I created a four inch binder of articles and references that I could use as a speech pathologist that I used for the first 15 years of my career as a resource tool. </p>
<p>For the benefit of BU students who don’t read the parent thread, here’s an example of how directed study worked for me. I did both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in speech pathology. In both cases, I had to do several additional units that were not dictated to me (either general education, a course that was not required but recommended, etc). It is easy to “blow” these units on a course that is a “whatever” class that meets the time requirement, or take a common path. Instead in both courses, I asked imyself what would benefit me as an individual, and/or what I thought my curriculum was missing for my current goals. For example, I was horrified to realize that i was about to be part of discussions telling parents their child was autistic/developmentally delayed and I had never taken a practical counseling class! I made an appointment in the social work department (I asked a friend who had taken courses there who was a good professor to ask as it was not a dept I knew) and discussed my concerns. The wonderful prof could not have been more enthusiastic or more practical in her recommendations. I ended up reading her favorite basic articles and books, writing up a practical essay on techniques I might use, and doing several videotapes using she or a friend as the “parent” which she reviewed and discussed with me. All told, it was perhaps four hours of her time, as I also talked to my professors about what they would recommend. It was one of the best courses I took, and a perfect way of gaining the extra 3 units I needed. </p>
<p>As students, I think you need to be aggressive in pursuing what you think you need. YOU know what you are missing for your possible career path - do it! </p>
<p>Has anyone here taken this opportunity at BU? How did it come out? If you choose to do this at a school the size of BU, ask a friend who to take it from (or the secretary of the dept if you are desperate) and come in with a plan of what you want to learn. If you know someone who helps you pick a professor, ask them if they could shoot the professor an email saying “I told XYZ to call you because she is interested in XYS and I thought you would do a great job steering her in the right direction. She is a terrific student and very responsible.”</p>