Health Education and Promotion will offer a new special topics course this fall called “Adulting 101” to help students make healthy decisions after leaving college.

Irene Axiotis, an associate professor in health sciences, said she was inspired to create the course after many students confided in her about their anxieties of entering adult life.

“Students kept saying they wished there was a class that could help them figure out how to construct an adult life before leaving college,” she said.

This senior-level course will cover the “seven dimensions” of adulthood — helping students make healthy changes and decisions about relationships, body, mind, work, friends, stress and money.

The class will focus on practical projects, Axiotis said, such as budgeting and working through various situations relating to life after college — from how to decide what health insurance to get to dealing with socialization and relationships.

Niccole Segura, a graduate English student, said she thinks the class would be useful but doesn’t like the title.

“Why would they give it a joke name so people feel bad about taking it?” she said. “I wouldn’t want something like that on my transcript, especially when I was applying to grad school.”

After talking to the school of health sciences director and several colleagues, Axiotis said she spent a lot of time interviewing students on their opinion of the class and plans to continue researching until the end of the semester to ensure the class is as beneficial as possible.

Senior psychology major Marisa Schroeder said she thinks the class is a good idea to help students be better prepared to go out on their own.

“My parents still help me with my taxes,” she said. “I think this class would help me prepare for after graduation when I may move farther away and not get their help as easily.”

Although she thinks this class would be very beneficial, Schroeder said she is concerned about the name as well. She suggested it be changed to something along the lines of “life skills.”

With no prerequisite, Axiotis said the course is currently open to all students of any major or class rank.

“Getting ready to graduate and leave can be very difficult,” she said. “I think this class could pertain to anyone who is in that transition of learning about themselves and getting ready to leave the security of college life.”

There is currently only one section open for the course, Axiotis said, but she hopes to continue and expand in future semesters.

Hannah Wagner is the education, health and human services reporter, contact her at [email protected].