City College students walk from one class to the next, glancing at the coastal view they wish they had time for.

Little do they know, they can easily make time to enjoy the outdoors of Santa Barbara and get school credit for it too.

The best way for students to make the most of their time and truly obtain the City College experience is to take an outdoor PE class.

This applies to working students as well. It’s the perfect excuse to make sure time is reserved for what attracted them to attend college here in the first place— the beach.

City College offers classes like surfing, ocean kayaking and swimming, beach volleyball and hiking.

Students can be swimming in the Pacific one class and view it from their classroom windows at the next.

But who said students have to tell work which class they absolutely can’t miss?

Bottom line is: keeping up with classes is a priority.

In all seriousness, happiness should be a priority too.

There are many studies that correlate exercise with happiness. This is because endorphins increase during physical activity.

While students can see spectacular views during City College outdoor PE classes, they can also see these views from campus, or even the 101.

It’s not the appearance of the outdoors that’s important; it’s experiencing it.

College is known to be a stressful time in life and City College is no exception. Just because Santa Barbara students live in a place that could captivate anyone by its beauty doesn’t mean they can drop everything at any time to take advantage of it.

They are like any other student who has responsibilities like studying and working to pay absurdly high rent.

There is no doubt City College is like no other college, but social media never reveals everything.

Online friends or followers of City College students may even believe students are simply on vacation based off what is posted.

People usually post things that make their lives seem more fun or better than others. Few people want to share with the world how much their life sucks. Especially Santa Barbara locals.

It’s almost taboo for locals to talk about feelings of sadness in such a place like Santa Barbara. But it can be very real.

Imagine the intensity of the guilt one must feel when they aren’t happy while being surrounded by palm trees, miles of sandy beaches and constant favorable weather.

A view will never be the solution to anyone’s problems.

However, experiences like exercise and surrounding oneself with happy people are proven to physically lift moods. A view is simply a plus that City College has.

College is a time for students to be young and embrace their college’s opportunities and surrounding new adventures.

It’s not about making friends based off of a bonding experience of tears soaking the insides of textbooks. It’s not about blocking out reality by binge-watching Netflix.

It’s about finding oneself and growing as an individual. It’s about reaching out for risks and taking hold of opportunities.

Even though City College is not a four-year university, its opportunities make it feel like one. There is no better community college to get the full college experience.

It only costs $69 to sign up for most PE classes at City College. If students don’t have the money to pay for an extra class, the college offers clubs like the Yoga, Beach Volleyball and Adventure Club that can provide similar experiences. Students can also experience the outdoors of Santa Barbara themselves.

However, for studious, hardworking students who put happiness at the bottom of their lists— an outdoor PE class might just make their City College experience a special one.

After all, the happier the student, the higher the grades.