'The [St. Paul Pioneer Press] examined data from 2002 to 2005 and found where students [at the University of Minnesota] had the best shots at getting an A.

The best bet were a couple dozen freshman seminars, typically the "Intro to ..." classes, ranging from astronomy and biology to cultural diversity and "Live Theatre: Entertainment With Attitude." An average of 81 percent of those students got A's.

Another good bet were classes about sports, music or culture. During the 2003 to 2005 school years, almost all the students in 100 sports courses, including cricket and snowboarding, got the top mark.

For students that enjoyed music and giving their grade point averages a boost, there was instruction for guitar or piano. There was also "Rock II: 1970 to Present," where more than 80 percent of students in 10 sections got the top grade in spring 2005.

Other regulars on the undergraduate A list, were cultural studies concentrated on race and gender.

[Also,] most students see Introduction to Sociology as a joke.'