Welcome to today's College Guide post! Picking classes is (obviously) super important for all college students and can require a lot of time and preparation. Here's the lo-down on things you need to know, and how to make your registration process go smoothly.
... have a copy of your Major Requirements saved on your computer always, and keep it up to date. Most schools will have documents listing all the classes needed to fulfill a particular degree, and this can be your best friend when signing up for classes. When you know that certain courses need to be completed by a certain time, you are more likely to take the classes instead of pushing them off until senior year. The same goes for Minors and other concentrations.
... wait until the last minute to plan. Registration always creeps up in the middle of the semester when we least expect it, or when we're busiest with other work. Make sure you have an idea ahead of time of the types of classes you want to take in the next semester, so that you aren't rushing at the last minute looking for classes to fill your schedule.
... visit with an academic advisor and get advice on your schedule. During the summer before your freshman year, you will most likely be assigned an academic advisor who can help you with any struggles you have regarding classes. They will be your go-to person for registration, waitlists, switching classes, and most importantly, making sure that you graduate on time and with all the requirements taken care of. Some schools will require a meeting with this person at least once a semester, but otherwise you can email them as frequently as you like, or stop by their office. It's a good idea to plan out your first semester schedule and send it to someone who has a strong idea of the courses, so that they can give you the green light.
... load up on classes that will be too difficult. In a typical semester, a college student will take 4-5 classes, or sometimes 6 if they need a lab or want to get ahead. My preference is 5 or 6 classes a semester, with 4 "meatier" ones and then 1 or 2 additional classes. Having some leeway in your schedule can ease stress. When you finally decide on your major, you'll want to focus those difficult classes in your main area of study, and then use the extra room to take other classes that interest you.
... take classes in a variety of subjects. Many students have little to no idea of what they want to study when they first enter college. While it's easy to take "safe" classes in areas that you feel comfortable in, it's a good idea to expand your horizons and study a subject that you aren't quite so sure about. It may open your mind up to other options and ultimately help you decide what you would like to major in. For example, I had thought for a while about studying Linguistics in college, and while I was fairly set on Environmental Science by the end of senior year, I wanted to make sure that I was doing the right thing by avoiding Linguistics. I took a freshman seminar about language development in children, and while it was interesting and sometimes practical, I overall did not enjoy the class. I'm glad that now I can look back and know for sure that Linguistics is not the field of study for me!
... forget to have backup classes picked out. You're a freshman, you're studying something relatively sciencey, and you know you're gonna need to knock out that Chem 101 class. Unfortunately, there are a lot of folks in your same boat, and the school can't always fit everyone in the same semester. Don't wait until registration day to figure out your backup plan if you end up on the waitlist. You always want to have at least 5 classes scheduled, even if they aren't your first picks.
... take advantage of Course Evaluations and recommendations from upperclassmen. Hindsight is 20/20, and therefore upperclassmen will have great first hand experience and knowledge about the classes you'll be taking. At my school, we cannot access our grades at the end of the semester without completing course evaluations, and those are extremely helpful when picking classes! Each course gets ranked on a scale of 1-5, and students provide feedback and comments that the Office of the Registrar uses to create the Course Evaluation document. These can tell you which classes have a lot of homework, which ones seem like Easy A's but aren't, and which professors are down-right awful. Take advantage of these resources - you won't regret it!
... assume that classes will always be available. There are many reasons why you might get closed out of a class. I mentioned earlier about how big lecture classes sometimes cannot accommodate every single student, but there are other reasons why as well. Sometimes, upperclassmen fill up all the spots before freshmen can even register. Or, students sleep through registration and miss their opportunity. Other times, upperclassmen have the notion that they can't get blocked out of a class, since they're the first to register, so they wait a day or two before doing so. And what happens? They get put on the waitlist. While it's not always the case, it can certainly happen to anyone. And when it does? It stinks. Be proactive about registering on time!
... set an alarm and create a buddy system. I cannot stress this one enough. My roommate and I would wake up an extra hour early on registration days, and we knew that if one of us didn't want to wake up, jump on top of them, shake their bed, throw pillows at them. Whatever it took to get them up and ready for registration. You do not want to miss it one bit! And, if your floor gets along really well, it can be a fun experience getting up really early and bonding over the excitement.
... stress out if a class fills up and you get put on a waitlist. This is why you have your backup plan! No stress now, no stress later. See if you can find out your queue number, and you might even get off the waitlist and into your dream class.
... your research on professors. Every professor is different, and sometimes the same class can be taught by multiple professors, each with their own teaching style and personality. Find out the overall vibe of each professor, and pick the one that will suit your learning style and abilities the best! This semester, I largely built my schedule around taking a specific Financial Accounting class with this incredible professor! I had him last semester and I am really looking forward to learning from him again. My whole schedule works around that class, and it's totally worth it!
... fool yourself and think you'll suddenly become a morning person. Getting up in the morning is hard, trust me. I force myself to do it everyday, and while I'm not a morning person at 7:30 AM when my alarm rings, I realize that yes, I am a morning person, as soon as I'm done with all my classes around noon. If you know for sure that getting up on time will be a struggle for you, plan your schedule so that you get a little extra time in the mornings.
... create an Excel spreadsheet to layout your classes and plan for breaks. Sometimes your schedule may seem like a good idea and work perfectly, until you realize that you won't be eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner because you're so jam-packed. Laying out your day on a spreadsheet will help you realistically add breaks to your day. Check out my spreadsheet for Sophomore Fall below:
... get dragged into taking a class you're not interested in. Taking classes with your friends is fun, but not when the class doesn't hold your attention at all. If you want to take a class with your friends, make sure it's something that will satisfy a requirement for all of you, or will at least be something that captivates your interest. Hanging out in class with your friends for an hour will not be worth it if you hate the class and end up doing poorly.
... allow yourself some "freebie" room for an easy class. This could be an Easy A class, or a class for your minor that won't be too difficult. For me, I find Spanish classes to be fairly easy, but I also really enjoy them and will be minoring in Spanish. These classes break up my day and give me a breather in between more strenuous work, but they are still fun and I love taking them! Pick something that you really enjoy and want to know more about, but don't make it your main focus. Use that as your de-stresser during the week.
... forget the importance of distribution requirements or your core curriculum. While taking interesting, thought provoking classes are awesome, you will still have to take classes in an array of subject areas to stay well-rounded. Don't get carried away with your major classes and end up taking Intro to Writing during your senior spring. Plan ahead so that you can enjoy your final semesters at college; sometimes making a 4-year plan can help you remember to knock out those easy core classes.
... utilize the official government clock when waiting to push the "register" button. This is sort of a silly point to make, but I'm convinced that when the school says registration is at 7 AM, they mean 7 AM official time. Your phone, computer, alarm clock, and watch may all be slightly off by a few seconds. Go to
www.time.gov for the real time. I swear by this site during registration, and I know so many people who claim that they clicked right as the clock struck 7, but they didn't get their classes. While I can't make any guarantees, it's better to be safe than sorry.
Order your classes from most important to least important in your registration cart. Classes are often processed in the order they appear, so if you put your most important / most needed class at the bottom of the list, you may end up missing out and get behind schedule for graduation.
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Good luck choosing classes and going through the registration process! Not much longer 'til we're back at school for the year.
