Creating your schedule
Something as simple as your day-to-day
class schedule can set you up for success or endless struggles. Whether
you end up with
all
the really tough professors your first semester, have to sprint between
classes just to make it on time, or ensure that you’re completing
all the basics you need, creating a good schedule requires information
and help.
Talk to your advisor and existing students, and consider other time
commitments such as working, participating in sports and student
organizations, and family obligations. Tips for creating a well-balanced
schedule follow.
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Start with core curriculum
A core curriculum is required for a four-year degree at most
colleges. The core curriculum spans the academic spectrum,
including Math and Natural Sciences, Social and Behavioral
Sciences, Humanities, Writing and Speaking, Languages and
Fine Arts. This curriculum gives students who already have
selected a major a broader range of study than they might
have chosen for themselves. It also gives undecided students
exposure to a wide range of academic subjects so they can
identify ones they want to pursue. Generally speaking, you’ll
take most of the required core classes in your first two
years of college. If there’s room in your schedule,
you can choose “elective” classes in subjects
of interest to you. During your junior and senior years,
you’ll narrow your course selection to classes required
for your major. |
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Consider the
number of credits
As you’re choosing your classes and building your schedule,
you and your academic advisor should consider the total number
of credits you’ll need to graduate, the difficulty and
variety of the courses,and your out-of-classroom commitments.
College level courses range from 1 to 5 credits, and you may
need something
like 128 credits to graduate. Sometimes colleges refer to credits
as “units” or “hours,” but they all
mean the same thing. The credit hours will usually correspond
to the number of class meetings per week. For example, a standard
3-credit-hour course will usually meet three hours per week
for a minimum of 16 weeks. To graduate, your total number of
credits must fulfill a combination of core curriculum requirements
and requirements for your major.
While this sounds confusing, what it boils down to is that
you will generally take three or four classes for a total of
16 credit hours per semester. This means you’re in class
about 16 hours per week—which sounds like total freedom
compared to high school, but is considered a full workload
for college when you consider the homework.
Vary the subject matter
College isn’t supposed to be easy—but there’s
no point in making it harder with an overwhelming schedule.
Consider how much reading, writing, and lab time you’ll
spend for each class, and plan accordingly. In particular,
experienced college students recommend that you avoid taking
multiple classes with a lot of writing or lab hours. To keep
your confidence up, include one subject you know you’ll
be successful in. While it may be tempting to take a bunch
of blow-off classes in one semester—bowling for physical
education, for example—spread the fun classes out over
your college years.
Talk to other students about professors as well. Don’t
avoid the ones with a reputation for being tough—they’ll
probably provide your most memorable learning experiences—but
consider whether you need to be faced with four challenging
professors at once.
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Check class times and locations
While it sounds mundane, think about what time classes start
and where they are. It’s inevitable that some classes
will be inconvenient. But don’t set yourself up for
failure by signing up for 8 a.m. classes every day if you’re
not a morning person. If you’re a procrastinator, don’t
schedule classes back to back if you don’t have to—have
time between classes to finish assignments. Watch locations
as well; it’s not always possible to scramble across
campus from one class to the next and still arrive on time. |
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